One of the most basic and yet necessary skills today is thinking creatively. It comes in various appearances and forms from storytelling to music, art, and everything in between. As a parent, we want to encourage our children to use their imagination and natural desire to express themselves as much as possible. While this may be innate for some kids, there are those that need a bit of help in utilizing their creativity. Here are some tips on how you can help your little one use his or her imagination through creative play.

Cognitive Skills Development

Kids at a young age do not have the ability yet to process information in their head. They will need tools such as building and construction toys for constructing and reconstructing, as well as by trial and error they will obtain a solution.

Let your child sit and fiddle with their wooden blocks and use his intuition to figure out a solution through trial and error. Every time they create something, they are conveying the knowledge their learning from playing and will begin building more complex structures each time. Through this process, your child will discover and develop their cognitive skills that adults use every single day. Providing your kids with the appropriate tools is vital to this process.

Importance of Storytelling

One of the most significant parts of our imaginations is storytelling. It is an essential skill that each of us needs in our lives, and it is necessary that we also provide our kids with the right tools for this.

Our kids will not learn just from a black screen, they will learn from things that inspire them. They build their knowledge by satisfying their curiosity or on top of things they already know. Hence, storytelling is vital for children to develop these skills. Stories do not just come from nothing but rather inspired by something.

Dollhouses and role play toys are great to use for storytelling. A dollhouse for example helps their imagination by coming up with stories and unfolding those stories as they go through its different rooms.

Promoting Effective Communication Skills

Descriptive language and being accurate about stuff may be easy for adults, but it's a skill that children are yet to develop. There are times when we get frustrated when our kids cannot explain things effectively. Free and creative play is a great way to help them improve their language and to learn how to be specific at it. Your kids will greatly benefit from learning this skill at an early stage all throughout their entire life. 

Using wooden puzzles and lacing toys can help your child develop this skill. Teaching them how to describe a puzzle piece, and the direction it needs to face can help refine their description.

Focused Attention

Connecting and playing with your kids at the start of the day can lead to a more independent play later in the day. This process can help fill the children's need for attention from you, and they will be more than willing to play on their own later on. However, this will depend on every kid, but it has worked on many parents. If your child is always asking you to play with him, put things aside first and give your full attention to him and the step back and do whatever it is you need to do.

Focused attention is another essential skill and the most sensitive period of its development is early childhood. When looking for toys, think more of what would allow them to create like the KidKraft Deluxe Wooden Easel instead of what would entertain them.

Socialization

Indoor play where kids get into pretend scenarios can be fun, but most kids even at a younger age, engage in creative play when they play together outdoors. You can even join in the fun, but it is essential to let them set the scene and guide the scenario. Watch their creativity and imagination soar with toys such as Hape Adjustable Telescope and Hape Nature Flower Press Art DIY Kit.