The Importance of Imagination

With Halloween just past and Christmas soon upon us, I am intrigued by the world of fantasy that children delve into at this time of year.

Childhood specialists know the importance of a child developing a healthy imagination. Imagination enables a child to be better at problem solving and more capable of handling stress and emotion. It is also critical for future personal and academic success.

It is the dreamers in history who have given us some of our greatest technological advances. And having the free time to daydream, create fantasies, read, or just sit and think is vital to building the future leaders of society. But sadly this is becoming rare as children are barraged by a host of other activities that place heavy demands on their time including homework, music lessons, sports, school clubs, TV, video games, computers and the Internet. These are all important in small doses but should never take the place of free time to play and dream.
Great thinkers have always known about the importance of imagination:

“They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.”
– Edgar Allan Poe
“You see things and you say Why? But I dream things that never were and I say, why not?”
– George Bernhard Shaw
“I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge – that myth is more potent than history. I believe that dreams are more powerful than facts.”
– Robert Fulghum
“You can’t depend on your judgment when your imagination is out of focus.”
– Mark Twain

Do you remember what your favorite fantasies were as a child? Share you memories and favorite books that took you into that special world-