Childhood is a time of magic and shapeshifting, when beds become boats with sheets as sails, and out on a wild sea made of pillows; a towel becomes a cape of invincibility, flying out behind a child who is now a superhero!
Yet what might look like simple fun is actually highly important work. When children use their imagination in play they are developing crucial psychological and emotional capacities that help them understand the world in which they live and their relation to it.
But guess what, adults can benefit from creative play too – it also allows us to explore both the physical world and the inner self at the same time, helping us to recognize our own emotional responses to things, which is a very healthy process.
- So here’s what we all do today at home – of course, gather around in a circle first…
- Then one person starts off the silliness by asking a question starting with “What if…?For example – What if cars were to fly? What if the sofa could speak? What if trees could walk?
- Do you get the idea?
Everyone answers the question, and a few rounds in, everyone’s surprised, laughing
and feeling… (well, you fill in this blank)!
