Ah, the joys of play — it’s all about playmaking and storytelling, experts say

It’s really pretty simple, explained Steven Gross, founder and executive director of Project Joy, on his website. “Playfulness is the motivation to freely and pleasingly engage with and connect to the world. It is the single most important trait children can have.

“We’re all born to play. But far too many children lose the desire and capacity to be playful in life. Some are victims of poverty or violence, while others are coping with tragedy,” Gross added.

Artist Adrienne Rudolph, creator of Angels are Everywhere, agrees: “At C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital, the staff understands the need to help the children overcome adversity. Actually, the children are quite resilient in some ways, but we like to believe that we have some input in fostering that resilience!”

When Rudolph asked the young patients at C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital to create their favorite angel, “the result was overwhelming.”

Gross can identify with that feeling. Project Joy is a nonprofit organization established in Boston in 1989 to help the healing power of play to transform children who had been sidelined by chronic trauma.

An ongoing tragedy is the plight of children affected by Hurricane Katrina. Although it has been several years since Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, young children who witnessed the destruction of their homes and communities still remember the devastation well. “When a rain cloud passes overhead, young children still become incredibly frightened,” an early childhood specialist at Mississippi State University told Project Joy. “Some kids act out with aggression; others can’t sleep at night because they are so afraid.”

The solution? Acting out in real life — telling their own stories in their own way, can help children overcome their fear, says C. J. Ellis of KidsReadUs.com.

It’s another way of Letting Their Imagination Fly!

Taking imagination one step at a time may help

For more than two decades, parents and educators have worried about the lack of play in classroom settings, according to a report published in the March-April 2009 issue of Exchange: The Early Childhood Leaders’ Magazine Since 1978.

“Finally,” says C. J. Ellis of KidsReadUs.com, the profound effects of play in helping children become successful are being recognized by the media.”

Karen Stephens, author of “Imaginative Play during Childhood: Required for Reaching Full Potential," agreed in her recent report published by Exchange Press: “No longer are the benefits of play left sitting in the archives of academic journals,” adding that early childhood educators now have a more powerful tool to use with parents and community leaders.

Stephens’ article confirmed that a child’s self-initiated play — his or her imagination — nurtures overall development, not just cognitive development, such as learning to name colors, numbers, or shapes.

In fact, educators are finally realizing that there is a strong case supporting the role of childhood play in realizing positive development into a civilized adult.

For children, true play is a critical need, not just a fanciful frill, Stephens emphasized.

By recognizing the ongoing need for imaginative play protocols, parents can reinforce the need to take let their child’s imagination grow one step at a time — and never stop Letting Their Imagination Fly!

[Stephens is director of the Illinois State University Child Care Center and a frequent contributor to the Child Care Information Exchange.]

Book Review: Only in Dreams: A Bedtime Story from Paul Frank Industries

Reviewed by the Staff of KidsReadUs.com:

Only in Dreams: A Bedtime Story is filled with imagination! The book invites all kids to dream by capturing the images of Paul Frank’s beloved character, Julius, who takes readers on a wildly imaginative tour of his dreams. Delightful Julius loves to sleep because there he can do fun things, like being in a rock concert while standing on the moon. Or how about paddling down a river made of strawberry milk?

Here’s what Julius has to say:

“Hi, I’m Julius, and
it’s bedtime for me!

I love bedtime because when I sleep, I dream.

And when I dream, I can do anything I can imagine!”

Buy this book from Amazon


Tip of the Day: Taking Dreams One Step Further

Dreaming while awake — guess that’s why we call it daydreaming!

Of course, daydreaming can be frowned on by parents and teachers alike. Instead of frowning, try turning daydreaming into something creative by capturing your child’s thoughts and having him or her write them down, draw a picture, or create an angel!

It's all about Letting Their Imagination Fly!

Kids’ Korner: The Angel of Health brings good luck and much cheer

The Angel of Health likes to come up with some creative ways to keep your child's imagination active – just one example of the free downloads available each month at KidsReadUs.com!

This angel is the creation of Lindsay Leathers, who was a patient at the C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital when she was 9 years old. Lindsay was asked to participate in a special holiday project. Like all the patients there, she faced some difficult treatments, but they certainly did not prevent her from keeping her spirit alive, says C. J. Ellis, publisher of the book Angels are Everywhere.

“This is one of many angels that represented a tough time during each child’s ordeal when he or she rose above physical limitations and adversity to create something truly special — an expression of the delight of being a child,” explains Adrienne Rudolph, creator of Angels are Everywhere and former Artist in Residence at C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital, the University of Michigan.

Each month, KidsReadUs.com features fun activities that can be downloaded free. All designed to encourage kids to Let Their Imagination Fly!

Learning through the eyes of a child — why children need play in school

During the past 20 years, kindergarten has changed dramatically, with many classes having to follow narrowly prepared prescriptive-type curricula based on each state's standards and linked to standardized tests, according to Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why Children Need to Play in School, a report released by Alliance for Childhood earlier this year.

Children are now spending more time being taught and tested on literacy and math skills, insist Edward Miller and Joan Almon, the paper’s authors, adding that children do little learning through play and exploration or using their imaginations.

Imagination — that seems to be a key word in the educational world today, but it also becomes difficult to enforce at a classroom level, offers C. J. Ellis of KidsReadUs.com.

Having children learn only standardized testing protocols can compromise their long-term prospects for success in school, Miller and Almon said in their report. Ellis agrees: “We need to get children more involved with child-initiated play in a classroom setting.”

Miller and Almon also believe that parents need to reinforce their own efforts at building their child’s imagination by supporting teacher’s capacities for creativity, autonomy, and integrity.

“In a healthy kindergarten, play does not mean ‘anything goes,’” the authors said. “It does not deteriorate into chaos. Nor is play so tightly structured by adults that children are denied the opportunity to learn through their own initiative and exploration."

The report reinforced Ellis’ belief that parents need to become more involved with the development of their child’s creative skills — both at home and in a school setting.

It’s all a matter of encouraging kids to Let Their Imagination Fly!

[Miller is a founding partner of the U.S. Alliance for Childhood and co-director of its Restoring Children’s Play project. He has taught at Harvard University and at Sarah Lawrence College.

Almon is co-founder of the alliance and co-director of its play project. For 30 years, she taught preschool and kindergarten in Waldorf schools in Maryland and abroad.

Research and funding for the report were provided by the Woodhouse Foundation, the Buffett Early Childhood Fund, the Novo Foundation, RSF Social Finance, the Kalliopeia Foundation, Bay Area Early Childhood Funders, the Newman’s Own Foundation, and Community Playthings.]

Meet Angels are Everywhere

Being creative and using your imagination sometimes means taking a step backward and reflecting on the lives of children who are less fortunate.

It also means recognizing that children see the world differently than adults do, says C. J. Ellis, publisher of Angels are Everywhere, a unique book available from KidsReadUs.com.

When children look through a window, they see the wonders of a rainbow, want to pick dandelions lying in the yard, or daydream about waddling through recently formed mud puddles. What child doesn’t like to stomp in the puddles, oblivious to the objections of Mom and Dad?

When adults look out that window, do they see the same things? Or do they see the dog that is “blessing” their yard, the rain that is ruining their golf game, or laundry woes because their children went stomping in the mud?

The book Angels are Everywhere is a testimonial from a child’s perspective — that the world is filled with hope, courage, and creativity.

“This book reflects the creative expressions of life as seen through the eyes of young patients who were undergoing cancer treatments, bone marrow transplants, heart and kidney transplants, general surgery and rehabilitation, as well as treatment for cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses,” says Adrienne Rudolph, creator of the book and former Artist in Residence at the C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital, University of Michigan.

Rudolph asked each patient to create an angel that represented his or her interests. “Thus we have angels ranging from The Angel of Hope to the Angel of Science, even Cartoon angel,” she explains.

In all, the book includes 75 creative expressions of life and love weaved together by storyteller Maureen McKinney. “What was conceived as a holiday project blossomed into a book that will inspire children of all ages. You’ll delight in the handiwork of young artists who rose above their physical limitations to create angels — of all shapes and size — that reflect each child’s endless spirit.”

The materials used were diverse, adds Rudolph, ranging from wooden balls, fabric, felt, yarn, paint, markers, jewels and sequins, feathers and bows, flowers, and an odd assortment of medical supplies from the kids’ room.

What is remarkable is the perseverance of these children, some of whom worked on their projects for six months, Ellis says. “Sadly, not all of the children survived to see this book published, but their imaginations — and their spirits — live on.”

What is your child’s favorite interest? Encourage him or her to create an angel with material you have hanging around the house.

Mom and Dad, you can make some angels too! There’s Angel of Golf, Angel of Gardening, Angel of Basketball, Angel of Summer — what’s your favorite Angel like?

It’s time to Let Your Imagination Fly!

(Artwork by patients of C. S. Mott Children's Hospital, University of Michigan, and their families. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Angels are Everywhere will be donated to the hospital.)

Let your imagination fly!

Easy to say, the experts explain, but grasping the best way to accomplish that can be difficult, primary because there are so many viewpoints about how best to develop a child’s creative skills.

There’s science and creativity, math and creativity, writing and creativity, but possibly the best lesson on creativity involves a child’s uninhibited drawings as a preschooler.

“The above image is typical of a kindergarten child’s uninhibited pre-schematic drawing of herself. “Most five-year-olds are totally confident that they can draw, sing, and dance,” says Marvin Bartel, EdD, emeritus professor of art at Goshen College in Indiana, adding that within three or four years, if this child is typical, she will no longer feel competent or creative.

Teachers are partially to blame for this diminished inclination to be creative as children become socialized and more intelligent, he says.

Bartel sees the least imaginative work being produced when a teacher gives instructions by saying, “In this lesson you can draw any topic you want to,” or “In this lesson, you can work in any media you like.”

Even when a kid’s work seems to capitalize on the individual’s creativity, Bartel explains, often it is just a rehash of the child’s previous success at being creative.

“We all have seen how young children have a strong imagination,” says C. J. Ellis of KidsReadUs.com. Why children seem to lose that imagination, however, has never been documented.

Some believe that children “lose” their imagination because they are encouraged to “copy things in workbooks, color in other people’s pictures, and do similar activities that all conspire to discourage creative and imaginative thinking,” Bartel says.

To Ellis, it may just be a matter of encouraging kids to keep their imagination alive. “Instead of telling your child to draw a picture of a horse or cow or truck that someone else has drawn, show several pictures of the same object to your child, then remove the pictures, and let your child’s imagination take over.”

It's as simple as asking your kids to draw their interpretation of what they have seen to help them Let Their Imagination Fly!

Image ©Marvin Bartel, EdD