While sometimes viewed as less valuable than knowledge, imagination plays a crucial role in nearly all aspects of your child’s life. The ability to imagine things beyond an existing reality increases our ability to invent, create, problem solve, and essentially change the world. Whether your child dreams of becoming a scientist or a sculptor, a healthy imagination will serve them well in achieving any of their aspirations.
A great way to help your child develop their sense of imagination is through imaginative play—a type of loosely structured play that involves nonliteral behavior such as role playing. To provide more scope for your child’s imagination, consider supplying them with these open-ended toys that encourage imagination.
Figurines
Figurines such as plastic animal toys, dinosaur toys, or fantasy creature figures are great for encouraging imaginative play. By using their imaginations to act out different scenarios with the toys, children can help bring their figurines to life. For example, they could role play as a fish figurine and explore the deep blue sea right in your living room or become a dragon and create a fantasy world all their own.
Building blocks
An age-old toy, building blocks are great for fueling your child’s imagination. Using building blocks, kids can create castles, fortresses, skyscrapers, and whatever else their minds can come up with. Transforming a pile of individual blocks into fantastic creations gives kids a visual idea of what they are capable of when they let their imaginations run wild.
“Prop” toys
Toys that can serve as props, such as toy tool kits, cooking equipment, doctor’s tools, or gardening supplies are great for encouraging imagination. Prop toys can inspire a wide range of role-playing scenarios. For example, your child can use the props—and their imagination—to become an award-winning chef or a hardworking farmer. Check out "prop toys" in our Pretend Play Collection HERE.
Safari Ltd. understands the value that imaginative play can bring to your child’s life, which is why we’ve created an expansive line of toys to help spark their creativity and encourage open-ended play. From our wide range of fun figurines to our environmentally friendly building blocks, our toys will help inspire the imaginations of your little ones and foster healthy development. To help your child expand their imagination through the joy of play, shop our collection of toys today!