Imaginative Play in Children's Literature
Researchers and early childhood experts are discovering that imaginative play develops many life skills in a child to prepare them for adulthood. Play is an outlet of self-expression for a child; it is how a child processes their inner thoughts and feelings about the world that surrounds them. Mark Silcox (2012) explains that imaginative play can also develop cognition and social skills of a child whom is in their early years. Within the world of creative play a child often builds relationships with others. In addition, children learn problem-solving skills in play when conflict arises. There is a vast amount of children’s literature that concentrates on where a child’s imagination guides them and what they learn in the process.
Jeanne Johnson (2013) studied E. B. White’s Charlottes Web to determine whether this novel was a creative experience of play for children. Johnson revisited Charlotte’s Web as an adult and discovered that; “by attempting to read E. B. White’s novel with the playful mindset of a child, the story can be reconceived by adults as depicting a child’s use of fantasy in play to work through formative stages.” Fern, the main character in Charlotte’s Web, learns the importance of relationships, how to conquer her fears, and how to solve problems through the art of creative play. E. B. White’s focus on imagination in the novel encourages young readers to think and play creatively in their own lives. By exploring cognitive and social skills in children’s books, the child will be better able to process their own thought and feelings in an appropriate manner.
Imaginative play, such as creating stories, is an approach children use to self-regulate and figure out how to deal with difficult or emotional situations in their lives. Elizabeth Quintero (2010) provides examples in children’s literature where this concept is seen, “In Faith Ringgold’s Tar Beach (1996) and Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky (1995), the character, Cassie, uses her imagination and her stories to overcome oppression and limitations. Children, through their play, especially when immersed in an environment of literature and art, can provide us with voices and perspectives of possibility.” Children may identify with a certain character in the stories they are reading and learn how to apply these theories to their own lives because of the way a character handled a situation in the book. Additionally reading books that foster imagination and creativity present children the opportunity to temporarily escape from their current reality and enter into a world where anything is possible.
Picture books naturally generate imagination and creativity because it is up to the child to craft a storyline based off of the illustrations that are provided by the author. Quintero (2010) interviewed a teacher about a tradition that involves imagination in her family, “In my family we have a ‘Magic Book.’ It’s a wordless picture book and it got its name because everyone in my family tells a different story every time it’s read.” Picture books give the child complete freedom to follow their mind’s imagination as far as it will go. There are no limits. The child can formulate a story based on their current emotions, achievements, challenges, or even dreams. There are picture books that contain words, but these books can still help develop the child’s imagination. McClure and Kristo (1996) suggest that, “Picture books even give children the means to become, in Chamber's (1985) term, ‘intergalactic readers,’ to reach beyond what is comfortable in terms of genre, and to weave their own wonders with words and pictures.” The illustrations and words are the catalyst in igniting a child’s imagination.
Teachers and parents should encourage children to read books that explore their imagination because having creative abilities helps a child in all areas of their life. The child will know how to process their emotions in a healthy way, have better communication skills, and the ability to think abstractly.
References
Johnson, J. P. (2014). Reimagining Charlotte’s Web as the Creative Experience of Play. Clinical Child Psychology And Psychiatry, 19(1), 154-160. doi:10.1177/1359104513478392
McClure, A. A., Kristo, J. V., & National Council of Teachers of English, U. L. (1996). Books That Invite Talk, Wonder, and Play.
Silcox, M. (2012). On the Value of Make-Believe. Journal Of Aesthetic Education, 46(4), 20-31. doi:10.5406/jaesteduc.46.4.0020
Quintero, E. P. (2010). Something to Say: Children Learning through Story. Early Education And Development, 21(3), 372-391.