Fun Imagination Games For Kids, Ignite Their Minds With Pretend Play

I crawled across the forest floor, my dolls were little creatures in the vast wilderness around me. There was a Queen's castle made from an old fan and a large bed sheet, it was quite the windy place. My mom was this elegant rabbit, in a hurry moving from room to room. My dog Betsy wasn't actually a dog at all, instead she was a beautiful Cheshire cat that couldn't stop smiling! There was even a magical bottle of Kool-Aid, and when I took a drink from it- I grew several feet taller. The living room was a magical world, and I...was Alice!

This was a typical day at Mom's house for me as a child. I could be Alice one day, a secret spy the next day, and even a magical mermaid when I took a bath! I always found new adventures to go on and new games to play, by using my imagination. I always loved to play pretend, and to create my own world out of the things around me. Sadly in this day and time, kids have become so involved in technology that they don't get to explore the magical world that we did as children. They spend too much time watching TV, talking on the phone, texting, and playing on computers. Technology has unfortunately, clouded a lot of children's minds. But it doesn't have to be that way! Below you will find several imagination games for kids, that will get their wheels turning. As well as some great tips for creative play, and even a Psychologist's view on why pretend play is so important! It is up to us, as parents, to show our children how to use their imagination. There are a ton of games to play with kids that don't involve technology. Photo Credit: TheWanderingFaun

Seeing the photo above brings back such great childhood memories for me. I like to remember myself as this little girl, with a big imagination captivated by the things around her. One of my biggest hopes for my children is for them to see the world through creative eyes. A fun imagination was definitely one of the value passed down to me, and I hope that my little boys follow in those footsteps. Besides, I can only Imagine what fun we'll all have creating things with our minds, and using the world around us like modeling clay.

Photo credit: akshaymoon

My favorite make believe game!

When you think of imaginary games, you probably think of playing House. Most of us, at some point, have played this common make believe game. Usually someone is the mom or dad and the child pretends to be in charge of the house. As a little girl I used to be the mommy, and my dolls were my children. I remember tucking my dolls, or "kids" into bed. I would pretend to go to the grocery store with them, and took them into the kitchen with me while I shopped. My mom always saved the little plastic bags from stores, and she would give me one and let me fill it up as I "shopped". I always loved doing this part! I'd do all the things that mommies do, such as tucking them in or reading to them. If one got a boo-boo, I'd get a band-aid and fix it for them. I played House all the time as a child, and when I was blessed with a little sister at 7 years old- I had a new playmate to play House with! Now that I'm an adult, anytime I am watching my nieces or nephews I play house with them. This is one of my favorite games to play with kids. Photo by: Celestine Chua

The child's the actor/actress and their job is to sell you a product!

This is fun game, that you may or may not have heard of. When we were kids we used to go around the house and gather different items that we would make "commercials" out of. I remember making a lot of commercials from air fresheners, shampoo bottles, and even toothpaste! I mostly played this with my sister, who also enjoyed being a pretend actress! My mom would sometimes be our audience and we'd take stage in front of her. We'd do our commercials, and let mom be the judge (she would always call it a tie though haha).

How It works:

Your child picks a product, such as Colgate Toothpaste, (any product around the house will do). Then they get to use their imagination, as they pretend to be a talented actor or actress! They are going to use their great acting skills to sell you their product, or sell it to their sibling, or just sell it to their teddy bear collection who becomes a live audience! I remember my favorite thing to "sell" was the air fresheners we had. They always have something catchy saying written on the back such as "A delightful aroma of fresh cut flowers that will captivate you and enlighten your senses". This makes a great "sales pitch". Kids really enjoy taking center stage, and pretending to be some famous commercial actress. Its a fun way to help with their social skills, and their language development. Who knows, you might just have a future actress in your living room!

Have your children invite their imaginary friends!

Another fun pretend game is going on a picnic. Little boys and girls can take their action figures, or dolls, or their imaginary friends with them on a fun picnic. This is much funner for both boys and girls, whereas a tea party a lot of little boys will shy away from. It can be a load of fun to pretend with their little friends or stuffed animals. If your feeling up to it, you could even cut up little bite sized sandwiches for them, or some type of finger food to let them pack along!

What your kids will need:

~Wild imagination

~Blanket to set their picnic up on

~Paper or plastic cups and plates

~Forks and spoons (depending on child's age you might want them to use plastic ware)

~Pretend food (a lot of kids have the fake food, but if not that is perfectly fine!)

~And whoever they'd like to bring along! Is their favorite doll actually Hannah Montana? Cool! They can bring her on the picnic too.

Have your child set the places on the blanket, and set up their pretend food if they have it. They can enjoy a fun imaginary picnic in your living room, their bedroom or wherever they like!

Photo credit: oakley originals

Everyone's favorite imagination game!

What clever hiding spots do your kids think of? I know this was one of my favorite games to play as a child. Most kids really enjoy this! Its pretty simple, and probably goes without saying, but I'll explain just in case.

Hide and Seek

They'll need a playmate for this one. So if you have more than one child you can sit out...but if you have an only child then your playing too Mom or Dad! One child hides, one child counts (taking turns of course). Count to 10, or 20, or 30. If your child can't count that high, try having them sing a long song that they know such as the Alphabet song, slowly. The other child hides, and when the time is up then its the counters turn to go find them!

Great hiding spots are closets, under the bed, under some blankets, behind a door, in the bathtub, under a desk, etc. I remember I used to hide in the closet, and try to make it look like I blended into the clothes by staying behind them and using shoes to camouflage my feet!

Photo credit: mindfrieze

or Paper Monsters!

Another creative way we used to have fun as children was by making paper dolls! It was fun to use our imagination and create our own dolls on paper. We would make accessories for them too such as purses or hats, and cut those out as well. Mom would help by gluing them onto cardboard, or an empty cereal box and cutting them out again. This made them sturdier.

We could design our own people, with their own looks, exactly how we wanted them. You could even play this with little boys by creating "paper monsters" and having them create their own monsters and cut out. We'd play with our designs for hours, and it was always so much fun! Photo by: Various Brennemans

Using your imagination is fun and easy. Here are more great tips for your children for using their imagination. If your looking for games to play with kids, then please read these tips that will help you and your children get imaginative!

1. Anything can become something else. A simple spatula can become a microphone, an empty plate can hold a delicious feast. Those empty cups, can actually be filled with tea. The sticks in your yard can be long swords, or the empty wrapping paper tube can become a light saber. You just have to imagine, and anything can be transformed into something magnificent!

2. Your dolls, teddy bears, action figures, and toys can come to life. The great part about using your imagination is that you can make anything happen. I used to bring all my toys to life and they would go on some wild adventures with me. You just have to pretend!

3. Your home is your castle. Different rooms in your house could become different places of interest. Our kitchen became a grocery store, my bathtub was a fishing pond once, and the bedroom became a palace!

4. You can be whoever you want to be! You can pretend to be a famous actress, a mommy or daddy, and awesome cowboy, or a doctor! With your imagination you can be anyone, how fun is that!

5. Act out your favorite book, movie, or cartoon! Can't come up with any ideas? Reading is a great way to stimulate your mind and help you come up with great ideas. Why not pretend to be the character in your favorite book, movie, or cartoon. There are so many great kids movies, I bet you can think of one you'd love to star in...with your imagination, you can be the star!

Psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman explains why pretend play is so important!

This is a stunning article by Psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman, where he explains how pretend play is so important! Here is the article titled The Need for Pretend Play in Child Development I definitely recommend all parents to look into this, it gives a more professional view on the importance of this type of play. Great resource!

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/beautiful-minds/201203/the-need-pretend-play-in-child-development

Although a simple pillow can become a magic shield, and your child can draw pictures of food onto a paper plate... but its still nice to have some great toys to aid your child's imagination! Here are my favorite imaginative toy picks for children. For some children its very easy to use their imagination, while others need a little bit of an aid. These are great picks for either!

Makes a creative and fun adult!

I'd like to say that because of my parents teaching me to use my imagination at such a young age, I've grown up to be a more fun and creative adult. I think it is a wonderful thing to teach your children! No more boring rainy days, teach them to turn their world into a magical place. I also believe that reading stimulates the imagination, and that is another great way to get your child's mind to grow! If your ever looking for new games to play with kids, I hope you will choose fun imaginary ones! Hopefully after reading this you've discovered some great new ways for your child to use their imagination!

Photo Credit: Rachel.Adams