Why do human babies have such a long childhood? The most common explanation for the long childhood is that the prolonged childhood is necessary for the type of learning that leads to culture and complex societies. A long childhood allows a human child to have extra time for learning and growth. This period allows a children to learn and play, and is promotes the development consciousness and our skill to imagine.
Children are wonderful. Nevertheless, sometimes their thinking is difficult to follow. Exciting ideas constantly whizz around in their heads. Most two or three-year-olds spend a considerable amount of their time thinking about things that may never happen, day dreaming and pondering over unreal things.
But why do we have imagination at all? Evolution tends to favour things that are useful and beneficial. Understanding about things that are not true or can never happen cannot be useful. Or can they?
We live in a world of possibilities. There are many possible worlds and sometimes we call them dreams, plans, or hypotheses. We build worlds of hope and imagination. The “woulda-coulda- shouldas” of life. Young children learn about the world, but also about themselves and other people. But this learning is not a passive learning; rather young children and babies make prediction and test ideas.
Traditionally, it was assumed that by developmental psychologists such as Jean Piaget that children are bound by here and now. Children, even when they are engaging in imagination and fantasy cannot distinguish between fantasy and reality. It was suggested that young children’s imaginations are a kind of immediate experience. Children’s thinking is determined by their perceptions and experiences.
Understanding that something is false or counter to reality is an important part of imagination. To make this judgment a child has to compare reality to an imagined alternative. If you listen to young children they often say “uh-no”. This word often appears at the same time as young children begin to use tools.
When she is saying “uh-no”, she has imagined why something would not work. Try to suggest that is not possible or try something that will not work and observe your child’s reaction. Can she construct what would be the consequence of this and does she say “no” or “uh-no” to suggest that it is not true, or cannot happen. You can also hear this expression, when she tries to build something and it does not turn out the way she had imagined.
The world of possibilities is often treated as something that is opposite to knowledge and we tend to believe that conclusions are draw and based upon fact and knowledge. Yet, there are links between imagination and knowledge, and a young child uses understanding about the world to create new possibilities and to gain new ideas. There are links between imagining things and being creative. Being creative means to make new connections and associations.
Children are like fluttering butterflies when they are exploring the world. When we grow older less, fewer paths are used, and the butterfly transforms into a caterpillar that are using and strengthening certain paths. To be creative, you need to be able to consider possibilities and to keep as many paths as possibly open.
Imagination and thinking about possibilities allows a child to change the future. By imagining, what things may be like and what would or could happen she may be inventing a new chair for her imaginary family that lives in underneath the breakfast table.
Photo: Welly Contemplation by Clare Bloomfield
Think Dive - Sparking Children's Thinkibility 