The Power of Imagination

How pretend play can nurture children's grit, resilience and coping skills.

I wish I could revisit the rich imaginative worlds I created as a child — the one where I was an eagle soaring high above the clouds, and the one in which I was a fairy dancing through enchanted woods. Now, when my kids ask me to play with them, I not only cannot immerse myself in their imaginary worlds, but I find myself excruciatingly bored within three minutes. The magic of my childhood brain is gone — or so it feels sometimes.

Although I have a deep respect for children’s imagination, I’ll admit that I never knew just how powerful it was until I started digging into the science of imagination a few weeks ago. Imaginative play has many diverse benefits for kids, but today I’m going to focus on the ways in which it helps kids develop perseverance and cope with difficult emotions — and I’ll provide tips on what parents can do to foster these fascinating benefits.