Parents have been hearing this a lot lately: kids today just don’t have enough imagination. They don’t dream enough, aren’t inventive enough, don’t come up with new ideas. Instead they sit around and watch TV.

Well, not your kids. You want them to have a great imagination and be creative in the way they think for the rest of their lives. When they go to high school or college, they’ll have that inventive, different way of looking at the world that belongs only to them – and they’ll be valued by their teachers and their peers for it.

That’s the plan, anyway. But how do you encourage a child to be more imaginative? Here are three ways to help them learn to think for themselves and come up with new ways of thinking that are uniquely theirs.

Ask for Their Ideas

It’s dangerous to give a small child complete free rein on how to do things. For example, the question of “what should we eat for dinner?” can often be met by answers like, “Ice cream!” which of course is not what you had in mind. However, by giving your child certain parameters and encouraging them to be creative within those parameters, you can help them think up new ways to do old things.

The dinner question, for example, might go something like this. Take out lots of different vegetables, sauces, and other toppings, and put them on the counter for your child to see. Then ask them which of those things you should put in tonight’s pasta for dinner. They have limited options, all of them healthy, but they can combine those options in any way they want to create something new. They might even surprise you with their culinary skills!

Get Them to Tell You a Story

Most parents like to tell their children stories, usually by reading them a book. Encourage your child to tell you a story instead, made up out of their own head. If they’re unsure about it, demonstrate how it’s done. They may be used to thinking of stories as tales that are already written down, so show them that you can invent stories out of your head and they’ll learn that’s a good way to do it, too.

Make sure they can see you’re imperfect. Exaggerate every now and then when you’re thinking of a new plot twist and say “Hm . . . and then!” so your child can see you just thought of this new idea. They’ll feel less self-conscious about their stumbles when it’s their turn.

Use the Socratic Method

Socrates thought that the best way to teach was to ask questions. The next time your child observes something, ask them what they think about it. If they point out a dog on the street, ask them what they think the dog is doing or thinking about or wants. They’ll have to prowl through their own minds for the answers, and they’ll need their imagination to do it.

Go spend some time imagining with your child. You could probably use the practice, too!

If you want a great creative environment for your child, send them to Discovery School and Camp for classes that stimulate the imagination and the mind.

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