Socratic, or open-ended, questions stimulate children's imagination because these questions allow them to craft individualistic responses and to think outside of their immediate environment. Questions that may provoke imaginative responses include, “What if mice chased cats?” “If you saw a giraffe in your backyard, what would you do?” and “What if we had wheels instead of legs?” Tailor your questions to the child's knowledge of the world so that they are not presented with totally unfamiliar concepts.
Since children often have boundless energy, it makes sense to use this in imaginative play. Young children can be encouraged to jump like frogs or wriggle like snakes and older ones to move like stalking tigers or big, lumbering elephants or even to express more abstract ideas such as “happiness” or “fear.” In addition, dancing activities enable children to experiment with music, movement and the link between the two as well as developing the right-hand side of the brain responsible for creativity.
Children can express and develop their imagination through drawings and painting. Slow tempo classical music will relax them and help them enjoy these activities that often involve extended periods of time sitting. Especially popular with young children is finger painting where they are free to touch, feel and play with the paint. Play dough gives children a very tactile experience and one in which they are free to create anything they choose.
Children enjoy adults engaging with them in play and can think of numerous imaginative games just to keep the adult engaged. Adults should be careful not to dictate the play but to respond naturally to the child's ideas. In this way, children develop a sense of worth regarding their imagination and are more likely to attempt further creative thought.
Children love using their imagination and clothes to adopt different personas, and it develops their ability to empathize with other people. They don't necessarily need a full wardrobe of costumes to do this; just a few props such as hats, plastic stethoscopes, notebooks and whistles can encourage them to act out scenarios people like policemen, firemen, doctors or teachers.