...increasingly, child-development experts are recognizing the importance of imagination and the role it plays in understanding reality.
...It is important but not necessary for parents to encourage fantasy play in their children, says Dr. Woolley. If the child already has an imaginary friend, for instance, parents should follow their children's lead and offer encouragement if they are comfortable doing so, she says. Similarly, with Santa, if a child seems excited by the idea, parents can encourage it. But if parents choose not to introduce or encourage the belief in fictitious characters, they should look for other ways to encourage their children's imaginations, such as by playing dress-up or reading fiction.
...Fantasy play is correlated with other positive attributes. In preschool children, for example, those who have imaginary friends are more creative, have greater social understanding and are better at taking the perspective of others, according to Marjorie Taylor, a psychology professor at the University of Oregon...
A large part of my interests in the field of psychology are predicated on the benefits of encouraging imagination and self-direction for children. Anyone who's spent any time really interacting with children and meeting them on their level should understand this.
Originally, when I decided to go into psych, my idea was that I would use role-playing games (a long-time passion of mine) as a tool to help children deal with their challenges at a distance, projecting any problems onto an avatar before having to tackle it themselves. These aren't the first studies to have shown benefits from imaginative activities.
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