The Gift of Imagination

Imagination, what a gift. Now if only to create space in the busy’ness of life and living that allows for it to be nurtured and to flourish. Surely that’s has to be somewhere at the top of the list when it comes to instilling in children what’s important in their journey. I feel that it is a gift that we are born with, but sadly and all to often one that gets lost amongst life’s responsibilities and obligations, the expectations placed upon us…To do this and to be that and to achieve this and to fit into this system and that box. Too many systems created to run to schedules and achieve outcomes, tick boxes and feed the status quo…

There is much to be learned from and revered in the imagination of children, why then is it we allow so little room for it in their day to day life, and for such a small amount of time before they are thrust into education systems that require them to fit in and conform and be taught at. Imagination gets reined in, pushed to the side, buried, dulled and lost…Freedom, learning and creativity thrives in the imagination. How rich life is when we create our-selves, our environments and our lives built around those sandcastles in the air and are then able to bring them to fruition on solid ground.

I believe we need to open up the education curriculum to create environments that are more holistic in their approach to educating children, enriching their creativity, learning, human development, potential and growth. We need more opportunities that incorporate valuable social, emotional and cultural principles that serve children in their mental, emotional, social and physical health and wellbeing. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all children found school to be a wonderful, safe and rich experience, one that set them in motion for a lifetime love of learning from themselves and others in a manner that fosters creativity and supports and raises awareness for sustainable living in all areas of their life... 

Melanie Lee 

You can follow me on Facebook here