The imagination of a child is the most wondrous expereince.
This past winter was dreadfully dry and warm. My five year old found a way to delight in it. On one of those very warm days while she was outside playing in her sandbox she decided it would be magnificent to put on her bathing suit. Unfortunately, mommy had another thought, "It's still winter outsie, sweetie. You need to have some clothes on your body and not a swimsuit."
Her requests kept coming, "But mommy I want to go the beach?"
A similar reply met her in return, "The beach is closed in the winter." Reluctantly she changed back into her outside play clothes. However, at this point I had become preoccupied and she became very busy. She began filling her buckets with sand, and ever so quietly would sneak past mommy and up to her bedroom, and then went back out for more. Before long it was time for her to come in for a bath. My first trip to her bedroom was quite confusing to me. I didn't understand what had happened or how so much sand could have appeared all over her floor.
Very perplexed I asked, "Honey, where did all this sand come from?"
"Mommy it came from my sandbox, of course." She answered with such as-a-matter-of-fact.
Now I had to get to the bottom of this, "But, how did you get it here, and why?"
With a shrug of her shoulders and a heavy sigh she pulled a now empty bucket out from under her bed, "I wanted to go to the beach."
The simplest explanation said it all. And, how could I be angry with such a wonderful imagination?
This is a child's mind. This is a perfect example as to how they see their world. It is not something to stifle; it is the power of this mind that we need to embrace. One of the most important training aspects I teach my Team and look for in trainers is the use of a child's imagination. A story is not simply words and pictures on a page, it's an adventure. A story is not just to be told, but instead it needs to be explored.
Enjoy,
Sheri Picioccio
Director / Owner
Stages Child Development Center
214 Lackawanna Ave
Woodland Park, NJ 07424
973-890-9661
sheri@stagescdc.com
