Using Picture Book to stimulate your child’s imagination
How does the use of a picture book stimulate a child’s imagination?
Most American schools have developed strong left-brain learning environments. History, mathematics, and language arts are examples of concrete thinking that require simple rote learning or practiced memory skills. This is a tragic state of education, as school after school continues to cut off right brain learning pathways such as art, music and drama. These are the abstract, problem-solving, and imagination stations of the child’s brain.
This minimization of abstract learning, combined with the instant entertainment of video games, software applications, and the time children spend texting can reduce their mind’s ability to think imaginatively.
It is difficult to convince an older child, who has already established patterns of dependency on the text, to pick up a book or draw a picture.
It’s easy to work with a toddler, before they’ve been exposed to all the mind-numbing tech toys if parents start exposing their little ones to picture books from birth.
Picture storybooks are perfect for stimulating children’s imaginations and speeding up the early language learning process.
Picture books encourage imaginary pretend play
Few children will incorporate the character of an action figure they have seen in a video game. However, a strong character featured in a simple picture book or children’s story will inspire more substantive adventures within private or social play moments.
These children’s books stimulate your child’s imagination by providing persistent mental images. Children’s love of drawing, picture books provide shadow images inside the child’s mind to help them develop their right-brain drawing skills. The greater the exposure to these picture books, the greater their creative resources and imaginary adventures.
Storybooks with pictures fuel the excitement
Picture books feed the emotions that lead to the development of dreams and the direction of life. An image seen through an illustrated book can help bring out the innate passion in each child regarding their fears, personal achievements and goals related to understanding it. Imagination through visualization is the first step towards achievement. If a child can see the picture book experience happen to him; like hitting a home run or singing a song on stage will go a long way in making this happen in her personal life.
Holistic Learning Benefits
The benefits of these books go beyond developing the imagination. They are perfect for strengthening an early foundation for language and logic.
A picture book provides the reinforcement to identify the first sounds before a child’s mind understands that those sounds make up words. Placing images with sounds accelerates subconscious understanding of pitch, pattern, and reading through word and image association. Picture books help toddlers and preschoolers develop more language skills through:
- It helps with understanding the story if not all the words are understood.
- Pictures offer reading clues when a child begins to practice reading
- They help develop a logical story sequence; Every story needs a beginning, a middle and an end.
The love a child feels snuggling into an adult’s lap to share a storybook is unmatched. These relaxed times are best for a child to begin imaginative learning from her in a nurturing and supportive environment.
Provide a double whammy of learning value with a personalized Photo album. These books quickly engage a child’s imagination by weaving them into the story. However, not just any personalized story is worth it, it must have quality content, relevant illustrations and a strong positive message. See example here.
