Imagination is our ability to mentally produce images, ideas, thoughts and even feelings that do not exist in reality and that are not available to our senses . Creativity is the process of transforming  imagination into reality.   

The Way to Complex Creative Thinking

 
In the first year of your baby’s life, his thoughts are concrete – connected to his senses and the objects he sees and feels. Cognitive psychologist Jean Piaget described this as “sensory-motor thinking.” Your baby grasps an object in his hands and explores it through his senses . He looks at it, listens to it, touches it, tastes and smells it. Later on, he conducts other “experiments;” he jumbles materials together, tosses them, throws them, etc. 

Towards the end of the first year, the first sparks, or hints, of his imagination appear. When imagination first kicks in, it paves the way for imitation. At first, your baby’s attempts at imitation are simple. He imitates concrete actions which he sees around him, such as speaking on the phone, combing his hair and more. The game then becomes symbolic – a rattle turns into a telephone, and a wooden spoon is his comb. Gradually, he is able to dissociate himself from the concrete reality and create more complex situations – which he may not have ever seen or experienced in reality. Eventually, he will begin to involve other children in these games. They become longer, more complex and less tightly connected to reality. 

Creativity is not limited to artistic expression, such as painting or composing music. A person can be a creative doctor, a creative mechanic or a creative judge. Creativity is a tool that enables is to succeed in our chosen fields of endeavor.  

As a parent, it may be worrying to see your child spend a lot of time playing with dolls, cars, or superheroes. You may want to see your child spending more time on didactic games that encourage “real” learning. While your concern is understandable in light of the demands of a competitive society that encourages academic achievement, it is important to understand that imaginative play is significant to every aspect of your child’s normal development – fine and gross motor skills cognitive abilities and Emotional Quotient (social skills and emotional intelligence). Research has shown that the richer a child’s imaginative play is, the richer his thinking is. Research has also shown that there is a connection between imaginative play in childhood and originality, spontaneity, rich vocabulary and greater flexibility in coping with new situations in adulthood.