Craft Lesson 2 - Teaching Children about Imagination

Discussion:

Imagination is an essential part of the learning process. Conventional thinking is good, but sometimes it is simply necessary to be able to be silly or “think outside of the box” to be creative, or to simply see life in a different light. This craft lesson simply teaches that every day events do not need to be boring. If you use your imagination anything is possible. In this lesson, we will use picture books by authors, Janet Wong and Antoinette Portis to teach children to be creative with their imagination.

How to Teach It:

The teacher explains to the children that sometimes it is a good thing to use your imagination to make things more interesting. Of course, the teacher needs to be careful to point out that you should not allow your imagination to get out of hand. For instance, do not make believe that you can fly and then jump off a cliff! Of course, this is an extreme thought, but we need to be sure that children understand the difference between reality and fiction. Sometimes, children need help understanding the difference between the two, especially with kid shows like the Power Rangers, and cartoons like the Road Runner where the bad guys continually take a beating. Simply emphasize that they need to be careful when using their imagination. Do not let your imagination run wild!

At this point, the teacher introduces the first book, “Not a Box” by Antoinette Portis. This book is an excellent choice for showing children how to use their imagination to entertain themselves. In this picture book, a grown-up asks a little boy why he is standing inside an empty box. Each time the little boy replies that it is not a box, and the related picture will show what the boy is thinking. The pictures will show that the boy is pretending that he is inside a race car, a rocket ship, and so on. It is a wonderful book that illustrates the power of one’s imagination. The teacher can then introduce the picture book, “Buzz” by Janet Wong. This picture book further illustrates the creative use of one’s imagination. The teacher reads the story line and then shows the pictures showing the little boy applying the “buzzing” bee sound to everything that he sees and hears that morning. At the end of the story, the teacher should point out how the little boy is especially creative when he mentions that his mom is “buzzing off to work like a busy bee”. It is a simple book, but it shows how a simple idea can go a long way. The teacher can then ask the children to share their make-believe stories. If there is enough interest, the discussion could even lead to a written short story or picture book illustration about their most vivid adventures.

Resource Materials:
Picture books: “Buzz”, by Janet Wong, and “Not a Box”, by Antoinette Portis