Nannies care for different age groups, which requires diverse skill sets and understanding for each age group and child. As caregivers, you must create a healthy and supportive environment for your kids.
As nannies, it’s good to know and support the Mythical characters and Imaginary friends that are a regular part of childhood; up to two-thirds of kids have an imaginary friend at some point in their childhood. This tends to occur between the ages of three and eight, generally, around the time they are still requesting bedtime stories and still fascinated by the tooth fairy, Santa, and other fictional characters created by adults to encourage kids’ imagination. However, it can occasionally extend into puberty and beyond, where comic books and animated movies come into play.
Most kids are aware that their imaginary companions aren’t real. Some will even tell adults who willingly participate in the trick about it. Some children create a paracosm, a highly realistic fantasy world, in addition to their particular fictional companions. This means that even though they made the characters and interacted with them. They are mentally aware that they are not real. Although we can all agree that having an imagination is fun, even as we get older, we still make good use of our creativity from time to time.
Benefits and use of imaginary characters
Awareness
As nannies, it’s good to be aware of your kids’ imaginary friends because they use them for various reasons, the main one being communication. Kids might sometimes be afraid of asking some questions, but they are more confident speaking through their imaginary friends.
Growth in Social and Emotional Skills.
Based on studies shown. When children pretend by acting out different personalities, they practice what it’s like to be someone else and develop empathy and understanding for others. Children’s self-esteem is boosted through pretending, which gives them the self-assurance to be anyone they want to be. Children practice cooperation, bargaining, teamwork, and sharing of duties as they play pretend with others. Children can practice social interaction, acquire impulse control, and explore their boundaries through pretend play.
Benefits of Imaginative friend
- Creative Development
- Physical Development
- Language Development and Communication Skills
- Thinking and Problem Solving
Ideas For Developing Children’s Creativity
Create scenarios: Help children develop ideas for pretend play by putting them in circumstances they could find interesting.
Play with blocks: Building blocks may benefit children of all ages. Blocks foster creativity in children of all ages, from toddlers to primary school students.
Transform a giant cardboard box: One of the finest free materials for imaginative play is a large cardboard box. Your youngster can turn a box into almost anything using scissors, markers, and tape.
Establish a reading routine: Read to your youngster daily to help them invent characters and scenarios from stories. Daily reading promotes literacy while also stimulating the imagination.
Sources:
1)https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-school-walls/201908/the-imaginative-child
