Research Essay

Research Essay

Christian Tavarez

Professor Hach

English 170

30 March 2022

 

Importance of Imagination and Fantasy in Child Development  

While developing into the world as a growing child children are hit with many obstacles. Children are questioning the new situations and themselves through the early stages of life. As a child, they need to relate to something to understand and process their emotions properly. A child’s imagination and fantasy play a vital role. They use fairytales as a guide to process their emotions and new obstacles. While growing up and reading fairy tales allowed me to not be afraid to try things and adapt to change. Throughout elementary school, I was doubted because of my size compared to the other students and also in school. While reading I would believe I was a hero myself, creating my path and being a leader to my peers. This allowed me to have my mark and determination for myself. I proudly represent underdogs who always go the extra mile. I take pride in trying new hobbies and creating a space for others to feel comfortable, so they may have the courage to work harder or try new things. Fairytales were my first motivation to fall back whenever I doubted myself.

Therefore imagination and fantasy play a vital role in a child’s proper development. While not knowing a child’s imagination is the foundation of their future creations. Children’s imagination gives you a picture of what you want to create before actually completing it. Fantasy and Imagination provide the foundation for children to create.  Tolkien describes this in great detail by saying  “Imagination to the power of giving to ideal creations the inner consistency of reality” (Tolkien 5). This proves Fantasy is neither good nor bad; it allows the human mind to push boundaries that humans have not set out before. Fantasy could trigger multiple emotions while progressing through life such as hope, determination, love, and hate. As humans, we may be subject to our emotions and at times be taken over by them. But with an increasingly imaginative mind and powerful emotions, children can use this and put it to use innovatively. While growing up on fantasy as children once we develop into adults we tend to create our fantasies into reality. This could allow innovators to create inventions that could accommodate the public and improve the environment. This would only be possible due to the foundation of our imagination that allows us to create. In a way, we are sub creators. As Tolkien stated “The mental power of image-making is one thing or aspect, and it should appropriately be called Imagination. The perception of the image, the grasp of its implications, and the control, which are necessary to a successful expression, may vary in vividness and strength” (Tolkien 5). We base fantasy on reality and use that to distort or add our twist to it. One example is the invention of the wheel. As humans thousands of years ago it was distinctly hard for us to transport cargo or travel. Once they invented the wheel we were allowed to transport cargo and humans through carriages and other means of transportation. This allowed for future innovators to keep improving the “wheel” and how we can max the abilities that it may provide for us. As the human species, we went from having a basic wheel to carriages then to now push-to-start cars that we can now travel with almost anywhere.   

 

As a child, you encounter many conversations, situations, and new environments. This would push the child to adapt to its environment and react hopefully appropriately. Fantasy and Fairytales provide a guideline on how children appropriately process their environment and emotions. Fairy Tales grab the attention of the children and allow them to be intrigued with their personal questions while reading along. I tend to believe that children would like to learn from their own mistakes instead of being scolded by their elders. Professors Sanyal and Dasgupta have stated that “In major life changes such as adolescence, for successful growth-opportunities, both active and quiescent periods are needed.” (Sanyal). They use fairy tales as their “counselor or guidance in their early stages of life.  Fairy Tales would be teaching the children ethical and moral values that should stay with them for their lives. In addition, it also teaches them how to treat anxiety, sadness, joy, temptation, and curiosity. It allows the child to have a guide on how to properly express and process their emotions. As a child processing your emotions is very critical for development if not guided or comforted the child may be off track in some sense. The professors state that “ Any transition from one stage of development to the next is fraught with dangers and anxiety. A natural reaction to the threat of having to grow up is to withdraw from a world and life which imposes such difficulties”( Sanyal 8). Fantasy allows the child to come to self-evaluation for their inner self. So that they may learn from their mistakes or avoid committing one. It also provides a preview of situations that the child may encounter while going through life. Therefore provide the ability to properly handle a conversation socially. This also could remove certain fears or critical anxiety might have in social environments. For example, if you are a child going into a new school you may have encountered recent anxiety and insecurity because you are entering into a new environment alone. But by the child reading many fairy tale stories he has an idea of how to maneuver in their new environment. 

 

Once you reach the ages of 5 and 6 your creative mind is increasing profoundly. Children are brand new to the world your eyes are wide open to the environment you see before you. The world is your stage with the child having the ability to create and make mistakes throughout life. Children can fail and try again a million times with new ideas. The child can test out their creative limits that have no end. This allows them to counteract situations and improve their critical thinking skills that they can apply in their everyday life. Children use new environments and intertwine them with imagination to become a sub-creator of the imaginative realistic world that they are participating in. For example, a child could be failing a class and has not figured out a way to improve their grades. The child uses his interests and imaginative skills to create a new studying pattern that would improve his liking of the subject and ultimately improve his grade by the work he is completing. Not all children learn the same way as others therefore using your imagination to the best ability. One of my sources states “ ​​The language and creative skills used to create and act out these fantastic stories are the same skills that allow children to understand, create, and process written stories.” ( Fitz-Gibson 3)  Children understanding life through fairy tales could be no better way. It simplifies the new environments and conversations so that the child could process correctly and react properly. 

  

As a child develops through elementary school children are growing and changing physically. But besides physical changes, you are drastically changing internally. Imagination and fairytales provide internal development for children. As humans, we don’t notice when a child is changing internally. This would include a change of beliefs, actions, and thoughts. As a child, children are questioning society and what goes along with it. This could make or break you as a child and without the proper guidance or help a child may end up very confused or have wrong intentions in the outlook on life. Fantasy and Fairy Tales is a relatable source for children to process their new beliefs, ideas, and emotions. The understanding and help that fairy tales provide for children to properly be internally developed. “This would mean properly understanding ethics and moral values throughout life. This is a stepping stone for children to learn how to express their emotions and protect them”(Aves). But to also use their kindness, determination, and creativity to the max ability they can to improve their situation or the situation around them. For example, children may have high anxiety in a public space and maybe too afraid to ask questions. Fairy Tales guides children on how to overcome their fears and learn how to face them just like the hero in the fairytales. “Therefore providing the blueprint for children to develop properly internally. They would have to learn to control their impulses, bad habits, and most of all their insecurity” (Aves). This would help tremendously for future situations and obstacles that they may encounter throughout life.  

 

Others may argue that fairy tales, fantasy, and the use of imagination play no vital role in the proper development of children till they are an adult. Some may say it teaches no significant lessons, just stories for the entertainment of children. That fairy tales hold no moral or ethical teachings that children may grab and add to their lives.  In addition, saying that your imagination holds no true importance is just a way for the human to escape and ponder. One of the arguments I predict would be parents teaching them moral and ethical values themselves. The parents themselves would start teaching them about all of these rules in society and how to maneuver properly. Yes, this is a great thing as a parent being a teacher to their child but at times the child must learn from their mistakes and own curiosity. No child has always followed every rule that their parents have given them. In one way or another, a child loses themselves in curiosity and decides to make their own decisions to see what’s next for them. But the question would be will the child understand it properly? “The child should be able to learn how to react themselves with guidance, not with an abundance of rules listing how to react and act appropriately in society. That is the major importance of these fairy tales. They are a way for the child to lean on, question, process their thoughts, and come up with a moral and ethical decision that results positively for the child.” (Gunter) This only would benefit the child for the future as an adult. While practicing making good decisions as a child it follows you throughout life. You would always have a good moral judgment in any situation that would particularly revolve around you. 

    While setting out children to fully involve their imagination, fairy tales, and fantasy we are preparing our future innovators who could improve society and the environment around us. By the child practicing and expressing their imaginative mind they can dissect problems and look at the world from different perspectives. This not only improves the child’s personal life but the child could also impact others with these abilities and the environment that surrounds them.  

 

 

Works Cited  

 

 

Aves, Corinne. Understanding 6-7-Year-Olds Corinne Aves ; 

Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2006. 

 

Fitz-Gibson, Carol. “The Importance of Fantasy Play in Childhood Development.” Little Lambs Preschool, 30 Aug. 2019, https://littlelambspreschool.co.za/fantasy-play-childhood-development/. 

 

Gunter, Michael. Dream and Fantasy in Child Analysis / Routledge, an imprint of Taylor and Francis, 2018. 

 

Sanyal, N. and Dasgupta, M. (2017). Fairy tales: The emotional processors of childhood conflicts in a dynamic interpretative lens. SIS Journal of Projective Psychology and Mental Health, Vol. 24, No.1, pp. 39-47. (ISSN 0971-6610) 

 

Tolkien, J. R. R, et al. Tolkien on Fairy-Stories. Expanded edition, with commentary and notes ed., HarperCollins, 2008.