We support, love and nurture your baby. Plenty of cuddling, rocking, cooing and comforting takes place each day. They are responded to quickly; their cues are read and acted upon without delay. All this human contact encourages babies to communicate and helps them develop the self-confidence to explore their environment.

A baby’s brain has 100 billion neurons at birth, only 17 percent of which are connected to one another. As the child grows, the neurons connect to one another; traveling through these connections are the electrical impulses that are the physical manifestation of the thought process. During a child’s first two years, brain activity speeds up exponentially as more and more neurons become wired together; this wiring is largely determined by our children’s everyday experiences. Dr. Marjorie Hogan, professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota, puts it this way: “The development of neural networks in a child’s brain is use-dependent.” In other words, what children see, pay attention to, and experience – i.e., how they use their brains on a day-to-day basis – determines how they develop mentally, and influences the structure of these neural pathways. Children show up in this world with a basic tool kit that includes imagination. If a child uses their imagination daily, this creativity will become a permanent part of the way their mind functions, on into adulthood.

Imagination isn’t just beneficial, it’s also necessary. Kids who let their imaginations soar generally cope better with problems than children who haven’t developed a knack for pretend play, according to research cited by Professor Sandra Russ of Case Western Reserve University. Imagination can even function as a survival skill, as illustrated by the incredible story of Vera Fryling, M.D., who, as a Jewish teenager in Berlin during World War II, spent the Nazi occupation living undercover. During the tedious days in hiding, Fryling dreamed of being a successful psychiatrist in a free land. She credits her flights of imagination with helping her survive occupation of her country by both the Nazis and, later, the Soviet army. Now a faculty member at San Francisco Medical School, Fryling enthuses, “Imagination can help one transcend the insults life has dealt us.”

Giving children opportunities to explore and express their imagination is an important part of a well-rounded childhood. We as parents hold in our hands the ability to develop this important skill in our children.