“Let’s make-believe that you are a Unicorn and I am a Tiger-Lion,” my 4-year-old son recently said to me. I laughed and refilled my coffee—all the way to the brim.

His high little voice then launched into a forty-five minute fantasy about what we could eat, where we could sleep, the island where we lived, the tools we fashioned to help us in our day-to-day lives. I told him I needed to go explore the other side of the mountain to look for magic leaves and snuck over to check my email. He pretended not to notice.

Encouraging our kids’ imagination is one of the most important things we can do as parents—and also the most fun. It will help develop their problem-solving skills, empathy, and enrich their pursuit of happiness.

Some ways to encourage your early reader’s imagination:

1. Read fiction and fantasy stories to your child. It will inspire their minds to run wild without the restraints of boring old reality squaring everything into place.

2. When you’re reading with your child,  pause after each page and ask, “What do you think will happen next?” This will create the habits of thinking critically about the book and imagining creative solutions to the characters’ problems.

3. Look at art together—anything from fine art to cartoons and comics. Talk about what’s happening in the artwork, and what the artist left out. Talking about what’s not there can help your child imagine a context.

4. Make up your own stories. Whenever you have a long car ride, a wait at the doctor’s office, or another boring stretch of time, give your child a scenario and ask him or her to develop it. Ask, “Then what happens?” to prompt your child’s imagination.

5. Play make believe. Nothing will encourage your child to play make believe more than your enthusiastic participation. Be the unicorn you see sparkling behind your child’s eyes!

—Sarah