How Imaginary Worlds Help Children Make Sense of the Real One
Why make-believe matters more than you think
As a parent, you’ve probably watched your child spend hours playing with invisible characters, building fantasy lands out of cardboard boxes, or getting lost in the pages of magical stories. And while you may smile at their creativity, a part of you may wonder: Is this just play? Or is there something deeper going on?
The answer is reassuring: imaginary worlds aren’t just a comforting escape for children — they’re a crucial way for them to process, understand, and even rehearse for real life. Especially for children between 6 and 12, who may be dealing with academic pressure, learning challenges, or school-related stress, these creative spaces can offer clarity where reality feels too complex.
The child’s brain: wired to explore through story
Children this age are at a unique stage in cognitive development. They’re starting to grasp logic, cause and effect, moral reasoning — but that doesn’t mean they fully understand the complex emotional or social dynamics of the real world. That’s where imaginary worlds come in. Through storytelling, role-play, and invented characters, children get to experiment with different perspectives and scenarios, building logic, problem-solving, and emotional awareness along the way.
Imagine a child inventing a kingdom ruled by animals where one character is always left out. Through that story, they may be working through feelings of exclusion at school — and testing out responses, values, and resolutions in a space that feels safe and controllable.
From imagination to empathy
One of the most powerful effects of make-believe is how it helps children develop empathy. By imagining what it’s like to be someone else (a brave knight, a misunderstood villain, a lonely dragon), they’re learning to see the world from multiple points of view. This kind of emotional rehearsal can make a big difference when navigating real-life relationships with friends, teachers, or siblings.
In fact, studies have shown that children who engage in more pretend play tend to show better emotional regulation and conflict resolution skills. So if your child often seems "lost in their own world," they might actually be doing vital inner work — processing the day’s events, resolving confusion, and finding their place in a sometimes overwhelming reality.
What if your child has trouble learning or focusing?
For children who struggle with homework or school pressure, imaginary play can be even more essential. It’s not only a form of relief; it can also support learning in disguise. Through made-up stories or fantastical games, they can practice sequencing, vocabulary, or even problem-solving — just not in a traditional way.
For example, creating a story about a robot that needs to fix its spaceship requires planning, logic, and a sense of narrative cause-and-effect — all cognitive skills that tie directly into academic success. If your child is a dreamer or a storyteller at heart, that’s not a distraction from learning: it’s the path through which they make learning meaningful.
How to support your child’s imaginary world — and gently connect it to reality
As a parent, the goal is not to pull your child out of their imagination, but to step into it with them. This doesn’t mean scripting their play or correcting their stories, but rather listening closely, asking thoughtful questions, and offering materials that enrich their creative world.
Here are a few ways you can support your child’s imagination and help them use it to understand real-life situations:
- Be curious, not corrective: When your child tells a wild story, resist the urge to evaluate or steer it. Instead, ask open-ended questions like, “What happened next?” or “How did that character feel?”
- Draw connections to their real world: If your child invents a story about a school where dragons feel nervous about their tests, gently ask, “Do you think they get nervous like you do during math quizzes?” This builds emotional bridges without making it too direct.
- Offer stories rich in imagination: Listening to fiction can be just as beneficial as creating it. Audiobooks and audio series — especially ones made for kids — transport them to other worlds while subtly reinforcing skills like cause and effect, sequence, and character empathy.
The iOS and Android versions of the LISN Kids App offer a beautifully curated collection of original audio stories for ages 3–12, specially designed to spark imagination while nurturing the deeper thinking children need to thrive. Whether your child needs a calm escape after school or a gentle push to explore new ideas, audio storytelling can be a helpful ally.
Let their dreams be a guide
It can be easy to dismiss imagination as a luxury — but for children between the ages of 6 and 12, it’s an emotional and cognitive necessity. Their inventive stories, dreamy drawings, and complex pretend games aren’t merely ways to avoid reality. They are their way of making sense of it.
If your child is facing school stress, needs to build confidence, or struggles with understanding the rules and patterns of the world, turn toward their imagination — not away from it. Engage with their stories. Listen deeply. Then, little by little, you might find that the child who seems lost in fantasy is actually figuring out how to thrive in the real world.
To dive deeper into supporting your child’s creative thinking, you might enjoy these related reads: