Why should children improvise? Walk onto a playground or listen to children playing at recess and you will find superheroes in flight, in battle, saving the world. It may be something that you are used to seeing, but we shouldn’t take this imaginary play for granted. Why do young children enjoy spending so much time in imaginary worlds? And why is it so good for them to do so? And, perhaps, most importantly, how can we encourage more children to explore in this way?  Hopefull

Why should children improvise? Walk onto a playground or listen closely during recess and you’ll hear it right away: superheroes in flight, daring rescues, epic battles, and entire worlds created out of thin air. This kind of imaginative play may feel familiar — even ordinary — but it’s something we shouldn’t take for granted. Why do young children naturally gravitate toward imaginary worlds? Why does pretending matter so much? And perhaps most importantly, how can we continu