Creative imagination (CI) helps children develop into well-rounded adults. Children are born with CI. You can see that for yourself when they are playing. You can see the games they create, and the characters they invent. 

With CI your kids express themselves well and form their unique ideas and thoughts. It boosts their brainpower and problem-solving skills. As adults, some retain this gift, while most don’t. It all depends on how they are raised. But as they say, too much of a good thing can become bad. Optimum balance is what matters. Too much imaginative thinking or too little of it has negative effects on your children. 

In the article below, we will explore the effects of too much or too little CI on children. We will also provide tips and pointers on how to counter these effects. Use these, so that your kids have a healthy dose of CI that benefits them throughout their life. Not too much, and not too little. 

Negative Effects of Too Little CI

Children are born with CI but it has to be nurtured by their parents and caregivers. If the caregivers do not support CI in their children, they may suffer from the following issues. 

1. Lack of Empathy

Too little CI may cause a lack of empathy in children. Your kids may not imagine what others are going through. They will never realize if they hurt someone. It all leads to a serious lack of empathy. Children and adults both with low CI become emotionally stunted. 

2. Biased

Lack of empathy leads to biased people. People with low empathy cannot understand others’ problems. They will not understand others’ viewpoints. They will not even try to understand it. It leads them to become biased with only their interests in mind. 

3. Low Creativity

Low CI leads to less creative children and adults. They have no desire to innovate and will not create anything new. They will follow the routine set before them. It leads to dry, joyless lives that are middling and unfulfilled. 

4. No Complex Problem Solving

CI helps us form unique solutions to the issues at hand. People with low CI cannot imagine beyond a point. They cannot think of creative solutions and will be stuck and fail at complex problems they face. 

5. Dead End Jobs

Without CI, people may not see the opportunities in front of them. They cannot envision their futures and the steps to reach their goals. Finally, it leads to dead-end jobs that do not satisfy but frustrate. 

How to Counter Low CI in Children

We have written a whole new article on building CI in children. Here is the link to the article that provides pointers on how to raise healthy CI in your children. 

https://angelbearyoga.com/creative-imagination-in-children/ 

Negative Effects of Too Much Imaginative Thinking 

CI shapes the way we view and act in the real world. CI is good for your children. But too much of it can lead to different issues. It may block their ability to handle real-world situations. Too much CI can prevent your kids reaching their full potential. The fears they imagine can hinder them in real life. Here are some of the problems of having too much CI.   

1. Avoid Real World

Too much CI causes too many ideas, thoughts, and emotions in the brain. Your kids may avoid handling real-world situations. They will prefer to remain in their fantasy world. 

2. Lies and Half-Truths 

With too much CI, you may have trouble getting the truth from your children. Your child may mix real and imagined events to create a muddled-up story. You will have trouble sorting the real from the fantasy that your kids tell. It is a cause of concern, where you are never sure what is true or not.  

3. Loose Focus

Too much imaginative thinking makes your kids lose focus. It will harm their studies and even future prospects. 

4. Anxiety and Other Issues

Too much CI leads to your kids’ fears hindering their normal life. They imagine the fears clearly and in full detail. It seems real to them and hurts their mental peace. Your kids avoid going out and do not face their fears. Out of control, CI leads to anxiety and unreal fears in children and adults alike. 

5. Not Enough Sleep

Too much CI will also disrupt the sleep of your kids. They will worry as their minds are not calm. It leads to anxiety that keeps them awake. Fewer sleep hours and low quality of sleep affect both their body and mind. 

How to Counter Too Much Imaginative Thinking? 

You as a parent or primary caregiver, have to find the balance between too much CI and real-world events. It doesn’t mean suppressing your kids’ CI but expressing their CI in a balanced and positive manner. Here is how to get the right balance of CI and the real world in your children. 

1. Be in the Moment

Teach your children to be in the moment. Whenever they start to over imagine, ask them to think about the present. Ask them to do something that forces them to a real task at hand. They can write, count to 10, or play with a fidget spinner to control their thoughts. 

2. Set Aside a Time

Give your kids some time when they can fully enjoy and work with their CI. It can be an hour a day, or a little less or a little more as the time permits. Ask them to indulge in their CI at this time without any limits. The rest of the time, they have to be in the present. Your children get a specified time to imagine and daydream, and come out fresh and ready for real life. 

3. Give them an Outlet

Sometimes, your kids just need an outlet for their CI. Nudge them to do some creative tasks. These can be art projects, drama, drawing, painting, etc. When your kids get a creative outlet, they will stop daydreaming and indulging in too much imaginative thinking. 

4. Yoga

Yoga and deep breathing also help to a great extent. If your child is facing anxiety issues due to excess CI, teach them yoga for children. Doing yoga and breathing workouts calm and relax their mind. With yoga, your kids will be more mindful and be in the present. 

5. Keep a Diary

Ask your children to keep a diary. Ask your kids to write whatever comes to their minds. Then ask them to write about their whole day and their inner thoughts. Then ask them to separate the real from fiction. Work with them if they need help. With time, your kids will be able to keep their real-life and fantasy worlds separate. 

6. Use CI to Counter too Much CI

This is a simple trick that will help your children be grounded in reality. Teach your kids to think of their minds like a fast-moving bike. A bike can always move fast, but it’s up to your kids to stop it whenever they want by applying the brakes. So, whenever your kids start imagining too much, ask them to apply the brakes to the mind and be back in real life. It is a simple trick that can solve too many CI and anxiety issues due to it. 

 Final Thoughts

CI is a good thing for your children but needs care and nurturing. Too less or too much imaginative thinking has its own set of problems. Keeping an optimum balance between the two will spur creativity in your children. It will also keep them grounded in the real world. The right balance of CI helps them with their school life as well as outside it. When their CI gets the right outlet, your children are happier, content and calm. Follow the above-mentioned tips to ensure your children get the best of both CI and the real world.

Creative imagination (CI) helps children develop into well-rounded adults. Children are born with CI. You can see that for yourself when they are playing. You can see the games they create, and the characters they invent. 

With CI your kids express themselves well and form their unique ideas and thoughts. It boosts their brainpower and problem-solving skills. As adults, some retain this gift, while most don’t. It all depends on how they are raised. But as they say, too much of a good thing can become bad. Optimum balance is what matters. Too much imaginative thinking or too little of it has negative effects on your children. 

In the article below, we will explore the effects of too much or too little CI on children. We will also provide tips and pointers on how to counter these effects. Use these, so that your kids have a healthy dose of CI that benefits them throughout their life. Not too much, and not too little. 

Negative Effects of Too Little CI

Children are born with CI but it has to be nurtured by their parents and caregivers. If the caregivers do not support CI in their children, they may suffer from the following issues. 

1. Lack of Empathy

Too little CI may cause a lack of empathy in children. Your kids may not imagine what others are going through. They will never realize if they hurt someone. It all leads to a serious lack of empathy. Children and adults both with low CI become emotionally stunted. 

2. Biased

Lack of empathy leads to biased people. People with low empathy cannot understand others’ problems. They will not understand others’ viewpoints. They will not even try to understand it. It leads them to become biased with only their interests in mind. 

3. Low Creativity

Low CI leads to less creative children and adults. They have no desire to innovate and will not create anything new. They will follow the routine set before them. It leads to dry, joyless lives that are middling and unfulfilled. 

4. No Complex Problem Solving

CI helps us form unique solutions to the issues at hand. People with low CI cannot imagine beyond a point. They cannot think of creative solutions and will be stuck and fail at complex problems they face. 

5. Dead End Jobs

Without CI, people may not see the opportunities in front of them. They cannot envision their futures and the steps to reach their goals. Finally, it leads to dead-end jobs that do not satisfy but frustrate. 

How to Counter Low CI in Children

We have written a whole new article on building CI in children. Here is the link to the article that provides pointers on how to raise healthy CI in your children. 

https://angelbearyoga.com/creative-imagination-in-children/ 

Negative Effects of Too Much Imaginative Thinking 

CI shapes the way we view and act in the real world. CI is good for your children. But too much of it can lead to different issues. It may block their ability to handle real-world situations. Too much CI can prevent your kids reaching their full potential. The fears they imagine can hinder them in real life. Here are some of the problems of having too much CI.   

1. Avoid Real World

Too much CI causes too many ideas, thoughts, and emotions in the brain. Your kids may avoid handling real-world situations. They will prefer to remain in their fantasy world. 

2. Lies and Half-Truths 

With too much CI, you may have trouble getting the truth from your children. Your child may mix real and imagined events to create a muddled-up story. You will have trouble sorting the real from the fantasy that your kids tell. It is a cause of concern, where you are never sure what is true or not.  

3. Loose Focus

Too much imaginative thinking makes your kids lose focus. It will harm their studies and even future prospects. 

4. Anxiety and Other Issues

Too much CI leads to your kids’ fears hindering their normal life. They imagine the fears clearly and in full detail. It seems real to them and hurts their mental peace. Your kids avoid going out and do not face their fears. Out of control, CI leads to anxiety and unreal fears in children and adults alike. 

5. Not Enough Sleep

Too much CI will also disrupt the sleep of your kids. They will worry as their minds are not calm. It leads to anxiety that keeps them awake. Fewer sleep hours and low quality of sleep affect both their body and mind. 

How to Counter Too Much Imaginative Thinking? 

You as a parent or primary caregiver, have to find the balance between too much CI and real-world events. It doesn’t mean suppressing your kids’ CI but expressing their CI in a balanced and positive manner. Here is how to get the right balance of CI and the real world in your children. 

1. Be in the Moment

Teach your children to be in the moment. Whenever they start to over imagine, ask them to think about the present. Ask them to do something that forces them to a real task at hand. They can write, count to 10, or play with a fidget spinner to control their thoughts. 

2. Set Aside a Time

Give your kids some time when they can fully enjoy and work with their CI. It can be an hour a day, or a little less or a little more as the time permits. Ask them to indulge in their CI at this time without any limits. The rest of the time, they have to be in the present. Your children get a specified time to imagine and daydream, and come out fresh and ready for real life. 

3. Give them an Outlet

Sometimes, your kids just need an outlet for their CI. Nudge them to do some creative tasks. These can be art projects, drama, drawing, painting, etc. When your kids get a creative outlet, they will stop daydreaming and indulging in too much imaginative thinking. 

4. Yoga

Yoga and deep breathing also help to a great extent. If your child is facing anxiety issues due to excess CI, teach them yoga for children. Doing yoga and breathing workouts calm and relax their mind. With yoga, your kids will be more mindful and be in the present. 

5. Keep a Diary

Ask your children to keep a diary. Ask your kids to write whatever comes to their minds. Then ask them to write about their whole day and their inner thoughts. Then ask them to separate the real from fiction. Work with them if they need help. With time, your kids will be able to keep their real-life and fantasy worlds separate. 

6. Use CI to Counter too Much CI

This is a simple trick that will help your children be grounded in reality. Teach your kids to think of their minds like a fast-moving bike. A bike can always move fast, but it’s up to your kids to stop it whenever they want by applying the brakes. So, whenever your kids start imagining too much, ask them to apply the brakes to the mind and be back in real life. It is a simple trick that can solve too many CI and anxiety issues due to it. 

 Final Thoughts

CI is a good thing for your children but needs care and nurturing. Too less or too much imaginative thinking has its own set of problems. Keeping an optimum balance between the two will spur creativity in your children. It will also keep them grounded in the real world. The right balance of CI helps them with their school life as well as outside it. When their CI gets the right outlet, your children are happier, content and calm. Follow the above-mentioned tips to ensure your children get the best of both CI and the real world.