lost imagination?

**mushpea** · 05-02-2010, 07:05 AM

I have looked after a 6yrold since june last year, when he first came he would play with different toys and use his imagination with toys and pretend stuff all the time, then he discoverd our wii, then he got a wii of his own and since christmas i have noticed that unless the tv is on or he is playing the wii he will not do anything else, in the mornings before school we dont have tv on or the wii on, there is a box of lego pirates and a box of turtles for him to play with and also the cranium superfort is out, he comes in sits on the sofa and dosent move or play with anything or even look at a book (books and puzzles are always avalible), he knows he can ask for any of the toys int he conservatory to be brought in but he dosent.
could it be that the constant playing on the wii has made him loose his imagination? at my house he is allowed half hour a day on a school day and i belive he then plays his at home quite a bit.

**helenlc** · 05-02-2010, 08:01 AM

Could be but then again, it could just be a phase he is going through.

My 2 children still have wonderful imaginations and I put it down to having read to them all the time since they were babies.

Maybe you could bring in a story time to your setting when this 6 yr old is over? I realise time might be against you after school. But maybe a trip to the library and choose some books. Or ask everyone to bring a book in from home?

The TV doesnt have to be a bad thing for imagination. Why dont you find a programme/DVD about pirates - watch it and then ask him to act it out with the Lego Pirates.

Or with the Wii, allow him to play it and then, depending on what game he has played, ask him to draw a picture or play out what he has just done. Ask him to think of ideas he would like for a video game that he could be the star of.

Good luck

**sarah707** · 05-02-2010, 08:02 AM

Yes it does happen to some children.

They become so completely dependent on machines that they forget how to play.

It nearly happened to my ds for a while when his dad left. He retreated into a fantasy world.

Does this lo have any problems at home just now?

Anyway it took a lot of coaxing to get him back to his toys... he had an interest in magic and magic tricks and I tapped into that.

There will be something else he likes doing it's just a matter of finding it.

Hth

Lady Haha · 05-02-2010, 10:12 AM

I agree with Helenlc....my son and mindees all aged between 5 and 8 will play on the wii or watch tv and then make up a game where they are the characters of the wii game or the tv show etc

Also, my older ones are playing less and less with toys and do more and more role play games that they just make up as they go along. And the wii and tv give them the idea for their games. But obv it's easier to do that if there are two or more of you!

Does your mindee have other kids his own age to play with at your house?

**mushpea** · 05-02-2010, 12:06 PM

Originally Posted by blackandsparkly

I agree with Helenlc....my son and mindees all aged between 5 and 8 will play on the wii or watch tv and then make up a game where they are the characters of the wii game or the tv show etc

Also, my older ones are playing less and less with toys and do more and more role play games that they just make up as they go along. And the wii and tv give them the idea for their games. But obv it's easier to do that if there are two or more of you!

Does your mindee have other kids his own age to play with at your house?

first half of the week there is a 6yrold girl with her 2 sisters age 4 and 2 that he will play with but its more him following what they do then putting any ideas forward or using his won imagination, My son whos 9 is here all week and they get on quite well toghether as does my daughter whos 11, they do all play make belive stuff but again non of the ideas comes from him, if the wiis not on then hes just not intersted in anything else, last lot of hols just before christmas he arrived at 7.45am and by 7.55am he was pestering for the wii and then got the hump when i said maybe after lunch, really dont want it on at 8 in the morning!!, maybe i should give the choice of the wii or tv for halfhour then turn them both off and just allow the toys out, my two can watch tv or play plastaion upstairs if they want and the girls arent interested in either the wii or tv so no loss to them, I wonder if i cut down the time on these things to a very small amount if the imagination will come back.

Lady Haha · 05-02-2010, 02:05 PM

Don't really know what to say now!

It must be really tough! I have a mindee, a little girl who is 5 who can't seem to choose her own toys to play with (at least she plays with toys though!).

Every single day I pick her up she asks me what toys I have got out for her. I was just setting up the house ready for pick up today and started thinking about what to get out for her, when I thought, no!!!! Not anymore!! She has to learn to choose her own things to play with!!! I don't tend to get toys out for the kids as I like to let them choose themselves what they want to play with. Nearly all the toys are accessible to them and they only have to ask and I will get the higher ones down for them. I usually set up the playroom table with some craft or messy play stuff, but thats all!

She is going to be shocked today when she comes back and she has to go to all the effort of trying to decide what she would like to play with!