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Kids today and their imagination

Posted December 28th, 2010 at 10:49 AM by Guy
Updated July 28th, 2011 at 12:37 PM by Guy

...it lacks creativity. Don't you think?

I look back when I was around the age of five to twelve, and I was bursting with so much enthusiasm and creativity that the things I believed in and fantasized about in games, you would think I was crazy... Okay, maybe I was a little. Still, I was never bored for a minute. I was always finding something to do, something to play with and even if it was the most simplistic toy I had, I would work up a storm with it and play the wildest games to keep me occupied for that moment. Even with friends around, we would always figure out something to do and work up some kind of catastrophic day for us to enjoy. It was never a dull moment growing up when you had imagination and creativity with you.

That has changed so much over time though. I as a young adult now still use my imagination and creativity. Even when I'm hanging around an age group that's far younger than myself, I'd put myself in their shoes and work up my imagination to do things with them. Even with my own friends, I'm still pretty creative and imaginative around them.

That's something about me; I don't ever want to lose that one piece of child left in me. I don't want to grow into an adult who isn't open to every possible idea there is to grasp out there - even if it seems impossible. I just don't want to lose my inner child and become, well, somewhat boring of a person. ):

The thing with kids today though is that they want to grow up so fast they begin to lack creativity and imagination. Or at least, that's how I see a lot of the younger generations today; not all, but many. They begin to focus their mind on the bigger picture ahead, rather than what they can do now as a kid and enjoy those every day moments growing up. Not that it's a bad thing to look at the bigger picture sometimes, but when you're losing your imagination and creativity along the way so quickly, you begin to mature so much you just lose that inner child. You become a drone to your work, to life, and you become so focused and serious on what you see ahead that as a kid you're not finding the fun in the little things anymore. It's then they become to grow bored quickly. When they see a little toy car (nonelectric) they may think, "What am I going to do with that? Move it back and forth?" rather than, "With this toy car, I'll have it fly, or maybe I'll pretend it's a car with life that fights other cars!"

Heh, just a little piece of imagination there. XD

Ranting aside, I just wish a lot of the younger kids today would stop concentrating on growing up and begin using their imagination again to spend their times constructively in a creative way with whatever they wish to do for that moment. Never lose that inner child inside of you so quickly when you're still only a child. It's just sad really.
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Comments

  1. Old Comment
    Sydian's Avatar
    Or even worse, they let the imagination around them control them and don't have a sense of their own. That's what happened to my sister, I think.

    But I agree. I was always quite the...interesting child. I don't think that's changed. I'm still childish and think of strange things all the time and I don't have to try to think out of the box. It just happens. Seems like a lot of that is dying these days, so you're not the only one that's taken notice. :(

    Edit: I used to play with erasers, markers, the bag with the markers, pencils, my own clothes (overalls and belts mainly), my hair, my face, my chair, etc. I could make anything and everything fun! :) And I made up stupid songs when I played video games...that I...totally don't still sing today...if that's...what you're thinking. ._.
    Posted December 28th, 2010 at 10:52 AM by Sydian Sydian is offline
  2. Old Comment
    Miss Doronjo's Avatar
    Haha, I kind of let my imagination get the best of me though. :3 Sometimes my imagination are combined with my awkward humor. <3

    But I should say: kids should also combine their imagination with the truth; or else they can spin outta control or something like that. <3
    Posted December 28th, 2010 at 11:04 AM by Miss Doronjo Miss Doronjo is offline
  3. Old Comment
    Nina's Avatar
    I went outside everyday where I used to live and I'd find something to do. We'd explore a construction area we wern't supposed to, find junk and hide it in a treed area to make a fort area, or decide we were going to find 100 rolly-pollies in the cracks of the sidewalk.

    I have to admit that when we moved I found the internet and became much more withdrawn, but it seems like the younger kids I know just want to text on their phone to their "boo" (holy crap, you're 12!!) and play with their iphones.

    For the older kids everything they think and say that they want to do is just a mini-version of what they see adults do. For the younger kids they would just die if they can't have their DS/Shiny Toy to play with. They always have to have something with them and don't know how to get along by themselves. They can't think for themselves or use just a little bit of imagination. (I blame this on parents shoving toys at them because they don't want to deal with them.)
    Posted December 28th, 2010 at 11:08 AM by Nina Nina is offline
  4. Old Comment
    Spinosaurus's Avatar
    I have a big imagination >(

    Kids these days care about CoD.
    Posted December 28th, 2010 at 11:10 AM by Spinosaurus Spinosaurus is offline
  5. Old Comment
    Aquacorde's Avatar
    I agree with this. When I was a kid I had cardboard bricks and markers and other simple toys. I had so much fun building and coloring and going places in a Calvin & Hobbes-esque time machine.

    And my little step-brothers have MP3 players and a DS and more toys than they can count... and they get bored. They don't imagine what things could be, because they have everything. It's just... not what I like to see.
    Posted December 28th, 2010 at 11:11 AM by Aquacorde Aquacorde is offline
  6. Old Comment
    Spinor's Avatar
    Creativity, I have plenty. But imagination is something I fear a lot. It got out of hand in my childhood, and I refuse to let it get the best of me.

    The "kids" you say want to focus on growing up probably includes me. But that's not because I don't appreciate imagination, I fear it. You don't know the deep piling I had in my childhood thanks to it. And now it's something I don't ever want to acknowledge because it's the source of my past immaturity and blindness. And I know pre-2009 people around here know what I'm talking about if they've met me.

    I actually wish there was more of a care for academics in children. So society today sees that children should just be children? I don't. Neither did many past and present societies. I refuse to let the acts of children condemn me again.
    Posted December 28th, 2010 at 11:19 AM by Spinor Spinor is offline
  7. Old Comment
    @ Lornami, I agree that parents hold fault to this to an extent. Rather than giving their kids everything they ask for, especially more of the electronics, they should hand them some of those classic toys we used to play with. Let them build their imagination rather than depend on the easy life a lot of younger kids are being handed today. I never even got my first phone until my freshman year of high school when I actually needed it. Kids today get them all in elementary school, and I think..."Are you serious?"

    @ TheSmartOne, while it's true the computer and other versatile electronics are shaping our world and future, it still shouldn't mean kids should get it all or make it run their lives. They grow bored of it so quickly, and they're used to getting handed things they want that their creative mind doesn't have time to grow. I agree with you.

    I remember as a kid, I would be outside almost everyday with my friends, and even if we didn't have some kind of toy to play with, we'd think up some kind of game to play. Whether it'd be pretending Digimon or Pokémon were real and we'd be playing out a Pokémon battle, or we'd pretend we were on some kind of scavenger hunt of the sorts.

    My parents always had me on restrictions to time on the computer and my video games too. So, it wasn't like I could play it as long as or any time I wanted to. Something a lot of kids today don't get restricted on, so they play it all day and lose that imagination they have stored somewhere, because it's not being exercised or used very often.
    Posted December 28th, 2010 at 11:23 AM by Guy Guy is offline
  8. Old Comment
    AK47, I've had my inner child get the best of me sometimes, and you're right we should never let that overcome who we are as a person. But we should never lose it either. There's always a time and place for it to show just a bit, and then there's a time not to where you have to be mature around company.

    As for imagination, as a kid, I think their imagination should go as far as they want it to go, especially if they are very young. As you grow older, you learn to use your imagination in more constructive ways. Even with technical things, imagination still comes in use. It allows the brain to think outside the box and away from some of that closed thinking our world has today. Like our inner child, we just have to learn to control it and use it in a proper manner so it doesn't overcome us or let us lose perspective of life as it is, but still keep it so everyday is never a dull moment, but a moment worth living for.

    At least, that's how I see it. :o
    Posted December 28th, 2010 at 11:29 AM by Guy Guy is offline
  9. Old Comment
    Nina's Avatar
    Well, I got a "phone" in 5th grade. By phone I mean this tiny one that had a screen on par with the pokewalker and I was only allowed to call numbers on our plan. Which was my parents and sister. Never used it really, it was just for emergencies. After about 4 years and it broke I got my first "oh my god graphics" phone.

    Oh, butting in on a small part, I do think that kids really need a focus on academics. Strangely, I think it's possible for them to be kids and think like kids and still learn at the same time. They just need to be taught that you actually do go to school to learn, not a babysitter that interrupts your playtime. Imagination can help with learning. In sciences if you don't have enough deep/abstract thinking to wrap your brain around the fact all matter in this world never actually touches each other, you can't really learn to deeply into it. I just know that during my science classes I had to use quite a bit of creativity to actually "understand" certain scientific concepts, not just regurgitate formulas.
    Posted December 28th, 2010 at 11:46 AM by Nina Nina is offline
    Updated December 28th, 2010 at 11:53 AM by Nina
  10. Old Comment
    Belinda's Avatar

    I really liked this blog post, Shivi.
    Posted December 28th, 2010 at 11:52 AM by Belinda Belinda is offline
  11. Old Comment
    A phone like that for a fifth grader, I can understand. Sadly, not a lot of the kids today with a phone so young, have their plans set like that. :\

    Oh yes, I agree with needing some form of focus on their academics as AK47 did mention before. I'm not talking hard core academics like high schoolers and college students are hit with, but material where they are actually learning something for their age and to prepare them for the "future work of tomorrow", using their minds and imagination plays a big part in this too depending on what they are given.

    Haha, nice one Fer. <3
    Posted December 28th, 2010 at 11:54 AM by Guy Guy is offline
  12. Old Comment
    Nina's Avatar
    ...Who would they call beside parents? Who do you call when you're eight? I doubt you've gained long-distance friends, just talk to them on the playground at school.

    /oh god this became a personal rant, don't talk about education to me.

    I don't know. I have a theory that kids can learn pretty much anything if you do it correctly. Little sponges, again, if you can do it correctly. Elementary is treated like babysitting and then they expect you to start being "serious" in highschool when it's really should be the reverse. If they wanted these kids to be serious and pass Algebra in 12th grade than just maaaaybe they should have tried a little harder to get the basics in elementary and not pity pass them in middle school?
    It's much easier to teach them and have fun when they are younger. Just let them use their imaginations with guidance and you can get them to learn harder concepts.
    Posted December 28th, 2010 at 12:08 PM by Nina Nina is offline
  13. Old Comment
    Kura's Avatar
    I agree with this.
    There is two type of thinking.. Divergent thinking and Convergent thinking.
    Divergent thinking= thinking outside of the box.
    Convergent thinking= using predispositioned formulas or a bias to come up with a solution for something.

    People have too much of the second thing nowadays.. :/
    Posted December 28th, 2010 at 12:22 PM by Kura Kura is offline
  14. Old Comment
    -Jared-'s Avatar
    I agree completely with this blog post. I also think that sometimes, you don't even need a toy; when I was little, a lot of the time I would just lay there and close my eyes and imagine all the wild, crazy things that my imagination let me see.

    [size=1]I still do it sometimes...>__>[/size]
    Posted December 28th, 2010 at 12:40 PM by -Jared- -Jared- is offline
  15. Old Comment
    Kura's Avatar
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Pikapal642 View Comment
    I agree completely with this blog post. I also think that sometimes, you don't even need a toy; when I was little, a lot of the time I would just lay there and close my eyes and imagine all the wild, crazy things that my imagination let me see.

    I still do it sometimes...>__>
    I do the same thing, too! :3 Yay daydreaming!
    Posted December 28th, 2010 at 1:03 PM by Kura Kura is offline
  16. Old Comment
    moments.'s Avatar
    Agreed and liked and everything.

    I was always a bit of a "OMG" kid with my imagination. I could literally play for hours on end without breaks with a single matchbox car.
    I'll admit, I feel like I have less imagination now that I;m older and on the internet more and stuff, but that little kid inside me is still there and very strong. The imagination is not the strongest part of the little kid inside me, but it is definitely there, it just needs coaxing out.

    When I do my creative writing, sometimes I think of crazy, elaborate, crazy things. That's what I like.
    I want to include some of these ideas and stuff into my graphic art, which I probably will, if I can.
    Posted December 28th, 2010 at 3:23 PM by moments. moments. is offline
  17. Old Comment
    I agree with this entry. To this day, when I get bored with all that I worked hard to EARN, things like my Zune (MP3 player), and my Ebook Reader, and my new phone I tend to be quite imaginative. I do get bored with those devices quickly though I'll admit, and I seek ways to 'Improve' them through adding features to them somehow. It's just the hacker inside of me that likes to tinker with things like that.

    But anyways, back to my main point. Before I had any of that, I had to make do with my vivid imagination. I was not a child showered with toys, nor did standard toys ever interest me much. I'd much rather read a book. XD

    When I am extremely bored and unable to actually move around and PLAY, I have various ways of entertaining myself while sitting there doing nothing which fully involves my imagination and it's ability to convince me that something is really going on. Now I'm not the type to lose sight of the Reality/Imagination barrier, in fact I shore that barrier up and fix it on a daily basis to prevent it from overcoming me if it ever runs wild. When I am able to actually move around, the games I can play to myself are expanded. I won't ever let that inner child die, in fact I fight for it's sake on a day to day basis to keep it, when people are stupidly and blindly suggest I become a drone. :<
    Posted December 28th, 2010 at 3:55 PM by Melody Melody is offline
  18. Old Comment
    Kura's Avatar
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Pachy View Comment
    I agree with this entry. To this day, when I get bored with all that I worked hard to EARN, things like my Zune (MP3 player), and my Ebook Reader, and my new phone I tend to be quite imaginative. I do get bored with those devices quickly though I'll admit, and I seek ways to 'Improve' them through adding features to them somehow. It's just the hacker inside of me that likes to tinker with things like that.

    But anyways, back to my main point. Before I had any of that, I had to make do with my vivid imagination. I was not a child showered with toys, nor did standard toys ever interest me much. I'd much rather read a book. XD

    When I am extremely bored and unable to actually move around and PLAY, I have various ways of entertaining myself while sitting there doing nothing which fully involves my imagination and it's ability to convince me that something is really going on. Now I'm not the type to lose sight of the Reality/Imagination barrier, in fact I shore that barrier up and fix it on a daily basis to prevent it from overcoming me if it ever runs wild. When I am able to actually move around, the games I can play to myself are expanded. I won't ever let that inner child die, in fact I fight for it's sake on a day to day basis to keep it, when people are stupidly and blindly suggest I become a drone. :<
    Uh.. I think he's referring to using things outside of the box.. like looking at a cup and saying "I could totally use this as a hat".. not.. being able to use different features on your phone ._.
    Posted December 28th, 2010 at 6:10 PM by Kura Kura is offline
  19. Old Comment
    Ho-Oh's Avatar
    i don't exactly think so. :x

    look at mr sillypillz (captain hobo), for example, he's really imaginative and he's only ten. can't really give you guys many other examples, but i do think that this technological world is making the children have less enjoyable childhoods (in my mind anyway, because i wouldn't really care for any of the stuff i usually get for christmas in regards to technology when i was like 5). i mean, even my half brother, who's currently 5...i think, has been playing DS' and other things since he was really young. i think it's all brain numbing and that children won't really get to experience the excitement of our childhood, that is true (aka like pokemon, when certain things were "big" and when events meant more than they do to the children of today), i don't think that's necessarily their imagination. they still know how to imagine things, but that ability is being taken away by the generation we're in. at christmas 4 year olds want DS' and TV isn't helping either, because it's giving the message that all this technology at a young age is good, when...it's not. and even the internet, i mean, around most of our ages, it's fine, but really, for a 10 year old to be using the internet almost everyday, doesn't that show how society is changing to compensate for this new technology?

    and yeah, i miss when christmas was fun, when i still thought santa was real, when i collected pokemon items and i wasn't the only one, when i could go to places and feel like i'm in a brand new world... although... a lot of the time when listening to music, i do try to imagine i'm somewhere else, though without the ability to write it down to further revisit those plaes in my imagination, i result in just changing different places in my mind, causing new memories to be formed of things that aren't even real, which makes half my mind dominated by locations that never existed.

    anyway, dislike how society is changing, but whatever, guess we'll have to put up with it.
    Posted December 28th, 2010 at 6:31 PM by Ho-Oh Ho-Oh is offline
  20. Old Comment
    I don't actually think we should have to put up with it. I mean, we're not going to be able to change the way the world works, but you can make a difference to how kids can have a childhood worth remembering over by helping the little kids you know or the kids you'll have on your own in the future. You can make a difference for them and maybe they can make a difference to other kids. Sometimes you just can't conform to society, but step up and make a difference.

    My overall point was that kids today are so consumed in technology and wanting to be more "grown-up" than they need to be, they lose their imagination and creativity along the way. Which means they miss out on an important function of the brain and later miss out on a childhood worth remembering with friends and family.

    I don't know about others, but I love hearing about my grandparents, parents or other older relatives talking about their childhood. The things they did with their family and friends as kids, it makes me wish my childhood could have been like that. Not saying mines was terrible, but it feels nice to know you can reminisce back on those days.
    Posted December 28th, 2010 at 7:22 PM by Guy Guy is offline