The Creation of Imaginary Worlds: The Role of Art, Magic and Dreams in Child Development

by Claire Golomb

Overview

Alongside the world of everyday reality, the young child develops a rich imaginary world of child art, make-believe play, imaginary friends, fairy tales and magic. This book charts the imaginative development of children, conveying the importance of art-making, pretense play and fantasy in early childhood years, and highlighting the potential that imaginative behaviors hold for cognitive, affective and aesthetic development.

Divided into three parts, the book begins by examining the development of child art and how children express themselves through art. Part two looks at make-believe play and suggests ways that these methods of play can be utilized effectively in play therapy. Finally, the author explores children's perceptions of fantasy and fiction as expressed in dreams, story-telling and magic. The Creation of Imaginary Worlds highlights the significance of imaginary worlds in children's lives, their role in fostering creativity and abstract thinking, and how adults can gain valuable insights into children's cognitive and emotional well-being.

This enlightening book will be of interest to students of child development, art therapists, play therapists, counselors and child psychologists, as well as parents, teachers and anyone else who wishes to gain a better understanding of childhood imagination.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781849058520
Publisher:	Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Publication date:	02/15/2011
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Claire Golomb is a Professor Emerita of the Department of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts. For over 40 years she taught courses on child development to undergraduate and graduate students of psychology. Her research during those years focused on symbol formation in child art, make-believe play, story construction and the role of gender in those domains. She resides in Waban, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

List of Plates. List of Figures. Preface. 1. The Evolution of Child Art. Representational art and early models. Child art blossoms. The socio-cultural milieu. 2. Play: A Wellspring of the Imagination. Antecedents and the emergence of pretense behavior. Symbolic play. Make-belief play flourishes. The socio-cultural milieu. Play therapy. The school-age child and beyond. 3. Between Fantasy and Fiction. Dreams. Daydreaming or waking fantasy. Story telling. Fairytales. Magic. Concluding comments. 4. Epilogue. Notes. Further Reading. Index.

Editorial Reviews

This is a perceptive and well researched study of children's art and imaginative play and their relationship to child development. It is scholarly but very readable.

The book's first section traces the development of child art from the early stages to adolescence, while the second section charts the evolution of play from infancy onwards... The third section has a useful discussion of dreams, nightmares, storytelling and the emotions, describing the role of imaginative play in confronting fears and exploring emotions.

The book is informative and helpful. A rich and well-developed imagination has a lasting effect on the child's sense of self and emotional wellbeing. The study helps parents to understand and to nurture the child's imaginative development; it is enlightening and reassuring.

HEAS Bulletin

this book provides interesting insight into the way in which childhood art, play, dreams and storytelling are a visual representation of their psychological development and also provide important tools to help them deal with complex emotions.

Young Minds Magazine

The appearance of a new book by Claire Golomb is always important to educators, especially those concerned with the developmental dimension of children's art from early infancy through childhood. This highly accessible book is a very good introduction to children's art in many of its forms.'

'What remains invaluable in this book is the obvious delight the author takes in the art of the child, and the importance, in developmental terms, she attaches to it. Children's art, in all its forms is shown to be a spontaneous outpouring of expression, representation and symbolism (no matter what contemporary curriculum guides tell you its all about), and as such deserve the most attuned and sensitive support. Claire Golomb's book is essential reading.

John Matthews

In this beautifully written book, Claire Golomb produces an eloquent account of three extraordinarily important practices that constitute an envisaging of children's pursuit and construction of imaginary worlds. Golomb, a noted psychologist and researcher, puts forth a compelling introductory text that works to provide parents, educators, and students of early childhood development with a persuasive and articulate rendering of the unwavering grasp that worldmaking has on young children, and the developmental trajectories, milestones, and slippages that compose the landscapes of their enduring quests for the alternative. Reading this book is like listening to a gifted storyteller; Golomb's seamless writing style moves you in and out of theoretical terrains, but in ways that refrain from the imposing weight and limitations of an overly esoteric writing style. Amidst the rise and fall of Golombs' narrations there is a healthy balance of imagery and transcription that further emphasizes and carries forward the thoughts and problematics that are generated throughout the text.

International Journal of Education & the Arts

This book successfully highlights the significance of imaginary world in children's lives and their role in fostering creativity, critical and abstract thinking. This book therefore, provides practitioners with invaluable insight into children's cognitive and emotional wellbeing.

eye (early years educator)