The first sparks of children's imagination appear towards the end of their first year. Imagination is an integral part of creativity because it supports the production of new combinations from pre-constructed things.

When imagination first kicks in, it paves the way for imitation. At first, children's attempts at imitation are simple. They imitate concrete actions they see around them, such as combing their hair. Imitation skills gradually become symbolic as children use things around them to represent something else, such as by using a box as a pretend telephone. This sparks more creative play, creative problem solving, and cognitive development.

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2. Trevarthen, C., & Delafield-Butt, J. T. (2014). The Infant’s Creative Vitality, In Projects of Self-Discovery and Shared Meaning: How They Anticipate School, and Make It Fruitful. in Sue Robson & Suzanne Flannery Quinn (Eds.) Routledge International Handbook of Young Children's Thinking and Understanding. Routledge.

Research has shown that adults can help children improve their imaginative play skills to help foster their creative abilities by following the child's lead, asking questions or making comments to extend the child's imitation and pretend play. For example, in a pretend outing to a fast food restaurant, you could say, "Oh, I am drinking now. The orange juice tastes good! Can I order an Oreo milkshake from you now?"

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