We make use of imagination every day and night. Awake or asleep, in dreams and in conversation, we are able to call to mind things that we cannot actually see, feel, hear or smell. Imagination refers to our capacity to form mental images of things that are not present, or which may not even exist.
Playwright George Bernard Shaw described imagination as the 'beginning of creativity'. It is closely linked to play, fantasy, storytelling, poetry and metaphor. Imagination is the means by which we explore possibilities - the ability that makes us creative, adaptable and flexible. Perhaps most importantly, imagination is not something extra to be taught, another area of learning and development to be added to the curriculum, but something that must be a part of all aspects of learning.
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