When is imagination more important than knowledge?

Learning through play is coming back into fashion and thank goodness for that!

Children need free space in their minds to explore new ideas and to indulge in imaginative play.

Growth mindset is achieved by allowing children to think outside the box, to make mistakes and learn by them.

All the knowledge in the world is no good to us if we don't know what to do with it.

Allowing children to do what comes naturally to them - play - allows them to use their ingenuity and knowledge in practical ways, developing their problem solving skills and application techniques.

Humans are natural born learners, but in our thirst for education have we overlooked the importance of play in the equation?

It is a known fact that children learn astoundingly well when they don't realise they are learning at all! Don't you find it incredible the amount a child learns between birth and starting school? This is all because of play and imaginative interactions - tea parties with dolls, rocket boxes to the moon - we all remember the fun we had as kids.

Imagination is the key to progression. It is how we apply all the wonderful things we learn through life to make a difference to our future.

Encourage children to imagine, to play, to create. They are naturally brilliant at it, and it is what they should be doing.

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution" - Albert Einstein