Director’s Chair – Make a Movie – Parents Zone
Introduction to Positive Psychology
Positive Psychology is a fairly new sub-field within the study of Psychology. It is the study of happiness and looks at how adults and children can live a more fulfilling and satisfying life.
Another way to look at is, traditional Psychology is concerned with “fixing things,” while Positive Psychology is geared towards “preventing things.”
For example, when your child is at the edge of a cliff, Positive Psychology encourages you to build a fence to stop your child from falling instead of calling an ambulance to pick up the pieces once they’ve already fallen (traditional psychology).
So how do you build a fence?
Even though there are many ways to build a fence, we explore one principle within “Director’s Chair”: Storytelling and Imagination.
Why is this important?
By practising the principles within Positive Psychology, research shows that kids improve their academic performance and attitude. They also engage in more positive behaviours (and fewer negative ones). We all want that for our children! It also:
- Increases success when it comes to forming friendships; increases ability to manage conflict with peers
- Enables them to manage negative emotions
- Enables them to have better concentration, which means performing better academically
- Prevents health problems
- Creates more stable and satisfying relationships with adults
- Makes them more resilient and optimistic
Storytelling and Imagination
Children are full of imagination, though I think you already know that. The importance of promoting and further developing their imagination cannot be underestimated and should be encouraged when raising children.
Developing your child’s imagination has many positive effects; it encourages independent thinking, self-awareness and empathy as well as increases the desire to learn.
Developing these qualities from a young age helps children grow into creative adolescents and adults. This does not necessarily mean they will become a painter; it simply means they will have the ability to see things in a new way or find solutions to problems others might miss.
There are a variety of creative activities to stimulate your child’s imagination; one great way is through storytelling. Just wait and see when your child’s uses their imagination to create a story. Monsters will fly, princesses will sing, superheros will save the day, things you might not get to normally see and experience if they weren’t creating a story.
Simple Action Steps
The most effective and fun way to play with Director’s Chair:
1. Play together with your child.
This will be a great way to spend time and have that one-on-one connection with your child. Your child will always remember the hours you spent talking both making funny voices and laughing about the stories. Enjoy this parent-child bonding and have a great time.
2. Create a story with your child about any fears they might have.
When your child is scared about something, it is very important to show them compassion and belonging. Through creating a story together, your child can act out the fears more easily and provide you with the opportunity to help them through any fears they might have.
For example, if your child is scared of going to the dentist, you can create a story about how a child/animal goes to the dentist and everything turns out great in the end. Often, children need to see another person overcome the fear before they believe they can overcome it.
3. Teach your child important values
Through storytelling, it offers a perfect way to teach all kinds of values. You can use characters in the story to communicate why certain values are important. For example, if you are concerned your child is being unkind, make up a story that praises kindness and generosity.
4. Learn more about your child
Storytelling is a great way to find out what is going on internally with your child. What story they choose to create and how they choose to tell the story can be indicative of what your child thinks and feels at that time. It could also give you insight if anything is troubling your child through the story your child creates.
5. Have Fun!!
Allow your child to use their imagination and do not judge them for the ideas/stories. Instead explore them together and have a great time doing so.
