Children love to be alone because alone is where they know themselves, and where they dream." -Roger Rosenblatt, The Man in the Water, 1994

Allowing a child's imagination to blossom is as simple as letting them express themselves through good old-fashioned play. Whether it's learning to problem solve by "selling groceries," demonstrating self-expression while pouring tea for their favorite dolls, or concentrating on sliding down the pole of their firehouse, young minds need frequent opportunities to freely express themselves.

"All children can and should learn how to tap into their own creativity," says Torie Seeger, a senior program specialist at the Early Childhood Education and Training Program of the State University of New York at Albany. "Some of them simply need more opportunities and more guidance than others."

Lilliput Play Homes of Finleyville, PA, is leading the industry in offering distinctive children's play homes. In addition to offering eleven standard models ranging from the spacious Cotton Candy Manor to the rugged Olde Firehouse, Lilliput Play Homes also offers custom play structures. Whether it's a making fantasy structures based on a child's dream or recreating the family's home in miniature, founder and president Stephen K. Chernicky has designed and constructed it. Popular standard models include the Princess Cottage, featuring a loft, skylight, stenciling, and hardwood floors, and the Neighborhood Market, whose checkout counter, shelves, and display case are destined to bring out the creativity in children of all ages.

Creative play provides a rich learning environment where children should be encouraged to think and create on their own. To provide children the best opportunities for creative development, parents should:

• Encourage active playtime. Just like the muscles in their arms and legs, the imagination needs to be exercised.
• Provide lots of safe supplies. Think of storybooks, finger paints, and miniature tea sets as the tools of the trade.
• Let your child make the decisions. This is not the time to teach them about the "grown-up way" of doing things. Let their imaginations soar!
• Have realistic expectations. Don't force your children when or how to be creative. Part of the learning process is in letting them find their own way.
• Participate in creative play. Studies have found that children whose parents participate in creative play with them develop broader vocabularies and more flexible thinking skills, says Judy Lyden, director of the Garden School in Evansville, Indiana.

Children learn to respond, explore, communicate their ideas, and use their imagination when they have sufficient time to explore and research their ideas, states the Curriculum Guidance for The Foundation Stage, published in May, 2000. Whether it is "selling groceries" in their Neighborhood Market, holding a club meeting in their Lil Raskal's Lookout, or merely finger-painting a picture to hang on the refrigerator, it is vital to nurture a child's creativity and innate curiosity by providing the tools necessary for emotional and mental growth.

So the next time your son or daughter invites you into their playhouse to see their latest artistic creation, asks you to help them play dress-up, or wants to sell you some produce, smile and remember what Anatole France said, "The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards."