= alm 2 * = re ry 527): F> =) sy s FET) a) mils) Ves = ~ my ~ — Five WaysTo Inspire Your Child’s Creativity Through Imaginative Play (NAPSA)—You don’t have to be a magician to keep the magic of childhood alive in your youngsters. Children view the world as an endless set of possibilities and adventures. They can imagine their life as a prince or pirate and dream of a future with no boundaries. Children should be provided with plenty of time for free, unstructured play and parents should be aware of how carefully selected toys can help stimulate the imagination. An example is a new line of toys from Fisher-Price based on the hit Nick Jr. show “The Backyardigans”,” which focuses on imaginaryplay. Here are five simple tips from Fisher-Price on how to foster your children’s creativity and how toys can be used to spark their own creative play: 1. Create a fantasy dress-up box. Stock it with hats, costumes, capes, shoes, wands, armor and whatever you think your child will love. Remember, even an old sheet can make a magnificent cape for a kid and a cardboard box can becomea treasurechest. 2. Encourage your kids to makepictures of themselves as a grown-up in a job of their choice. Create some extra fun by having your children lie down on a large piece of paper and cut their basic shape out. Then have them color or create their particular workrelated attire. 3. Dancing is always a creative step in the right direction. The Backyardigans Sing Along Music Maker™ encourages kids to move with a singing and dancing adventure. The boom box features 10 different danceable Backyardigans songs from Disco to Salsa to Rock. For interactive play, a microphoneis attached so kids can sing along. 4. On a nice afternoon or evening, plan a Backyardigans inspired “backyard field trip” with make-believe adventures. Kids can even bring along one of their favorite show characters = ‘Se q = y si BACKYARD CAMPING TRIPS are always more fun with gamesthat encourage kids to sing and dancealong. with Fisher-Price’s Sing & Spin Pablo, who can accompany kids on their imaginary adventure and encourage them to sing and dance. When kids squeeze Pablo’s hand, he sings and performs his signature dance moves. 5. Make tub time creative time. Rub-a-dub-dub, you can put a pirate ship in a tub— straight from a popular Backyardigans episode, Pirate Tub Time™ comes with a floatable pirate ship that lets kids recreate high seas adventures. When Janice Burgess, creator of “The Backyardigans,” was asked where theidea for the show came from, she responded: “When I was a kid I spent a lot of time playing in my backyard. It seemed like a world in itself where my friends and I could havereally big adventures. When I started thinking about creating a show, I think I naturally returned to the place that held some of my happiest childhood memories as a setting for the series.” To learn more about the series, visit www.nickjr.com. For additional information on the toys mentionedin this article, please visit www.fisher-price.com.
