As a parent, nothing is more fun than witnessing your children developing their imaginations. But did you know the development of your children’s imagination is a key to them understanding reality?

Recently, psychologists have been studying the role of a child’s imagination in his or her development. “The imagination is absolutely vital for contemplating reality, not just those things we take to be mere fantasy,” Paul Harris, a development psychologist and professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education who studies imagination, said in a Sept. 2009 article in the Wall Street Journal.

So how can you foster your child’s imagination? One idea is to create a fantasy land in your own home. You can start by choosing a room to decorate with input from your child.

Start by picking a theme, as this would be a great chance for you and your child to brainstorm and exercise your imaginations. Once you’ve settled on the theme you can start deciding how to decorate the room.

For example, if you decide on a safari theme, hop online to peruse jungle murals, as wall murals can be an inexpensive and fun way to provide a thematic background for your child’s playroom. Decorating specialists like Decor Place offer a variety of adventurous children’s murals to choose from.

Once you have the wall decorations selected, move on to other inexpensive ways you can decorate the rest of the room. Sticking with the safari theme, you could find a bunch of stuffed lions or elephants at a thrift store, or dig out an old tent that your kids could use as a safari camp. Encourage your children to use chairs, old sheets and other items to make a jeep they can use to travel to see the animals.

By encouraging your kids to have fun by pretending, you’ll be able to keep them occupied for hours while also helping them develop their minds.