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Good Inside with Dr. BeckyGood Inside with Dr. Becky

Why Imaginative Play Matters (and Why It’s Okay if It Feels Hard)

In this episode of Good Inside with Dr. Becky, we dive into the magic of imaginative play - why it’s so important for kids, and why it can feel surprisingly challenging for parents to join in. Dr. Becky explores how pretend play nurtures curiosity, problem-solving, and emotional growth, giving children the space to wonder, dream, and practice being in the world. But she also normalizes the truth for many parents: stepping into a child’s world of imagination isn’t always easy, and that doesn’t make you a bad parent. If you’ve ever felt guilty for not loving playtime, this episode will change the way you see both yourself and your child’s incredible capacity for imagination. Get the Good Inside App by Dr. Becky: https://bit.ly/4fSxbzk Your Good Inside membership might be eligible for HSA/FSA reimbursement! To learn more about how to get your membership reimbursed, check out the link here: https://www.goodinside.com/fsa-hsa-eligibility/ Follow Dr. Becky on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drbeckyatgoodinside Sign up for our weekly email, Good Insider: https://www.goodinside.com/newsletter For a full transcript of the episode, go to [goodinside.com/podcast](http://goodinside.com/podcast). This episode is brought to you by the Play-Doh brand. If you’re anything like me, you’re running out of summer activity ideas for your kids…Well, exciting news for parents everywhere: Good Inside just teamed up with the Play-Doh brand to bring you a video series on how to help kids build life-long skills like imagination, confidence, and frustration tolerance - all through open-ended play! The best part: I promise this isn’t another thing to add to your already packed plate as a parent. No hours of prep, no need for picture-perfect setups. All you need is a Play-Doh can or two. We also made a one-page cheat sheet with “5 Strategies for Open-Ended Play” you can literally download and try today. (Full disclosure: I printed the guide out and stuck it on my fridge as a reminder for myself - after all, my kids get “mom” at home, not Dr. Becky!) Head to walmart.com/playdoh to watch the video and download the guide. That’s walmart.com/playdoh. I can’t wait to hear what your kid creates.

Dr. Becky Kennedyhost
Aug 5, 202525mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Imaginative play builds real skills, even when adults struggle.

  1. Imaginative play is a major driver of real-world skills like problem-solving, flexibility, compromise, confidence, and resilience—not just a frivolous pastime.
  2. Kids express imagination differently (rule-based game-making, role play, world-building), so “not imaginative” often means “needs a personalized entry point.”
  3. Modern childhood can crowd out wonder through overscheduling and constant stimulation, reducing the boredom/space where imagination develops.
  4. Parents don’t need to eliminate kids’ “I’m bored” whining; they can validate the feeling, communicate confidence in capability, and hold the boundary so creativity can emerge.
  5. Pretend play themes that sound scary (hurt/aggression) are often normal processing; parents can observe with curiosity and redirect if it becomes repetitive or too intense.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Treat imagination as a skill—and a muscle worth building.

Dr. Becky reframes imaginative play as practice for flexible thinking, creativity, and novel problem-solving that later transfers to school and life more than worksheets do.

Stop sorting kids into “imaginative” vs. “not imaginative.”

Every child has a window into pretend play, but it may look different: inventing rules, creating worlds, or role-playing real jobs can all be imagination.

Boredom isn’t a parenting failure; it’s the doorway to creativity.

When kids have space without instant entertainment, they’re pushed toward inside-out resourcefulness—wondering, inventing, and initiating play.

You can do less and get more independence over time.

Instead of planning constant activities, intentionally lower stimulation (e.g., a screen-free block) and tolerate initial complaints as the adjustment period.

Respond to “I’m bored” with validation + confidence, not solutions.

Say you get it and reflect their capability (“I think you’ll come up with something”)—then pause; your job is not to stop the whining but to support their capacity.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

What if the way that we think about building confidence, capability, problem-solving skills is all wrong?

— Dr. Becky Kennedy

I have a lot of judgment in my head. "This seems like a waste of time. I don't wanna be doing this. I have things to do."

— Dr. Becky Kennedy

That's not a skill you actually learn in a worksheet, or through linearity, or through a pop quiz. That's a skill that's been cultivated in play, and then translates to the real world.

— Dr. Becky Kennedy

That blank space, that kind of carved-out time for wonder, boredom- It's not a problem to solve. It's a portal where imagination and wonder are developed.

— Dr. Becky Kennedy

Your job is not to make the whining stop.

— Dr. Becky Kennedy

Play as the foundation for confidence and problem-solvingDifferent “styles” of imaginative play across kidsBoredom as a portal to wonder and creativityOverscheduling, screens, and outside-in entertainmentResponding to “I’m bored” without fixing itViolent/scary themes in pretend playAdult awkwardness with play and cycle-breaking

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