Helping Children Find Magic in the Mundane

Children can instinctively see the extraordinary in the world around them. They live in a world that enriches all of their senses and stirs their spirits on a continuous basis. What we adults may see as mundane and ordinary are breathtaking in the eyes of a child. Many of us spend hours trying to find that place where we feel fully alive, aware, and spiritual on all levels. But that kind of magic exists right now inside every child. By sharing that extraordinary view with your child you can both find what was lost from your own spirit and strengthen your child's spirituality so that it can last a life time.

As adults we are often too wrapped up in the material world we live in. Expensive toys in a rainbow of plastic colors, fast paced movies, and realistic video games become the things that we spend our time and money on to give to our children. These things not only rob children of their natural imagination and creativity they also dull a child's enthusiasm and leave them always expecting more and more. We fail to realize that what children really need is for us to keep things simple and light. Children have a natural ability to find enchantment in the little things around them, creating their own joy and magic to grow from. When we overwhelm them with the bright lights, loud noises, and fast images of our modern indulgences we are shortchanging them and ourselves.

Rather than the items that we buy for our children it is actually the every day, ordinary events that leave the most powerful memories with our children. These day to day moments are what builds your child's foundation, becoming a personal history that stays with them for the rest of their lives. It is the smells of book baking in the kitchen, a certain song sung while you clean, a family meal, or nightly story. It is in those moments that children find the most comfort and joy. Take the time to delve into these ordinary moments with your children. Watch the leaves falling from the trees, kneel down and look into the bubbles in the bathtub, or curl up near a window and listen to the rain falling. What main seem like nothing special to you is deeply wrapped up in magic and fantasy to a child.