Why Your Child’s Made-Up Stories Are a Really Big Deal
That dragon who runs a bakery and fears flour? Your child just exercised working memory, narrative sequencing, and creative problem-solving. Here’s what the research says.
Your 6-year-old just told you about a dragon who runs a bakery and is terrified of flour. You smiled, nodded, and moved on. But what just happened in their brain?
Quite a lot, actually.
That dragon story — and every invented tale, imaginary game, and “what if” scenario your child constructs — is some of the most sophisticated cognitive work they do all day.
Imagination is a cognitive muscle
When a child invents a story, they’re exercising functions that developmental psychologists consider among the most advanced the human brain performs: working memory, narrative sequencing, counterfactual thinking, and spontaneous problem-solving.
The dragon who fears flour needs a solution. Finding one forces your child to hold multiple constraints in mind simultaneously — the dragon’s character, the problem, the internal logic of the story world, and a resolution that feels earned. That’s executive function in disguise, wrapped in frosting.
“Imagination plays a pivotal role in a child’s cognitive and creative development. Children who have rich imaginative lives at ages 4–7 show stronger academic performance across subjects by age 10.”
— Grounded in Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of child development
Writing it down changes something
There’s a difference between telling a story and writing one. Writing requires a child to slow down, make deliberate choices, and commit — which word goes here, what happens next, does this make sense?
Research on the effects of creative writing practice on cognitive development shows that children who write regularly develop:
A safe space for big feelings
Here’s something parents sometimes overlook: creative writing is one of the safest places for a child to be emotional.
A child who is angry at their younger sibling can write a story about two animals who fight and eventually learn to share a den. The emotion is real; the distance is safe. Research on creative expression confirms that constructing fictional scenarios gives children a secure environment in which to process difficult feelings — reducing anxiety, building emotional vocabulary, and increasing resilience over time.
This is why therapists have used storytelling and narrative play with children for decades. The imagination provides just enough remove to make honesty possible.
The confidence loop
Every story a child finishes — even a four-sentence one about a magical pencil — closes a loop:
I had an idea.
I made something from it.
It exists.
That loop is profoundly confidence-building. When someone reads that story — a parent, a teacher, a grandparent — the loop doubles: My idea was worth reading. Other people found value in something I made.
Over time, this becomes intellectual courage: the willingness to have original thoughts and share them, even when uncertain. In a world that increasingly rewards people who can think creatively and communicate clearly, there is perhaps no more important gift a childhood can give.
What you can do tonight
Read to them. Then ask: “What do you think happens next?” Or: “If you were writing this story, what would you change?”
Don’t evaluate the answers. Don’t correct the grammar. Just listen. You’ll be surprised how much is already there.
And when they say “I want to write my own story” — let them. Even if it’s a dragon who hates flour.
Cuddlepage publishes stories written by children. Help your child write their first story — their name goes on it, and kids around the world can read it.
Start writing →