Keep your children dreaming

With technology facing us at every turn and our children being online almost all of the time it can be easy to want our children to grow up fast. But does this mean that we're making them lose their sense of adventure? By keeping our children firmly on the ground are we inspiring a generation of realists and forgetting about the dreamers? 



All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.

Pablo Picasso



It is so easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day mundane-ness of life that we forget how to dream. We get on with life like hamsters in a wheel, never wondering what is waiting outside the wheel. But what if we allowed our children to keep dreaming? What if we inspired, encouraged, and helped our children to reach for the stars?

When BP was two years old he got an obsession with dinosaurs. He had small toy figures, books, movies, anything you can think of had a dinosaur on it. He used to line them up on his table and make them roar at one another. As a new mum I thought it was a phase that he would soon grow out of but I enjoyed listening (for the most part) to his little roars and games as he played with his favourite toys.

It turns out that BP's obsession with dinosaurs never really went away. While he's not surrounded by dinosaurs anymore there is still that hint of undying love for the creatures. He has fact books that he reads and can still name any dinosaur he sees on the TV, so much so that he was arguing with his dad recently about whether a dinosaur was a T-Rex or a Carnotaurus. Turns out BP was right!

A year or so ago we decorated BP's bedroom and thinking that he was growing up we didn't want to put anything on his walls that he might want to change in a year. We painted, blue red, and white, and left his walls blank. I figured he would fill them with posters or something as he got older.

Then someone from Pixers got in touch and asked if I would like to review a canvas. After searching through their site and asking BP which he preferred the dinosaurs made another appearance. We selected this awesome canvas.


dinosaur canvas


It is large (150cm x 100cm) but is just perfect for his wall. When I was ordering this canvas (which costs £165) I wasn't sure how well the picture would come out but it looks great and makes a good feature for the wall in BP's bedroom. 

The love BP has for dinosaurs will never go away and to be honest I don't want it to. It allows him to think back to when he was young and remember the fun times he had playing with those toys. It lets him relax and think about simpler times and in those times he will be inspired. I've spoken before about how BP is a budding writer and dinosaurs have featured in some of his best short stories. I hope they continue to inspire him well into adulthood.

While I was searching through the canvas availability on Pixers' website I also came across their wall murals. Unfortunately we don't have walls that would be good for a mural, but if we did they certainly have a large enough selection that I'd be sure to find something I loved. There's floating hot air balloons surrounded by beautiful sunlit clouds, a boat on a canal in the middle of a city at sunset, and a pier looking out onto a peaceful lake at sunrise. I love them all and if I had walls for them would certainly buy something. 

I love looking at beautiful sunrises and sunsets, it relaxes me and I can dream of being by the sea. Sometimes a picture inspires me to write, whether that's a short piece of flash fiction or an entire story depends on the picture and my mood but it's a great way to be inspired. 



We all have a dinosaur deep within us just trying to get out.

Colin Mochrie



There are all sorts of children's products that can inspire, your children may have an obsession with a toy or TV character that will pass, or the obsession may die away but their love of that character or toy will remain. Allowing them to keep the thing in their lives, even if only a little, lets them know you don't mind them dreaming. They can be young again, they can take time out and dream up ridiculous and incredible stories, they can reach for the stars.



How do you encourage your children to dream?

I was sent the dinosaur canvas free of charge for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own.