04/09/2026
A child created “a wedding” in the sandtray. The bride and groom were in the center. The fire miniature was placed nearby. Instead of naming it, I simply said, “I wonder what that is…”- an open invitation, not an assumption or conclusion.
The child responded, “It’s a strawberry bush.”
That moment says everything. When we define a child’s creation for them, we unintentionally close possibilities. What could have remained imaginative, flexible, and uniquely theirs becomes fixed through our lens. But when we stay curious instead of certain, we make space for creativity to expand.
Children don’t just express what they see- they express what they know, feel, and imagine. Our role isn’t to interpret for them, but to protect the freedom of their thinking.
