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Wishful Thinking

When your child explores the concept of wishes, he explores self-awareness.

Learning Benefits

Hover over each Learning Benefit below for a detailed explanation.
Fine Motor Skills

What you need:

  • The Fish Who Could Wish by John Bush
  • Small cardboard box
  • Paint, markers, or crayons
  • Stamps and/or stickers
  • Magazines for clipping


What to do:

  1. Talk about what it means to make a wish. Read a story such as The Fish Who Could Wish, by John Bush, and provide examples of things that children desire, such as a new toy, bicycle, or a special pet. What does your child wish for? Explain that sometimes it's not just about wanting an object, but also about dreams and good outcomes. Wishing inspires hope.
  2. Ask your child to think of something that his heart desires and to write it down on a piece of paper. He can also draw a picture or dictate his words to you.
  3. Create a wish box. Decorate the cardboard box with representations of your child's wish, using paint, markers, crayons, stamps, stickers (puffy ones add texture), and/or photos cut from magazines.
  4. Hunt for special objects and invite your child to pretend they have magical powers. Capture his imagination by creating a story about the object ("Once upon a time, we found a magic rock in our playground ... ").


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