Toys vs. Books at a Kindergarten in Sector 4: Which Better Stimulates Children's Imagination?

A book has the power to trigger more imaginary worlds than an electronic toy. And not because it has more functions, but precisely because it has fewer. This way, children are encouraged to fill in the empty spaces themselves, to create something new from nothing, and to imagine what cannot be seen. This is what makes reading, paradoxically, the deepest and most complex game of the mind, as our team of educators at Sector 4 Kindergarten has also observed.

Recent research leaves no doubt: books stimulate imagination more than toys. The latter, especially sophisticated ones, limit children’s freedom of interpretation, meaning they do not allow them to decide on their own what role a particular toy has, what story to build around it, or how to use it in their own style of play.

But not every book manages to stimulate a child’s imagination, and not under any circumstances. For a book to fulfill its true role, it requires your emotional involvement as a parent. You need to experience the story together with your child, read it using different voices, with intonation and gestures, so that it comes to life and opens the path to fantasy. Only then does the story take shape in your child’s eyes, creating that empty space where their imagination and creativity can naturally grow.

Similarly, not all toys awaken creativity. The simplest toys, those without buttons, sounds, or other specific features, give your child the real opportunity to decide for themselves how to play with them. They can transform them into any character, decorative element, or object and integrate them more easily into their own stories.

You, as a parent, and we, the educators at Sector 4 Kindergarten, know this intuitively, because we observe every day how well children respond when they have space for creativity. And science only confirms what children show us daily: that imagination needs empty space, not a fixed framework.

How much imagination a toy can awaken — this is what we observe every day at Sector 4 Kindergarten.

Children do not enjoy a toy that does everything for them. They need open space to create, interpret, and use their imagination to complete what is missing from a story or a game. Books, especially those without detailed illustrations, require exactly this type of active involvement from your child.

Every description becomes a background that the child colors mentally, and every line of dialogue is spoken with the voice imagined by the child — a voice that can be gentle, funny, or brave, depending on how they perceive the story. American psychology professor Alison Gopnik¹ emphasizes that children develop their thinking more effectively when they are faced with ambiguity. When they do not have an answer readily available, they are encouraged to explore, ask questions, and find their own explanations. It is precisely this effort of interpretation that trains their logical thinking and stimulates creativity.

Gopnik also shows that, unlike adults, children do not immediately look for a solution, but instead explore several possibilities at the same time. In this sense, a story from a book without illustrations becomes an infinitely richer playground than an electronic toy with buttons and special effects. At Iepurașul Bocănilă Kindergarten in Sector 4, when we read to children, we see how stories spontaneously trigger play, exchanges of dialogue, and discussions, all born from the imagination of the little ones themselves.

Books do not compete with toys; they create a different dimension of play.

Reading is not a passive activity at all for preschool children. When your child listens to a story, they do not simply absorb the characters and the plot; they imagine each scene, hear the characters speaking, and invent what has not been explicitly described. It is a quiet yet intense game that takes place in their mind and activates everything the child already carries inside: emotions, memories, and expressions.

In the daily activities at Sector 4 Kindergarten, we see with our own eyes how this narrative play helps children develop their vocabulary, express their ideas more clearly, and become more empathetic. Imagination is not just play; it is a highly effective learning tool.

According to a report by the National Literacy Trust², reading simultaneously activates brain regions associated with language, imagination, empathy, and emotional regulation. Unlike mechanical games, which stimulate specific responses, reading produces an integrated activation of the brain.

Research also shows that this multiple activation supports the development of neural connections, especially at an early age, when brain plasticity is at its highest. Therefore, books do not only stimulate imagination; they also train it as a complex cognitive skill.

Simple toys stimulate imagination more than sophisticated ones.

A wooden block can become a rocket, a car, a phone, or anything your child imagines. In contrast, an electronic toy with lights, sounds, and buttons with special functions guides them every step of the way. A sophisticated toy no longer allows them to invent, but only to use the functions programmed by the manufacturer. Play is no longer creation, but execution.

British psychologist and education researcher David Whitebread³ argues that non-directive toys, those that do not impose a specific function, encourage children to create their own rules. This type of free play supports the development of social skills, creative thinking, and cognitive flexibility.

Whitebread also shows that unstructured play gives children the opportunity to test ideas, try solutions to problems, and explore different roles without fear of making mistakes. The less clearly defined an object’s function is, the more room it gives your child to reinvent it, assign their own meanings to it, and use it creatively. It is no wonder that many of our play sessions at Sector 4 Kindergarten are built around simple objects, precisely to stimulate children’s free imagination.

In kindergarten, a book becomes a toy only when it is read using different voices and gestures.

As our experience working with children at Sector 4 Kindergartenshows, a book and a story can simultaneously become puppets, theatre stages, and opportunities for dialogue. The subject itself is not what matters, but the way our educators bring it to life.

Education researcher Vivian Paley⁴ demonstrated that interactive storytelling — meaning that you, as the parent, act out the story and involve your child as well — transforms reading into a demonstration of collaboration. Interactive reading not only intensifies imagination but also stimulates feelings of belonging and trust. Few parents realize how much stories can influence children’s emotional and mental development — we wrote about this in the article “3 Surprising Benefits of Stories for Children.”.

Paley shows that when your children are invited to continue the story, adapt it, or retell it, the book becomes an extension of their own voice. In this way, there is no longer a separation between play and learning, but only complete participation.

Ultimately, imagination cannot be developed on command. Children need the freedom to create their own meanings. That is why a book without illustrations is often more effective and useful than a toy with lights and buttons.

And at Iepurașul Bocănilă Kindergarten in Sector 4, when we read books using different voices, interpretation, and theatrical movement, stories become the most entertaining toys. Because it is not only about what you read, but also about how you transform reading into a ritual and a moment of connection.

¹ Gopnik, A. (2009). The Philosophical Baby: What Children’s Minds Tell Us About Truth, Love, and the Meaning of Life. Picador.
² Clark, C. (2016). The Impact of Reading for Pleasure and the Role of Libraries in Children’s Lives. National Literacy Trust.
³ Whitebread, D. (2012). The Importance of Play: A Report on the Value of Children’s Play with a Series of Policy Recommendations. University of Cambridge.
⁴ Paley, V. G. (1990). The Boy Who Would Be a Helicopter: The Uses of Storytelling in the Classroom. Harvard University Press.