Help your child build a world of their own (on paper)

Sooner or later, many children invent a place. A land where all the dogs can fly. A town under the bed. A planet where it's always somebody's birthday. Psychologists even have a name for very detailed imaginary worlds: paracosms. But you don't need the word to see what's happening. Your child is building something that belongs completely to them.

An imaginary world is a wonderful creative project for 3- to 5-year-olds. It mixes drawing, storytelling, problem-solving and play, and it can keep going for weeks. Here's how to help one grow.

Why a world of their own matters

• Ownership. In their world, your child makes the rules. That's a rare and powerful feeling for someone who usually has to follow everyone else's.
• Stories. A world needs characters, and characters need adventures. Every new drawing becomes another chapter.
• Thinking things through. Where do the dragons sleep? What do the fish eat? Building a world means solving lots of small, imaginative problems.
• Feelings, safely. Imaginary characters can be brave, scared, cross or kind, which gives children a safe way to try out big feelings.

Seven steps to a world on paper

1. Start with one big sheet

Tape a few sheets of paper together, or roll out a long piece of paper on the floor. A big page says "this is a whole place".

2. Decide what kind of place it is

Under the sea? On a cloud? A jungle, a town, a castle, another planet? Let your child choose, even if the answer is "a jungle on a cloud".

3. Draw the landmarks

A house, a tree, a lake, a volcano, a shop. Simple shapes are enough. These are the places where the stories will happen.

4. Invite the first inhabitants

Draw a few characters on separate pieces of paper so they can move around the map. Give each one a name.

5. Make some rules

"In Cloud Land, everyone can fly." "Nobody is allowed to be sad on Tuesdays." "The dragon only eats pancakes." Silly rules are the best kind.

6. Tell its stories

At bedtime or in the car, ask, "What happened in Cloud Land today?" Let your child lead. Now and then, add a small problem ("Oh no, the bridge broke!") and see how they solve it.

7. Keep adding

A new character every few days keeps the world alive. Keep everything in a box or a folder, so the world can come out again and again.

Play it together

Building a world is a lovely thing to do side by side: you draw a road, your child decides who lives at the end of it. Our parent's guide to drawing games to play together has more ideas like this.

When the world comes to life

Mookmik World is built around this same idea. Every friend your child draws on paper moves into a painted world, where your child names it and records its voice, and it walks, swims or flies among the friends they drew before. There are up to fifteen worlds to fill, from the Aquarium to Cloud City, and each one becomes a little more theirs with every drawing. Need ideas for new inhabitants? Try our 30 easy drawing ideas.