I’m a lifelong daydreamer – why is it so taboo to admit it?

Children are fundamentally creative beings with their own autonomy – we shouldn’t even be entertaining the idea of restricting their daydreams in classrooms, writes Amy Briscoe

Figuring out the big questions – like who you are and what you would like to explore as an individual in this world – is just as important as maths and science (iStock)

Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast recently explored the link between daydreaming and learning in children, monitoring their brain activity while learning to read. The team discovered that it was impossible to prevent children from daydreaming, arguing that it’s detrimental to their learning in the classroom. As a lifelong daydreamer, I am left wondering: why would you want to stop it in the first place?

School reports deemed that I was “a friendly, quiet member of the class, prone to daydreaming”. I spent hours of my school day zoning out. I was probably wondering what my mum was going to make for tea that night or daydreaming about the next episode of Round the Twist.

In contrast to my childhood, kids of today live in digitally demanding worlds, where they regularly stare into an abyss of devices. That is why it is even more important to let children daydream about the glorious possibilities of life and follow the threads of their own thoughts. Digital devices can feed the daydreaming too. My son often creates videos of himself for fun, playing with his favourite toys, with full-blown narrative and voices added in for dramatic effect.