Babies and young children have extraordinary abilities to learn about the world and imagine new possibilities. Their minds are specially suited for acquiring knowledge and exploring alternate realities through play. Even infants know a great deal about objects, people, and how things work. Toddlers spend much of their time in pretend worlds, acting out roles and experimenting with ideas. This constant learning and imagination allow children to envision and create new ways of being.

Children's brains are highly interconnected, with more neural pathways available than adult brains. As we grow older, rarely used connections get pruned while well-trodden paths are strengthened. Young brains are also extremely malleable, changing readily in response to experiences. The prefrontal cortex, critical for executive functions like planning and self-control, is the last area to mature. Its continued plasticity during childhood aids the absorption of information and generation of ideas.

Play is the visible embodiment of children's learning and creativity. Through play, kids try out novel concepts and roles, unconstrained by external goals. This "useless" activity hones capacities that will later enable innovation and change. Even imaginary friends reflect children's talent for conjuring up and inhabiting pretend realities.