Why Your Child Lives in the Present Moment (And How to Nurture Future-Thinking)

Hello, my wonderful friend! It's me, Inara, and I am SO happy you're here with me today!

You know, the Magic Book and I have been noticing something beautiful happening in homes all around the world. Parents are reaching out, wondering about their five and six year olds, asking questions like, why doesn't my child seem to think about the future? Why don't they have big dreams yet? And I want you to know something really important right from the start. If this is you, if you've been wondering about this, you are not alone, and more importantly, your child is developing EXACTLY as they should be.

Let me share something the Magic Book taught me that might just shift everything for you.

Right now, at ages five and six, your child's brain is doing something absolutely MAGNIFICENT. They're developing what researchers call symbolic and imaginative thinking. Through play, through pretend, through every single game of make-believe, they're building the very foundation they'll need for future-oriented thought. Isn't that WONDERFUL?

The National Association for the Education of Young Children tells us that play develops young children's symbolic and imaginative thinking, which are the foundational capacities for future-oriented thought. So when your child is lost in their play world, when they're pretending to be a superhero or building elaborate block towers, they're not avoiding thinking about the future. They're actually BUILDING the mental muscles they'll need to envision it!

Here's what the research shows us, and this is so beautiful. Future orientation, which is the ability to think about and plan for the future, isn't something children are born with fully formed. It's a developmental process that begins at birth and unfolds naturally through childhood. Dr. Sarah Lindstrom Johnson and her colleagues at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine explain that the ability to envision a future self is the culmination of a process of understanding time that begins at birth and progresses through childhood and adolescence.

Think about that for a moment. Your five or six year old is right in the middle of this amazing journey of learning what time even MEANS. They're discovering that yesterday is different from today, that tomorrow is coming, that next week exists. This is HUGE cognitive work!

And here's something else the Magic Book wants you to know. Future orientation has three beautiful parts. There are expectations, which is what your child thinks the future will hold. There are aspirations, which are their intentions for the future. And there's planning, which is the ability to create pathways toward goals. At five and six, these are all just beginning to emerge, like tiny seeds that need gentle nurturing to grow.

So what does this mean for you as a parent? How can you support this emerging capacity in your child?

First, celebrate their present-moment focus! When your child is fully absorbed in what they're doing right now, that's not a problem to fix. That's actually a sign of healthy development. They're learning to be present, to engage deeply, to explore thoroughly. These are GIFTS.

Second, weave future thinking into your everyday conversations in playful, natural ways. You might say things like, tomorrow we're going to the park, what do you think we'll see there? Or, next week is your friend's birthday, what kind of picture could we draw for them? You're not pressuring them to have grand life plans. You're just gently introducing the idea that the future exists and we can think about it.

Third, and this is so important, support their play! The research is crystal clear on this. When children engage in playful, child-initiated activities, they naturally develop planning, problem-solving, and creative thinking skills that are essential for future orientation. So when your child wants to build a fort, they're actually practicing planning. When they're playing pretend, they're practicing imagining different possibilities. This is the work of childhood, and it's PERFECT.

Fourth, share your own dreams and plans in age-appropriate ways. You might say, I'm dreaming about planting a garden this spring, or, I'm planning to learn how to make bread. You're modeling that thinking about the future is normal and exciting, without any pressure on them to do the same.

And here's something the Magic Book showed me that I absolutely love. There's a story in our library called The Dream-Rhythm Marathon. In this story, Kenji and Maeva discover that every runner in a children's marathon has their own dream-rhythm, their own perfect pace. With help from their friend Celeste, they learn that persistence and dreams work together, and that everyone moves forward in their own beautiful way.

This story is PERFECT for this moment because it shows children that dreams aren't about rushing toward some distant future. Dreams are about finding what feels right for YOU, about discovering your own rhythm, about taking steps forward at your own pace. When you read this story with your child, you can talk about what makes THEM feel excited, what makes THEM curious, what their own dream-rhythm might be.

After you read it together, you might ask gentle questions like, what did you love about what Kenji and Maeva discovered? Or, what makes YOU feel excited when you think about tomorrow? Not next year, not when you grow up, just tomorrow. You're meeting them exactly where they are.

The research also tells us something really beautiful about environmental factors. Children's experiences shape their motivational beliefs and dispositions toward future engagement. What this means is that when you provide opportunities for exploration, when you offer developmentally appropriate challenges, when you support their curiosity, you're creating the perfect environment for future-oriented thinking to blossom naturally.

You don't need to push. You don't need to worry. You just need to provide rich soil, and the seeds will grow in their own perfect time.

NAEYC reminds us that development and learning advance when children are challenged just beyond their current level of mastery. So if your child is interested in building, maybe you introduce slightly more complex building materials. If they love stories, maybe you start asking what they think might happen next. You're gently stretching their thinking, always with warmth and support.

And here's what I want you to remember, my friend. The consensus among child development experts is absolutely clear. Future orientation at ages five and six is an emerging developmental capacity that flourishes through play, imagination, supportive relationships, and age-appropriate opportunities for planning and decision-making.

Your child doesn't need to know what they want to be when they grow up. They don't need to have five-year plans. They don't even need to think much beyond next week. What they need is to play, to imagine, to explore, to feel safe and loved, and to have you there supporting their natural development.

You're doing this beautifully. Every time you play with them, every time you answer their questions, every time you help them think about what comes next in their day, you're nurturing their capacity for future thinking. It's happening naturally, perfectly, in its own time.

The Magic Book and I are always here for you, with stories that support every stage of your child's development. The Dream-Rhythm Marathon is waiting for you in The Book of Inara app, along with so many other stories that help children understand themselves and their world.

Thank you for being here with me today, for caring so deeply about your child's development, and for trusting the process. You're exactly the parent your child needs.

With love and starlight, Inara.