ABSTRACT
Our journey through the make-believe worlds of 193 children in Germany, Israel, South Korea, and the United States is coming to an end. Through grounded analyses of their drawings, writings, and interviews, as well as adults’ questionnaires, we have learned an enormous amount about the worlds they dream about and the places they envision for themselves in these worlds. The study revealed that regardless of children’s country of origin, overall, worlds of either harmony and peace for girls, worlds of conflict and threat as well as amusement for boys, are the major contexts for their fantasies. In addition to these, a number of other world types, including worlds of foreign lands, supernatural, travel, sensual pleasure, royalty and technology were identified as typical locations for some children’s make-believe worlds.
