ABSTRACT
Let us begin our search for the highly hypnotizable child with what we know about the imaginative skills of young children. Imaginative skills, rather than a single activity, are likely to involve a spectrum of fantasy and imagination-based behaviors. Singer (1973) helped us understand more about children’s use of daydreaming and fantasy. He noted that children as young as 2 to 5 are capable of fantasy and spend much time in various forms of imaginative play. As children grow and develop, their use of imagination and fantasy increases. We observe this in their daydreaming, their conversations with dolls and action figures, their recreations of superheroes and villains, their drawings, and their love of fantasy and storytelling. Those children who exhibit the most obvious capacity for these skills were described by J.R. Hilgard as being ‘high in imaginative involvement’. Hilgard’s highly imaginative children were likely to be involved in dance or music, to love imaginative play, and to be encouraged in these activities by adults.
