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Play is Free. Make Believe is Priceless.

You don’t need much. Playing is not expensive. You need the heart of a child and a mind sparked* with imaginative stories. You need a few sticks to bind together and you have a game. A ball helps. A sword helps. (But a well-selected stick will do fine.)

Play is free. Make believe is priceless.

Scientists, doctors, and other modern authorities are telling us more and more what our best ancestors knew. Play is good for brain development and overall health. We shouldn’t shame kids away from playing so much; we should join them.

My pal Ginny from 1000 Hours Outside is doing a phenomenal job encouraging families to get outside and play. I was on her podcast talking about how boredom & running wild in the woods is connected to great storytelling.

The Found Boys is a thrilling throwback buddy adventure for young readers. Give them a story and let them run with it.

I love hearing from families who share about kids playing in the Green Ember, Found Boys, and Jack Zulu world. And, like the Star Wars of my youth, you can play in that world and not follow the script. You can create your own script. I did that all the time, both in borrowed worlds and invented ones. I’m honored when kids play in mine, but I’m just as excited if they’re creating their own.
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Guess what they’re doing? They are living out a reality that takes shape in their mind. They are making believe. They are acting as if that imagined reality were true.

This is so much like faith. So much like anticipating the right-side-up world of the kingdom of God. This is why I have long argued that Make Believe Makes Believers. I whole-heartedly believe that feeding and forming the imaginative capacity we all have is not just a mostly-harmless distraction from the real important work of memorizing true facts. I am ALL FOR getting Truth buried deep in our souls, but growing our imaginations in defiance of the darkness is an ally in that aim, not an enemy. Just as faithful stories don’t subtract Truth, but instead add Meaning, generous play is an avenue of growing imaginative capacity for good.
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So, let the kids play.

Free & Nearly Free eBooks

You don’t need much. But if you happen to have 99 cents laying around, I have some free and nearly free eBooks for you.

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Let the Kids Play

Let them dream.
Let them imagine and scheme.
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Let them make, and believe.
Let them make believe.
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The play’s the thing.
Imagination isn’t an obstacle. It’s the way.

I’m on your side,

Sam

shop story warren store

P.S. Last week’s new merch was—you guessed it—a Picket Plushie! Lots of you are excited. We are, too. You know the drill: guess the new merch by leaving a comment in the comments below and we’ll pick one winner to send one to once the merch hits the Story Warren Store.

*I was using the word ‘sparked’ in relation to imagination before AI used (& overused) the phrase. Much like the em dash—are you team ‘Em Dash Defender’ or ‘R.I.P. Em Dash’? 😢

S. D. Smith is the author of The Green Ember Series, a bestselling middle-grade adventure saga. When he’s not writing adventurous tales of #RabbitsWithSwords in his writing shed, dubbed The Forge, Smith loves to speak to audiences about storytelling, imagination, and seeing yourself as a character in the Story. S. D. Smith lives in West Virginia with his wife and four kids.

129 Comments

  38. Everyone is saying a Heather stuffy!! It would be great if that is it, but I’m just not sure!! Green Ember rabbit slippers?
    Thank you for your e-mails and books Mr. Smith!
    A Hayward or Eefaw Potter stuffy would be welcome!😁

    Reply

  77. Woops!! just read all the other comments and the one before me is exactly like mine!! sorry!! i didn’t even look at the comments just guessed. Sorry, but i was not trying to copy!!

    Reply

  94. I think I see some toes there… probably a Heather plush, unless it’s a hoodie blanket made to look like Gort, complete with paws. XD (Team Defender of Em-Dashes-when-they-add-to-the-sentence’s-tone forever!)

    Reply

  109. Hello S.D. Smith!
    first, let me introduce myself, I’m Agnes. I am a 13-year-old 8th grader living with my parents and my six siblings on our family farm. I love practicing ballet working on my writing. I am an independent fantasy novelist currently world-building my upcoming book series, Meronda’s Lost King! I love your books so much, your work has been a huge inspiration for mine. I know you hear this so many times, but thank you for your work!

    I’m glad you are on our side,

    -Agnes Soldinie

    p.s.
    I think it is a Heather plushie! or a smalls plushie…but both would be wonderful! I think helmer was my favorite!

    Reply

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