Have children lost the ability to play imaginitively?

They are certainly born with this ability and seem to retain it for a few years, but once they get to about 5 they seem to need to be entertained in some way. I am at a loss as to how to counter this when they come to me as they whatever I do, they try and negotiate for TV or computer time and cannot settle to anything until they know when this is going to be allowed.

I used to poke my children out of the door and leave them to create their own worlds/chaos. They certainly enjoyed themselves!

My DGD (age 2) was heard to try to tell her Lego rocket to drink her ice cream (Lego cube) and that it was a good girl.!
Later her hand became a rocket! Zoom----------

Oh , go on Frank , splash the cash & buy a picnic basket and flasks they will go a real treat with the sand wages .

You know you can afford it , give the money to them now , rather than later, You will feel a whole lot better .

Mishap

The world is very different now to when my daughters grew up and myself.
Yes I felt it was good to take my granddaughters on a simple picnic a while ago along with the 3 dogs.
Even that was different from years ago when my grandmother had a flask and a picnic basket.
We made some salad and some sand wages and put them in an ice bag and put some cakes in a carrier bag.
I also got a few bits like crisps and small pork pies.
I don't feel like paying for a picnic basket or some flasks as I don't think they will be used enough to justify the expenditure as myself and the other grandparents usually take the family for a meal when we go out for the day and we buy a tea or coffee.
I think we have more money than what our grandparents had.
My granddaughters love playing with the dogs.

Frank

Mine play, and play and play, making up games that evolve into complex stories. But they also welcome down time with Tv and computers, and books. It's all a question of balance, enough freedom to rush round creating their own worlds, and enough security to stop and be absorbed into worlds other than the ones they have been creating.

(And, with DGD3, to turn cartwheels whatever you are doing!)