by Harsimar Kang, Contributing Author
What if your pet could talk? What if you woke up one morning and the sky was pink? A child’s favorite start to a question (and maybe a parent’s secret dread) - “What if…” gives way to many hypothetical scenarios. Marvel’s aptly titled “What if…?” is a series that takes us on a journey through endless possibilities, asking what might happen if our favorite superheroes faced different choices or fates. With the relatively new release of Season 3 of the show on Disney+, let’s explore the show and its hidden themes.
My favorite episode of the second season was the second episode: “What if…Peter Quill Attacked Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. For those aware of the characters, the premise of the episode is that the Ravagers take Peter to Ego instead of keeping him for themselves. This leads to a showdown between Peter and the superheroes of Earth from 1988. The show utilizes what we know about character beliefs and behaviors to predict what they might have done in unique scenarios. For example in this episode, they retain the bright personality of Peter and his desire for family.
While these stories are fictional, they show us the power of asking ‘What if?’—a question that can be equally transformative for children. Hypothetical questions help children think outside their usual experiences, which is essential for developing empathy, imagination, and problem-solving skills. It also allows them to explore scenarios safely, preparing them for real-life scenarios without any risk. When kids ask questions like, ‘What if I was the teacher?’ or ‘What if my friend and I switched places?,’ they are practicing empathy by taking new perspectives, which is important for child development.
By exploring alternate outcomes, children learn critical thinking—like weighing the consequences of actions and understanding that different choices can lead to different results. In one 2023 study on children’s hypothetical reasoning, children learned about novel food chains and were asked to consider the effects of removing one species from the others. Combining the results of this study with a prior one, children were found to have higher accuracy about the consequences of species removal when reasoning about direct (proximal) rather than indirect (distal) effects. As the children in the study were primarily 5-7 years old, these results mirror the theories of Piaget’s Cognitive Stages of Development. His work identified four stages of cognitive development, with most children ages 7-11 following into the “Concrete Operational” stage wherein they have improved mental abilities with categorization, math and spatial abilities. However, they are still unable to abstractly reason and consider hypothetical scenarios not limited to a current person, time or situation. Piaget emphasized that children actively work to construct knowledge based on their interactions with the environment.
In order to help this cognitive developmental process, parents can support this type of thinking by asking questions like, ‘What if we planned the weekend together?’ or ‘What if you tried handling this problem differently?’ These prompts can empower kids to problem-solve and reflect on their feelings, which builds resilience. In a way, it’s mental flexibility training, helping kids prepare for unexpected changes in life.
Asking ‘What if?’ is more than a fun mental exercise. It’s a way for children to explore, learn, and grow, making them better equipped to navigate life’s challenges and find confidence in their unique ideas and choices.
References
Nortje, A. (2021, May 3). Piaget’s Stages: 4 Stages of Cognitive Development & Theory. PositivePsychology.Com. https://positivepsychology.com/piaget-stages-theory/
Nyhout, A., Sweatman, H., & Ganea, P. A. (2023). Children’s hypothetical reasoning about complex and dynamic systems. Child Development, 5, 1340–1355. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13931
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