They also enjoy “playing detective.” You can take advantage of both of these to help develop thinking skills.

Here are some ideas to try:

• Tell your child you are thinking of a story. Choose one he is very familiar with. Then give him a clue, such as “there are three animals in the story.” Now encourage him to ask you questions until he figures out what the story is. A good question could be, “What kind of animals?” Or, “are the animals bears?”

• Give your child a topic and brainstorm. For example, ask, “What are some things you can do in the snow?” When he gives you an answer, encourage him to act it out. Examples: pretending to build a snowman, pretending to go sledding.

• Make up riddles together. Make them up about something outside, in the house or about your child himself. For example, say, “I am below your eyes and above your mouth. What am I?” Encourage him to guess until he gets the right answer. As a bonus, this activity also helps him learn concepts like above and below.

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