To develop your child’s thinking skills, encourage him to:

• Evaluate how he did on a test or homework assignment. Ask, “What did you do well?” “What would you change next time?”

• Practice making decisions. Give him a small amount of money. Ask how he’d spend it and why.

• Explore different ways to solve a problem. Help your child look at the pros and cons of each likely solution. Ask for specific reasons for his choice of a final solution.

• See patterns and reasons. Ask your child what he sees in a spider web, for example. Or ask him to explain his or another’s behavior in a certain situation. What happened first, second, etc.? Why?

• Connect topics that seem very different. If he’s learning about bees in school, ask, “How is a beehive like a town?” “How is it different?”

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