Tonight with your 5 to 8 year old
The prompt
“If you could only use pillows, what's the best game you could invent with them right now?”
What to listen for
An energetic, silly answer is just pure fun and connection, join in, don't overanalyze it. This is a moment to laugh together more than a moment to decode.
If they invent a very structured game with careful rules, that can show they enjoy having a sense of order even inside pure silliness.
If they're shy about answering, try starting the game yourself and see if they jump in.
What this tells you
How freely they play shows you how much room they feel they have right now to be silly and imaginative without judgment.