Tonight with your 5 to 8 year old

The prompt

“What's a fair way to decide who goes first, that you think everybody, even the person who has to wait, would actually agree is fair?”

What to listen for

If they land on something like taking turns by day, rock-paper-scissors, or age order, they're showing they can think past their own wants to a rule that works for everyone, a sign they feel secure enough to not need to always win.

If every idea somehow ends with them going first, that's normal too, gently ask "would that feel fair if you were the other person?" to help them practice seeing it from both sides without making them feel scolded.

If they say "I don't know," bring up a real recent moment, like who picks the show, to make it less abstract.

What this tells you

This shows how developed their sense of fairness is and whether they feel secure enough to sometimes not go first.