Tonight with your 5 to 8 year old
The prompt
“If you invented one brand new word for our own made-up language, what would it be and what would it mean?”
What to listen for
If the word describes something silly or funny, that playful creativity shows they feel free to be imaginative and a little wild with you without needing to make sense of it.
If the word describes a feeling or something about the family, like a word for "cozy family time," that shows they're using play to express something real about connection.
If they say "I don't know," make up a silly word yourself first and ask them to define it.
What this tells you
This is playful, but the meaning they choose often reflects something true they wanted to express.