Tonight with your 5 to 8 year old
The prompt
“You're opening a pretend restaurant tonight, what's on the menu and what's it called?”
What to listen for
If they invent silly dish names and describe them with total confidence, they're showing you how much fun they have being creative when nobody's grading the idea, which is a great sign they feel free to be a little ridiculous around you.
If they ask you to be a customer or invent a role for you, they want to build the game together, not just perform it, that's them reaching for your attention and company.
If they freeze up, offer a starter: "is there a secret sauce?" Sometimes silly needs a nudge.
What this tells you
How playfully and specifically they build the menu shows how comfortable they feel using their imagination out loud in front of you.