- 1). Give your child a sorting task. For example, you could give him a group of his action figures and have him sort them into men and women. Or, you could have him sort your groceries while he is sitting in the cart when you are shopping. Do this often with a larger, more complex set of categories to encourage your child to think about the different properties of things.
- 2). Play the picnic game with your child and some of her friends by saying, "I'm going on a picnic, and I'm bringing ... (something that starts with A)." The child to your left says, "She's going on a picnic, and she's bringing (whatever you said), and I'm bringing ... (something that starts with B)." Continue through the circle. This will encourage kids to work on their listening skills, which are a key component of observation.
- 3). Ask your kids to describe things, using as many senses as possible. If your child has a piece of fruit, ask him how it feels, what it looks like, if it makes a sound and what it tastes like. This will encourage him to think about the variety of different ways we interact with the world around us, which will expand his observation skills.
- 4). Have your children look around a room for a few minutes, then leave. When they are gone, make a couple slight changes. Ask them to come back, and ask them what is different. This will help develop their observation skills by encouraging them to compare the current room with their mental picture of the room.
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