Observe the adult and child reading a book about unusual animals or insects in nature.
The adult can relate the content of the book to the child’s other experiences. “What can you tell me about snakes?” or “How do most people feel about snakes?”
The child is now able to think divergently, or of many different options. She can pull information from previous knowledge and experiences to give multiple responses to questions.
Early childhood educators and parents can promote creative thinking by encouraging divergent thinking by asking open-ended questions (i.e., those with multiple possible answers) versus closed questions (i.e., those with one ‘right’ answer).
 North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 2015
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