Brainstorming is a great way to help direct your child when ideas aren't flowing for an original homework project or paper. Tell your creative thinker to say the first words that pop into his mind about the issue at hand, say life on Mars. Accept all mind meanderings — no offering is too outrageous. Then ask questions to either expand the ideas or come up with alternatives. "What would your day be like on Mars?" "What would sleeping on Mars be like?" "How would a day in school go?" "What would you wear?" With so many options on the table, your smart thinker takes the ideas that seem workable, incorporates the favorites into his project, and shapes them into his own work.