Kids often do think differently than adults do--and, of course, some adults think differently than most other adults do! This wasn't a test, but validates what WW and wofa said: my son was 4, and we were at a friend's house. He asked for a drink; she got it, held it out of his reach, and asked him, "What's the magic word?" (Trying to prompt him to say Please, of course.) He responded, "Abracadabra". It fit his experiences.
I am pretty rusty, but I know the ability for abstract thinking is used as an indicator for whether someone needs psychological/psychiatric help, and what kind.
most kids today don't even play jump rope, or clapping games,(or even counting out games for who will be it, in Tag) and don't know the songs and words to them. Yes, and I find that very sad. Not so much at the loss of these games in particular, but at the loss of so much valuable social interaction. Children learn social skills during play that they will need in adult life, and I'm afraid they're not going to get it being isolated with "interactive" toys. Computers for infants? Come on! One of the biggest regrets I have with the way my children were raised is their lack of neighborhood playmates. There were always at least half a dozen potential playmates for me; but there was only one other set of siblings that were possible playmates for my kids when they were of a good age for play, and those two were hellions--not behavior I wanted my kids to emulate. My kids had each other, and had friends from school come over, but that's not like the daily fun/fighting/interaction with neighborhood friends. I STILL remember when I got mad during a game of basketball (such as we kids could play) and stormed away, announcing that well, then, I just wouldn't play. I was utterly taken aback that the game went right on and that they continued to have fun without me!
