Geri Kunishima, director at Kupono Learning Center, offers parents these easy ideas they can do at home to get their little ones to use their noggins.

"Many parents, myself included, get so busy that we forget that the simplest things that we have to do around the house — like cooking or cleaning — can be a positive learning experience," Kunishima said.

• Cook with your tots. (Watch them carefully!) "Cooking is a wonderful way of engaging children," she said. For example, peel potatoes or oranges together. Talk about peels, textures and nutrition. Discuss how peels can be used for compost, which can lead to a discussion about caring for the planet.

• Designate a box, cabinet or closet for your kids' "treasures." Whatever your children find around the house or elsewhere — wrapping paper, ribbons, fabric swatches, big buttons — let them keep these items for craft projects. This encourages creativity and imagination, as well as the desire to recycle. "The possibilities are endless," Kunishima said.

• Schedule one evening a week for family talk-story time. Turn everything off — the television, cell phones, computer — to talk about anything and everything. "This encourages sharing of ideas, activities and what they've accomplished," Kunishima said. This is also a good opportunity to practice inferential thinking, or thinking out of the box and problem solving, with little ones. Parents can ask open-ended questions, such as: "If that isn't possible, then what would you do?" or "What if this happened?"