Problem solving is a skill your child will be learning from a very young age. Through the small things, we’ll motivate our children to do around the home, or by giving your child a number of activities to test their abilities, there are heaps of ways to help your child solve problems.
In this guide from a private school in Surrey, we take a look at some key ways you can help your child grow to be a better problem solver.
Explore a range of different activities
Activities will give you the chance to try out different ways for your child to manage their issues. Try a number of different problem solving activities, like using water play or getting out of the sandpit. Explore ways things can go wrong in the things they love the most, like if a toy breaks by accident or something. They’re more than likely to spill food over themselves at some point, which is another easy way to identify a problem they can try to solve. Show them how you could handle these issues and see what they use to solve their issues.
Try not to intervene as they solve problems
While of course your child will need some hand holding in the beginning, your child will also greatly benefit from them just figuring it out for themselves. Give them a moment to take a breath and analyse what they’ve found in the problem they’ve been presented with. They may find that they can handle the issue in a different way to how you would have handled it, but the main thing is they’re trying and seeing what works for them.
Pausing and waiting to see how your child responds is how they can better learn how to manage issues independently. Only feel the need to jump in if they are showing clear signs of frustration, or they are vocal in asking for support. Even then, you can provide them with gentle nudges in the right direction to help them.
Break down potential solutions into pros and cons
While trying to solve the problem in itself is key, there may be a bunch of solutions your child could use. Work with your child on identifying a number of solutions to an issue and then work with them to find the best solution.
Your child may find that the solution they’re suggesting is the best one, but actually, it may cause more issues later on down the line. Adding bias into decision-making can make it harder for children to make the right choice.
*This is a collaborative post