Looking for more ideas to promote problem-solving skills in your children? Check out these ideas and have some fun!
1. Hands on exploration. Let kids play with real materials and let them explore environments! Gather materials from around the house and let them find out how they work. For example, you could fill a box with refrigerator magnets, paper clips, coins, cotton balls, and paper. Which materials are magnetic? Or try putting a bunch of everyday items in the bathtub. Which ones float? Supervise them, and join in the fun, but don't tell them the answers. Let them find the answers for themselves! 2. Don't solve problems for your children. Wait, be patient, and let them solve problems themselves. Your child can't open a bin of toys? Let them try different ways until they figure it out! We are often quick to intervene, but our kids often don't need us too. 3. Read, read, read. Read books with characters that experience everyday problems. Ask questions. What ideas does your child have about solving the character's problem? 4. Give them a creativity challenge. You could draw a squiggle on a paper, and ask them to draw the rest. You could pick up a stick while walking through the park, and ask them how many different ways they could use it. Is it a sword? A pencil for drawing in the mud? A magic wand? 5. Give them a "fix it box". You can fill a "fix it box" with age-appropriate fixing materials, such as glue, tape, velcro dots, rubber bands, and string. As kids get older, you might add a hot glue gun or some tools. When something is broken, don't rush in to fix it for them. Let them try to fix it on their own! If it really requires an adult, then find ways for them to participate. 6. Play with open-ended toys. Avoid giving children the toys that "do" everything for them, like the fire truck that looks exactly likes a fire truck and makes realistic fire truck noises. Instead, give them toys that can be used many ways, like building blocks, legos, stackable cups, or cardboard boxes. 7. Send them on missions! Play a game where you give them a challenge or "mission", like "go find me something round", "go find something that grows", "go find something red" or "go to the highest point at the playground and wave to me!" Games like "I Spy" can also promote critical thinking, and you can make the clues more difficult as children grow older. For example, you can start out by saying "I spy something red", and later say something like "I spy something that is fluffy and floats in the sky". 8. Keep it real. Children learn skills, including problem-solving skills, through real-life experiences. So get them out in the world! Take them to play in the snow, to explore the park, to participate in grocery shopping, and to discover books at the library!
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Well, it is holiday shopping season once again, and the world seems to send us the message that we should buy lots of things to make our kids happy. But the truth is, things do not make kids happy. Things do not make anyone happy! What really does make children happy is a playful, present parent! Remember that children need our presence, not presents. Presence and play strengthen our relationships with our children, and support social/emotional development. So this year, try to spend more time getting down on the floor and playing, and less time buying and wrapping things. |
AuthorHi, I'm Brie Krentz, and I'm the School Psychologist at HGECC. I care about the social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health of all of our children, and I believe in Conscious Discipline as a way to minimize behavior problems and to help children connect meaningfully with others. Archives
October 2021
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