Teaching Your Child to Be a Better Problem Solver
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Problem solving scenarios will come up all of the time in your child’s day-to-day life. It’s important to give your child the means to handle themselves where they can. While school problems, like solving sums and correcting grammar, are going to vary from issues that happen on the playground or disagreements, we can still prepare our child for these different scenarios.
Here are some top tips to give your child the skills to be a better problem solver.
From toddler age, incorporate tiny problems for them to solve
Solving problems in toys, like using a wooden sorting cube, or brain teaser puzzles, will get your child thinking about how problems presented in front of them can be solved. Give your child a few different toys to test their brain power and give them the confidence to try lots of different methods to fixing a problem. The more fun these games are, the more enticed your child will become.
Ask lots of open questions
Keep the conversation flowing by giving your child the opportunity to answer lots of questions for you. If you see an issue happening in front of them for example, ask them what they think they would have done to resolve the problem. How does your child feel about particular problems happening in front of them? Asking plenty of open questions will give your child a lot more confidence to handle issues in their own unique way.
Make time to show your child how to overcome issues
Not every issue can be solved by your child straight away. They have to learn how to improve their skills each and every day. This often means that your child has to learn to adapt to ways of solving a problem effectively. Show your child what this will mean for them – they can’t solve every problem well the first time, so give them the encouragement to carry on. Showing that you are still proud of your child’s achievements will give them that confidence to look at the problem differently next time.
Solving problems may seem daunting for a child, at first, but it’s important that they become aware of the different issues they will come across in life. It will give your child heaps of confidence, the encouragement to carry on, and also to help your child develop other skills as well. Providing an environment for them to solve different problems will help them with their growth and self-esteem throughout their lives.
