How to Help Your Child Develop Problem Solving Skills – Problem solving is a transferable skill which your child will need in just about every situation they find themselves in. They are needed to overcome obstacles, even those as small as finding where to store their stationary. It relies on creativity which they will need to think of innovative solutions and explore alternative ways of doing things. There are various ways in which your child can strengthen their problem solving. Here are 5 that were shared with us by a prep school in Surrey.
Develop Problem Solving Skills – Play Games
Games are tactical in nature and train children to think ahead and plan what they’re doing. While they may not have very long to think, this can help them to exercise their creativity and problem solving. There are lots of games out there that can help from the classic board games that we all grew up with to video games.
Develop Problem Solving Skills – Asking for Advice
As the saying goes, a problem shared is a problem halved. There is no shame in asking for help and it’s often the wiser thing to do. It’s not the same as quitting and you should encourage your child to ask questions and make use of the resources around them. We all have something that we can learn from/teach one another.
Develop Problem Solving Skills – Stay Calm
As well as working on the actual skill itself, it’s a good idea to teach children how to stay calm in situations where things don’t go as planned. When issues arise, it can be stressful and overwhelming. Feelings which can be hard to navigate and make it difficult to think clearly. Mindfulness is a way of reducing stress and there are various techniques within the approach which you can introduce to your child such as breathing exercises.
Develop Problem Solving Skills – The Problem-Solving Process
While sometimes your child will need to make quick decisions in the heat of the moment, there’s a structure to problem solving which can help them. The first step is to identify the problem. This can help them to hone in on the real issue and what needs to be done. This will allow them to brainstorm ideas, pick a solution and test it out.
Not every problem they encounter will be the same which is why you will need to work on this skill with your child. I hope that this post was useful, and that the tips help. For more parenting content, feel free to take a look at my other posts.
*Collaborative post