Strategies & Tips: How To Teach Problem Solving To Kids

Teaching children begins the minute we decide to let our infant locate the pacifier that fell just inches from his fingertips (rather than picking it up ourselves) and continues until the day we say, "No, that college application is your responsibility, do you want to go or not?" Here are five strategies and tips to teach problem-solving abilities to your kids.

Encourage imaginative play

Do you remember wooden blocks? How about making a fort out of scrap materials? Children of all ages learn best when they are engaged in play. Make sure their play is challenging and requires imagination. 

Include a few roadblocks in their learning experience

The difficulty should be manageable, and there should be a viable solution. The better informed they are, the better their decisions will be.

Include a variety of solution options

Make it easier to make decisions. Continue the momentum by ensuring that your children do not habitually avoid making difficult decisions because you provide a non-negotiable default solution.

Make critical thinking a fun part of your culture

Make overcoming obstacles enjoyable by adopting a positive attitude in the same way that your family does business.

Teach them how to solve basic problems

To begin, pinpoint the issue. Separate the problem into manageable parts so that each task does not seem unmanageable