How to Boost Problem-Solving Skills from a Very Early Age
Problem-solving skills are one of the critical cognitive abilities that help us manage day-to-day life. We encounter various problems each day at home, school, or work, but our problem-solving skills allow us to solve these problems, make healthy decisions, and move on.
A child who can solve problems independently will have greater confidence and self-esteem; good problem-solvers will be resilient to stress and less likely to feel frustrated and disappointed when they experience difficulties.
Problems will be an inevitable part of your child’s life. This is why it is essential to begin teaching children problem-solving skills from a very early age. So, rather than avoiding challenges or ignoring obstacles, help your child develop practical problem-solving skills that will foster critical thinking, creativity, perseverance, and resilience.
How to Teach Problem-Solving Skills
Young children are natural problem solvers. They learn and develop through hands-on experiences by playing and exploring the world around them. To help your child develop the ability to think logically and problem-solve, provide many opportunities for exploration.
- Allow a Lot of Independent Play
From an early age, the free play makes an essential aspect of a child’s development. The unstructured play represents a safe environment for children to explore their environment, allowing them to gain knowledge, search for and provide information, communicate ideas, develop vocabulary, solve problems, and much more.
Independent play supports brain development, as it helps develop new neural connections in the brain, enhancing the brain’s flexibility and plasticity. It encourages children to use their senses, make connections, understand the cause and effect, and learn to think outside the box.
Through independent play, young children learn how to interact with others, manage their feelings, and resolve conflicts. It boosts interests and curiosity and helps kids develop emotional control and empathy.
- Provide Opportunities for Manipulative Play
The best way to teach your child problem-solving skills is to allow them to use their hands and feet to manipulate and explore everyday objects.
Hands-on experiences with manipulative toys (construction sets, building blocks, shape sorters, pretend-play toys, etc.), household items, and art and craft supplies allow kids to take objects apart, examine their parts, and put them back together. Exploring familiar and less familiar objects will enable children to understand how things work and practice their problem-solving skills and logical thinking.
Going for nature walks, playing in the park, engaging with sand and water at the beach, or doing age-appropriate household chores are valuable experiences that promote curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
- Encourage Multisensory Learning
Multisensory activities engage two or more child’s senses within the same activity, strengthening connections in the brain’s pathway and improving its plasticity and flexibility.
Sensory activities develop memory and improve your child’s problem-solving skills, allowing them to make discoveries and think logically. Multisensory learning also boosts creativity, helping children think originally and develop solutions to more complex problems.
Take care and keep healthy and positive,
MyFirstApp Team