Helping Your Child Become a Great Problem Solver

When it comes to overcoming problems we all need an extra helping hand to show us how to guide us along the way. For children, this is more common as they begin to learn how to face adversity and practice their skills to know what to do in difficult situations.

From this nursery in Leominster, we take a look at steps you can take to help your children learn how to solve problems for themselves.

Recognise your child’s efforts

Your child will be inquisitive and keen to try to work on the problem in their own way. Show them that you can see what they’re doing and how it makes you feel positive about solving other problems. For example, playing Jenga together, you can show how they’ve worked hard to keep the structure upright, but ask them where they’ll be removing blocks from next.

Identify when your child is frustrated

When your child isn’t able to solve a problem they often show anger, or vent frustration at how they can’t work something out for themselves. Catch these moments early so that you can jump in to help your child at a moment’s notice; give them pointers to help them work it out and guide them along the process.

Be patient with your child

It will take your child some time to understand visual cues, interacting with others and navigating through a problem on their own initiative. They’re not going to get it entirely right the first time either. Give them the chance to learn slowly about how to solve different problems in the home first, by playing puzzles and presenting solvable problems during free play time. These small steps will give them plenty of ways to let your child develop patterns and ways to solve more difficult problems over time.