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TIPS For Families |
Written by: Janet Hanna The best way to become a problem solver
is to solve problems. Many people think that children younger than
five are not able to solve their own problems, but with the right help
young children can be creative problem solvers. Even babies can solve
their own problem. When a toy is covered by a blanket, before you uncover
it, ask, “Can you find it?” Give the child a chance to figure it out
for herself. Problems are opportunities. If you lost
the fish from the fishing set, challenge the children to come up with something
else to use. Lost a piece from a game? Let the children think up a new way
to play it. Let them try out their ideas even if you think they won’t work.
Help them learn from these mistakes by stepping in when things are no longer
working and see if the children have some new ideas to try. This keeps the
learning process going. Instead of assuming that you need to solve
a problem, think about whether the children can solve the problem instead.
In one program children were pushing each other on their way out the door
to the playground. Instead of making a new “No Pushing” rule, the staff decided
to ask the group what to do. The children had many things to say about the
problem and many ideas about what to do about it. After talking about all
the possible solutions, they voted and decided to have a “No Pushing” rule.
The adults could have imposed this same rule, but something was gained by
having the children work out the problem. Since the rule was their own, they
children were better at remembering and following it. The children also learned
about solving group problems. Children need to come out of the preschool
period confident that they have great ideas. Help them get this feeling of
confidence by giving them time, space, and support to work on their own ideas.
If a child comes to you and says, “I want to make a boat,” ask her what she
needs to make the boat. If you don’t have what she needs, ask here what she
could use instead: “I don’t have plastic. Could you use wood?” Even if
you think the idea is doomed to failure, let her try. She will truly understand
if her boat sinks and she has to puzzle out a new design. If you wish to leave feedback about this
TIPS for Families, click on the TIPS Feedback Form at the bottom of
this page. |
