Children have their own sets of problems and it is important for parents to teach their children how to solve their own problems. Learning how to handle complex problems during childhood helps children successfully tackle professional pressures and personal challenges as adults. Thus, the problem-solving skills that children learn early on stays with them throughout their lives.

Problem-solving training must begin in early childhood. Your toddler or preschooler can learn problem-solving through games such as arranging or classifying objects, puzzles and memory games. An article in verywell.com says, “Once kids identify the problem, teach them to develop several possible solutions before springing into action. Try to brainstorm at least four possible ways to solve the problem.” If your teen approaches you with a problem, ask her to offer a solution for it. Only after she has offered some answers should you suggest your own ideas. When watching television, you can ask your child to offer a different conclusion to a show or provide their viewpoint on a news story. These exercises will help your child practice her problem-solving prowess.

The best way to hone your child’s problem-solving skills is to guide her towards the solution. According to an article on noodle.com, “Read cues, and as you see frustration build, learn to step in before it really escalates. Some frustration is okay — if you never had any problems, you wouldn’t learn how to solve them! But escalated frustration can lead to aggression, tantrums, or poor self-esteem, making a child a less independent problem-solver in the future.”

You can learn more about this topic by referring to the resources in this ClipBook.