While there is no guide to parenting, there are lessons that can prove to be helpful. Problem solving is one of those. It’s a universal skill that allows children to think outside of the box and think of innovative ways to solve problems, irrespective of what they are. This is something that you can train your child to get better at through play and practice. Below is more on this and a list of activities from a private school in London that you can try at home.
Understanding The Prefrontal Cortex
This is the part of the brain which is responsible for the problem-solving skill as well as many others such as decision making, concentration, memory, and cognitive flexibility. While it takes 25 years to fully develop, much of it takes place in the first few years of life (0-3 years of age).
Play Puzzle Games
While it may sound like a strange concept, you can play games to help your child grow this part of their brain. Many like Rubix cubes encourage children to use their imagination and experiment with different options. Others that you can try out are Monopoly, Chess, Cluedo and Pictionary.
Learn New Things
Learning also exercises the brain and forces it to make sense of new information and in essence, problem solve. While they have plenty of opportunity at school, anything else that you can do with your child at home is a plus. It doesn’t necessarily need to be anything educational. It could be on their favourite TV programme or cartoon characters, etc.
Cook Together
Even when you have a recipe to hand, you will often need to “guesstimate” when cooking as you may not have the exact ingredients and tools. This means using your problem-solving skills to come up with effective solutions.