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Build your child's problem solving skills by helping him come up with solutions when problems occur.

What You Need:

None

What To Do:


  1. When a problem occurs, encourage your child to pause. During the pause, calmly and lovingly explain what is happening. For example, if her tower of blocks keeps falling over, say “You look unhappy. Is it because the tower keeps falling?”

  2. Listen to your child’s response and then talk quietly with your child about problem solving. You can say, “There are some things that you could do so that it won’t happen. Let’s talk about a couple of them.

  3. Invite your child to consider two options for solving the problem. You can say, “You could build the next tower wider and stronger at the bottom, or you could decide to build something else – maybe a long train. Which of these ideas do you like best?”

  4. Encourage her to think about each option and if she suggests another alternative, allow her to choose what she wants to do. Support her decision, see if it helps solve the problem, and help more if needed.