Kids love to solve problems.
Whether it’s sorting through a jumble of toys, figuring out the answer to a difficult question, or popping the top off a bottle of milk, they love to find solutions. It’s natural for them to want to learn as much as possible about the world and their place in it. These skills will be indispensable in their professional and personal lives.
But how can you improve your child’s problem-solving skills? Here are some subtle ways.
Start Playing Games Early
Kids love puzzles, especially logic problems. They have an innate desire to solve problems and seek out strategies that will lead to an answer. But if you don’t play games with your child, your child may lose motivation to learn. The previous tip is particularly significant.
Playing games with your kid is a way of unconsciously teaching him how to problem-solve can be extremely beneficial. As such, it helps in increasing his skills and improving upon them over time. So, make sure to introduce a fun game that involves patterns, colors, and shapes as soon as possible. You might also want to buy a collection of riddles with answers to enhance your child’s brain.
Provide Frequent Praise for Correct Answers
What’s the highest compliment you can give a child? The answer is praise! Praise comes in so many forms. But not all praise is good praise; the kind of praise that makes kids feel proud of themselves is good praise.
Praise your child for something they did that has the potential to make them happy because that will lead to a favorable change in behavior. If your child does something they think is wrong, praise them for trying their best. Let them know that you are impressed with their efforts and what they have done up until this point.
Be a Good Example to Your Children
Take the time to consistently tell your child how much you admire what they do every day. Showing positivity about the things that your kid does makes it easier for them to do them more often in the right way without feeling a sense of pressure or nervousness that goes against nature.
If they see you doing something, even if it’s petty, they believe there’s a benefit to it and learns from you. This doesn’t mean you should go overboard and act like a phony. Just be yourself when praising your kid, and don’t overdo it with phony praise.
Teach Your Child on Being Less Judgmental
Most of us have had experiences where we judged some people for their appearance, behavior, clothing, or something else because we didn’t think they deserved the honor.
Children are no different from adults in this regard. Sometimes you may not realize children judge others based on their appearance. It’s natural for children to judge people who appear different from them; it’s a survival mechanism passed down from their parents. Parents should enlighten their children on these life skills.
However, when it comes to being genuinely kind, which is what praise is all about anyway, you can help your child build an understanding of those around you. We all need to feel at ease in society, and the more we teach our kids to be open-minded and less judgmental, the better off we’ll be as a whole.
Conclusion
When it comes to praise for children, parents are often good at telling their kids what to do or telling them how great they are, rather than giving them a chance to succeed or learn from their mistakes.
Therefore, the most effective way to encourage your child’s problem-solving skills is by giving your child feedback once they’ve completed the task themselves. Do this consistently and make sure your child knows the key to success is learning from their mistakes and not just trying one more time.
