PROBLEM SOLVING

Use daily challenges as opportunities to practice problem solving WITH your children.

Brainstorm with them for possible solutions.

Ask curiosity questions (see previous blog post) to explore the solutions.

When your kids start fighting tell them to figure it out themselves and to come back to you with a possible plan.

Brainstorm a list - of chores, for example, and invite your kids to create a plan.

Take time to teach and train for brainstorming.

Help your kids be good list makers - early on visual lists - you can use a white board.

After brainstorming involving children in eliminating suggestions that are not practical can be a way of teaching respect, and demonstrating how a specific suggestion, for example, might be helpful for another problem or on another day - no idea is wasted!

Kids will hopefully feel more engaged with a solution they have helped to create.