Guidepost in this resilience roadmap: Developing Problem-Solving Skills and Decision Making Skills.
Children are faced with decisions and learning opportunities every day during every stage of life. Our role is to use these incidental learning opportunities and encourage them to solve problems on their own. Incidental learning refers to the unintentional or unplanned learning that occurs through everyday experiences and interactions, rather than through formal instruction. It happens naturally as a result of engaging with the environment, observing others, or encountering unexpected situations. This type of learning often occurs spontaneously and can be a powerful way for individuals to acquire new knowledge and skills.
As parents, we naturally fulfil our roles as providers and protectors for our children. For example, it is much easier and faster to wear shoes for our toddler than to patiently watch them struggle to figure it out on their own. Another example may be when we ask a school teacher to send us the assignments to be done so we can monitor and ensure that it gets done. While our intentions are to protect and help our children, when we solve problems for them, we inadvertently deprive them of the chance to develop problem-solving skills independently.
How can we support our child to develop problem-solving skills and decision making?
- Have Patience and be consistent
Recognize the time when you can spend a few extra minutes or plan extra time allowing your child to solve a problem on their own rather than quickly solving it for them. For example, your toddler is learning how to wear his shoes, get ready to leave the house earlier to give him time to learn to wear his shoes on his own.
- Embrace Failure
As discussed in our previous blog , this is also a factor for developing responsibility in our children. As tough as it is, allowing your child to fail provides an amazing learning opportunity. It also provides the message that it’s ok to make mistakes.
- Praise them for their effort
Focus on the process and celebrate success. There may be more than one solution to a problem or many trial and errors during this process, praise them for their efforts and highlight their success.
- Ask for their help
Involve your child in making decisions or solving problems. It can be remarkable to hear the possibilities they could come up with, while also fostering their self-confidence and nurturing a resilient mindset
- Encourage creativity and play problem-solving games
Encourage open-ended activities such as building blocks, imaginative play and games that encourage creativity and problem solving.
Problem-solving skills are an essential life skill. By strengthening these skills, children not only cultivate independence and self-confidence but also prepare themselves for success across various domains such as academic learning, social relationships and other areas of life.
