Problem-solving

As children grow up, they are naturally given more room to explore their environment. They are also able to interact with other people on a regular basis. These new freedoms and skills also come with their own set of challenges. They are now beginning to be faced with more and more situations where they must make a decision to solve a problem. The problems are certainly not as difficult as that of an adult’s, but to the child, the problem may be even more perplexing and strenuous. The fact that they are not able to start the zipper on their jacket can be extremely frustrating and could result in an all out tantrum. It is up to parents to help their child learn how to deal with these new challenges.

It would be impossible, of course, to give your child the solutions to every problem they will ever face, and doing so would not allow your child to learn how to deal with the problems themselves. Instead, help your child learn how to approach a problem by trying out different ideas and strategies. Don’t forget that the solution to a problem may simply be to ask an adult for help. Young children who want to be independent may have a difficult time asking an adult, but it is important for them to see that not every task can be completed by one individual and that some people are better at certain things.

The next time your child is getting frustrated, help her to think of how she can solve the problem. Actually using the question, “How can you solve that problem?” may be the only prompt you need to get her thinking about solutions.