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Some of our favorite problem solving activities!

Problem solving is an essential skill that children actively use throughout their day. Problem solving skills includes things such as:

Creativity
Analytical thinking
Decision-making skills
Initiative
Logical reasoning
Persistence
negotiating skills

You can help your child exercise these skills by providing them with various activities that present a problem or issue they need to solve. Here are some great problem solving activities for infants, toddlers and preschoolers that require little to no planning.

Infants

Infants explore the world around them by using their 5 senses. They learn through feeling textures, mouthing objects, listening to music and voices as well as noticing colourful things around them. Here are some activities that can encourage your little one to explore and use their problem solving skills.

1. Ball in a container!

Place a small ball inside a container with a lid and show your little one how to open the lid and take the ball out. Once you have shown them how to get the ball out, let them give it a go.

Try and refrain from doing it for them as this doesn't allow your child to problem solve, instead if they are struggling try to use verbal encouragement to help them feel capable of the task.

2. Stacking blocks!

Stacking blocks can be a great problem solving activity for those older infants that are closer to one. It may seem like a simple task to us but to your little one it can be hard to try and place the blocks in the right spot so they don't fall. This makes it a great activity to teach problem solving.

3. Playing peek-a-boo with different toys!

Playing peek-a-boo with your little one's favorite toy can be a great way to teach them cause and effect as well as problem solving skills. Allowing your child the opportunity to try and find their toy without assistance can also bring a great sense of pride in them as they learn that they are capable of finding the toy on their own.

Toddlers

Toddlers are curious by nature. They love to explore the world around them through trial and error. They are consistently trying out ideas they have in their head and putting them to the test! Here are some activities that encourage toddlers to exercise their problem solving skills.

1. Puzzles!

Puzzles are a perfect way to encourage your toddler to use their problem solving skills. Not only does it help their fine motor skills as they try to turn and fit the pieces together, but it also allows them to use critical thinking to try and figure out how to put the pieces in the right spot. The best part is the setting up and cleaning up is easy!

2. Sorting toys by colour!

Toddlers love sorting items into categories, specially colours! Sorting toys into colours is a great way to teach your little one problem solving skills. It is also a great way for them to learn the names of colours as they create a link between the name of a colour and what that colour actually looks like.

3. Building with Lego or blocks

Any type of building your little one does requires cognitive thinking as they need to think about what to build and how to fit the pieces together. This brings on a great opportunity to problem solve.

Preschoolers

There are many ways to teach preschoolers how to problem solve but the best and easiest way is through free play. During free play children will have countless opportunities to practice their problem solving skills. This can be as simple as reaching a ball that is stuck in a tree or as complex as making up rules for a new game. In saying that, educators and parents can also provide guided opportunities for children to practice their problem solving skills. Here are 3 of our favourites!

1. Racetrack Building!

Just like toddlers, preschoolers are presented with a great opportunity to use their problem solving skills when they do any type of building. We love racetrack building because it presents children with an open ended activity that helps them use their imagination and creativity to come up with a fun racetrack.

2. Memory games!

All you need are some cards that double up. Turn the cards over and take turns guessing where the pairs are. While playing the game encourage your child to remember where the pairs are. Memory games are a fun way to work on your child's memory skills and attention to detail.

3. Spot the difference!

Just like memory games, spot the difference activity sheets are a great way to teach your child to pay attention to detail. These type of activities are also great for teaching children how to identify a problem. This is the first step when it comes to problem solving.

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