Problem-solving is one of the most important skills we can help our children develop.  It is crucial to help them trust in their ability to solve problems. 

Today during one of our Facetime visits, I watched my two-year-old grandson work on puzzles.  The first puzzle was a double-layer wooden puzzle.  When he completed it, he did a  victory dance around the family room in sheer joy.  Then he moved on to a more challenging three-layered puzzle.  As he finished the first layer and started the second, his voice became tense, and he was beginning to get frustrated.  He then took a lap around the family room to distance himself and regroup. I later found out he completed the puzzle several times that day. Under the watchful eye of loving adults, he was able to fail forward until he figued it out and taught himself that the process would get a little bit easier each time.

One of the best ways to learn problem-solving is by playing, and playing outside helps children develop better problem-solving skills and the ability to work within a group.

We often give children answers to memorize rather than problems to solve.  

Try teaching your children to listen to their bodies, be inner-directed, trust their process, and utilize their creative imagination by letting them experience meaningful and organic problem-solving opportunities they encounter throughout their day. 

Show them how to admit/verbalize/ the problem and how to proceed. Reassure your child that you believe in them and their ability to do hard things. When they realize they can tackle little challenges, they will confidently take on big ones. Some things in life will be challenging, but that is ok.

Be an example of what is possible by the way you problem-solve. Let them see how gracefully (or not) you persevere and learn through failure.  Let them see so that they can also realize that frustration, sadness, or fear are natural feelings and can’t hurt them when facing challenges.

Then partner up with them and take on an age-appropriate challenge together. Wonder, nurture their curiosity, research, and explore the examples that exist all around us of how nature solves its problems, and how it is impossible for a problem to exist without a solution. Be careful not to push, offer a shoulder for an emotional outburst, trust, play, and have fun.