Simple Activities to Teach Kids Problem-Solving

When planning things to do for our little ones, we try to pack as much value possible into those activities. Whether your little ones enjoy outdoor playing, arts and crafts, or imaginative storytelling, baking some problem-solving challenges into their daily activities promotes positive mental development within your young ones.

Why are kids’ problem-solving skills important?

Along with adding a layer of competitive challenge to their activities, problem-solving skills can benefit your little ones by:

• Encouraging independence in thought
• Promoting effective decision-making
• Preparing them for the challenges of daily life
• Strengthening complementary skills like critical thinking and teamwork

Some simple activities you can do with your kids to teach them about problem-solving:

Puzzles

Puzzles are so much that even adults enjoy working on them. Puzzles often feature various scenes and characters that your little ones love, making them even more enthused about seeing the final image of the puzzle. Most puzzles come conveniently labelled with age levels front and centre. Your kids will love figuring out shapes and colours while trying to make sense of the overall picture. As a bonus, solving puzzles also helps with improving motor skills.

Scavenger Hunts

This is the perfect kids’ problem-solving activity for those beautiful sunny days. You could create a scavenger hunt with everyday household items or purchase new items if that’s what you feel like doing. Put together fun riddles or pose logical questions to your kids to guide your kids through the scavenger hunt, challenging their ability to think outside the box and come up with the answers.

Mazes

Whether it’s on paper, in a cornfield, or in a garden, mazes are fun to figure out for kids and adults alike. You can find mazes in kids’ colouring books, but you can also print them off the internet. Your kids will have fun testing their sense of direction while trying to get to the end of the maze. Bonus: if you’ve got a group of kids, stir up some competition by timing maze completions.

Scenarios

Write up some real-life problem-solving scenarios on small pieces of paper and put them in a jar or a hat. Have your little ones work through these hypothetical scenarios to test their practical problem-solving skills. This activity is perfect for preparing your little ones for daycare, school, and social situations. You could make up your own scenarios, or you can find problem-solving scenarios for kids online.

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Kinder Buddies Oakville Child Care is a Quality First Daycare and Infant Care facility in Oakville, Ontario. We take care of children from the age of 6 weeks to 5 1/2 providing nutritious meals and fun activities all day long.