PROBLEM SOLVING
Putting What You Know and
What You Can Do Into Action
Thinking and Choosing - Younger
*Thinking
*Generating Choices for Decision Making
Children can use practice making small decisions
before they have to make large ones. You need thinking
minds.
Ask your child to pretend the following things are
happening:
*You can't find your key and no one is home.
*You get lost on your way to a friend's house.
*You are teased on your way from school.
Ask children to think of as many ways to solve these
problems as they can. Don't reject any ideas, even
if they sound far-fetched.
After children have mulled over three or four different
solutions, let them pick one way that seems best.
For more ideas, try out these scenarios with your
children:
*Mother calls you to go on an errand to the neighbor's
house next door. But before you start out, a friend
comes by and says, "Let's play." What do
you do?
*You're in a terrible hurry to get to a costume party,
and just as you're putting on that special costume,
it rips. What do you do??
Let even young children decide how to arrange their
own room or at least part of it, and include your
child in the choosing of the decor and furnishings.
Ask for children's ideas to remedy a problem they
cause (not necessarily at the time when you're upset
about the mess). Examples: Mud on the floor, coats
not hung up, milk left out. This way, instead of having
a solution imposed on them, children have a hand in
making it. - and, we hope, a stake in seeing the solution
work.
Decisions Aren't Easy - Older
*Thinking
*Judging Decisions and Consequences
As kids grow older, they need to be aware of the
many decisions they make everyday ... about clothes,
friends, jobs. You need thinking minds.
Talk with your child about some important decisions
you have made in the past. Examples: Buying a car,
changing jobs, getting married. Tell about the things
you considered before making these decisions. Were
you happy with your decisions? Would you make the
same ones again?
Making decisions usually involves looking at the
pros (the pluses) and the cons (the minuses) of a
situation. Together consider the pros and cons of
skipping school, eating a lot, spending money. What
is gained? What is lost?
Whenever possible, try to let your children bear
the consequences of their own decision making - good
or bad! Talk about what could be done next time.
Encourage children to become planners: What would
they do if they were teachers? Fathers? Mothers? Exchanging
roles gives them a glimmer of teachers' and parents'
points of view.
Ask for children's advice in choosing the best place
for a vacation. Discuss the reasons for their choice
and the factors that determine the ultimate decision,
such as time and money. Children need to face these
realities of life. Providing this practice will help.
