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| Problem solving activities for preschoolers |
Problem solving: is using common or special methods to find solutions for daily problems, and to know how to build problem solving skills we must start from the beginning and know how to develop problem solving skills in children first, which will require special care and a lot of problem solving activities for preschool children.
The first answer for the question how to develop problem solving skills in children, is by providing them many opportunities to solve their daily problems. Especially those that are meaningful to them and face it frequently in their life. We can also provide them many opportunities for their investigating and exploring, such as magnets, found objects, and appliances that become unusable. We can rotate our materials to turn them into new and encouraging their thinking.
How to build problem solving skills in our preschoolers mainly depend on encouraging them use objects in various and several ways. For example, we can use Strings of beads from some old necklaces or Bracelets, to decorate other toys or make it like hair for a doll, or even a measurement instrument. At the same time, we must listen to their suggestions and encourage them. We must stimulate their thoughts by asking questions like: "What can we do with this ...?" "How many ways can we deal with that...?" we have to let them find their own solutions. And don't force them to solve things in our ways, or even to solve their problems ourselves. By this way of dealing with our children, their whole life will turn into problem solving activities for preschoolers, and this is the first step of how to build problem solving skills in them and how to develop problem solving skills in children in general.
Before we list some problem solving activities for preschoolers it is very important to mention that reading has the biggest importance of how to develop problem solving skills in children. Because Reading stories of super heroes who can always find their way to solve problems, even if they were different, this will encourage them to try and discover their own ways to solve problems. Trying to be like their heroes, children will show us how to build problem solving skills.
Some problem solving activities for preschoolers
Problem solving activities for preschoolers:
can be either:
1- Finding the Hidden picture: preschoolers love this game, which increases their problem-solving skills. There are many types of hidden picture books, but we don't have to buy them, we can make them out of the preschoolers drawings, that will be even more fun. Cutting parts of their drawings (or even of any other pictures) and put the parts aside to find which part they match with. This will be fun and they will try to make it themselves to play in groups and challenge each others.
2- Classifying and grouping games: are considered of the best problem solving activities for preschoolers. Mixing many kinds of blocks and asking preschoolers to classify them by size, color, or shape, will incredibly increase of how to build problem solving skills. We can do this during home cleaning, "gather the toys here", "the clothes there", "dirty ones in this pile", "the clean in that". There are many ideas for classifying and all of them can consider as problem solving activities for preschoolers.
3- Estimation: we can put a number of blocks or any other small objects (the number must suit with children's age, usually not more than 10) and ask them to estimate the number, we can then ask them: "is it closer to 5 or 10?" Or we can ask them: "if it between 7 to 10 or between 5 to 6?" That will be more fun if we set a prize to the closest opinion..
4- Patterning: create a pattern out of blocks, beads or other objects. then ask the preschool children to complete the pattern. we can ask the preschoolers to build their own patterns. will surprise us what kind of patterns they will make and on which descriptions preschoolers will depend.
5- Mazes: set a day on a week to build a maze at the living room!! (or in the class for preschool children) out of pillows, chairs, desks or any available means. use some toys at the ends of the maze and let the preschoolers find ways to get one toy to the other. They can also use their cars to make a race or something, ideas are endless, and they all consider a very good motivating problem solving activities for preschoolers.
6- Memory games: By egg carton or any schedule we make, with different pictures we put on it. We can also ask them to hide the schedule and ask you where are the matching pictures, in this way they will have to know the answer of the question they are asking. In general, all memory games are considered as the best problem solving activities for preschoolers according to most of the childhood education research.
7- Puzzles: are the favorite for kids of all ages. we can buy puzzles or make them ourselves. Cutting a picture into square pieces and let them gather it again is a good way of playing puzzles there are many other ideas which can be problem solving activities for preschoolers out of puzzles.
Childhood education programs are very interested in how to develop problem solving skills in children, and in how to build problem solving skills in general. That must start from the childhood, and the best way to do that is to choose proper problem solving activities for preschoolers.
you can also read:
Problem solving games for kids
Problem solving activities for preschoolers that we buy
or Problem solving activities for preschoolers that we make!
Here we'll talk about the favorite ones, not only for us. Will surprise us that even preschoolers prefer those activities that they make by their selves, and that also increase of how to develop problem solving skills in children:1- Finding the Hidden picture: preschoolers love this game, which increases their problem-solving skills. There are many types of hidden picture books, but we don't have to buy them, we can make them out of the preschoolers drawings, that will be even more fun. Cutting parts of their drawings (or even of any other pictures) and put the parts aside to find which part they match with. This will be fun and they will try to make it themselves to play in groups and challenge each others.
2- Classifying and grouping games: are considered of the best problem solving activities for preschoolers. Mixing many kinds of blocks and asking preschoolers to classify them by size, color, or shape, will incredibly increase of how to build problem solving skills. We can do this during home cleaning, "gather the toys here", "the clothes there", "dirty ones in this pile", "the clean in that". There are many ideas for classifying and all of them can consider as problem solving activities for preschoolers.
3- Estimation: we can put a number of blocks or any other small objects (the number must suit with children's age, usually not more than 10) and ask them to estimate the number, we can then ask them: "is it closer to 5 or 10?" Or we can ask them: "if it between 7 to 10 or between 5 to 6?" That will be more fun if we set a prize to the closest opinion..
4- Patterning: create a pattern out of blocks, beads or other objects. then ask the preschool children to complete the pattern. we can ask the preschoolers to build their own patterns. will surprise us what kind of patterns they will make and on which descriptions preschoolers will depend.
5- Mazes: set a day on a week to build a maze at the living room!! (or in the class for preschool children) out of pillows, chairs, desks or any available means. use some toys at the ends of the maze and let the preschoolers find ways to get one toy to the other. They can also use their cars to make a race or something, ideas are endless, and they all consider a very good motivating problem solving activities for preschoolers.
6- Memory games: By egg carton or any schedule we make, with different pictures we put on it. We can also ask them to hide the schedule and ask you where are the matching pictures, in this way they will have to know the answer of the question they are asking. In general, all memory games are considered as the best problem solving activities for preschoolers according to most of the childhood education research.
7- Puzzles: are the favorite for kids of all ages. we can buy puzzles or make them ourselves. Cutting a picture into square pieces and let them gather it again is a good way of playing puzzles there are many other ideas which can be problem solving activities for preschoolers out of puzzles.
Childhood education programs are very interested in how to develop problem solving skills in children, and in how to build problem solving skills in general. That must start from the childhood, and the best way to do that is to choose proper problem solving activities for preschoolers.
you can also read:
Problem solving games for kids