Dr. Cherilyn Davis (Play Builds Resilience)
Dr. Cherilyn Davis reveals how unstructured play helps children develop problem-solving abilities that fuel resilience, creativity, and cognitive growth. Through building, pretend ...
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How Can Parents Foster Problem-Solving Skills Through Play?
Parents can foster these skills by creating an environment that encourages trial and error. Play doesn't have to be structured or educational to be effective. It's in those unplanned moments that children truly learn. You can nurture their problem solving by allowing them the space to make mistakes. Ask questions, and explore freely. The more opportunities you give them to figure things out independently, the stronger their critical thinking skills will grow. And remember the small problems they solve now, like figuring out how to get their ball unstuck, are the building blocks for the big challenges they'll tackle later in life.
How Do Children Learn Through Play at Different Ages?
When your child is playing, they're experimenting with a world around them. Early on, this could be as basic as dropping objects and watching them fall, which teaches cause and effect. But as they grow, so does the complexity of their problem solving between 18 months and two years old, as they engage in pretend play, whether it's pretending to cook, build, or pretend to be a superhero, they're learning how to think creatively, adapt, and negotiate solutions.
What is the Importance of Play in Developing Problem-Solving Skills?
As parents, we often see our children immersed in play, building towers, stacking blocks, or puzzling through a new game. And while it may seem like simple fun, this time is actually crucial for developing problem solving skills. The magic of play is in its unpredictability and its ability to provide children with opportunities to explore, test, and fail without consequence.