Teaching Your Child to Solve Problems Independently

Having a child that can solve problems on their own is a great skill for them to develop in their own time, and in a way that helps them develop personally. To do this, however, parents should be open to educating their child in a way that makes them feel happy to learn independently. Here are some ways to teach your child how to solve problems as recommended by this prep school in Somerset.

Revisit past problems

Come across an issue that constantly arises in school homework? Leave these questions to the side and then work on them with your child at the end. Once they’ve been given a chance to have a go at these difficult questions then they’re able to work on them without the worry of the rest of their homework, and they can revisit these past problems again and again as a reminder.

Focus on the process, and not the product

If you pay attention to your child’s improvement of how they work on solving a problem, and not necessarily the problem being finished in the best way the first time around, you can tweak this to work until they manage to solve the problem themselves. It’s also a good opportunity to remind your child that it’s not a bad thing if they don’t get a problem right the first time, so long as they’re willing to learn.

Look to make a step-by-step process for your child

The first hurdle is identifying a problem for your child. Then it’s about working on providing a solution for said problem, usually brainstorming what needs to be done and the possible outcomes of each solution. Once you’ve compiled a list, help your child figure out which solution is the best one for their situation. Encourage them to repeat this process over time to allow your child to work on small problems individually.