With three years behind him, your child has gained, in his view, great experience in the world. With all of this “knowledge and expertise” he will begin to solve the problems he runs into on his own, particularly with your encouragement. For example, don’t be surprised if you find him trying to get a toy out from under a shelf or pulling a toy wagon that’s gotten stuck against a rock.

You’ll most likely find him approach his problems from a single point of view, working with the first solution that pops into his head. But because his first attempts will likely not be the best solution, he may become frustrated with his fruitless efforts. When this happens, try to remain supportive, listen to your child’s ideas, and encourage him to continue his efforts without solving the problem for him. Offer up clues or partial solutions so that he can still get to the solution on his own. And don’t worry, as he matures and gets more real world experience, your child will be more capable of thinking of several possible solutions to his problems, working out which one may have the best result.

Play Tips:

How can you support your child’s development of this Reasoning and Problem Solving skill at this age? It’s as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Avoid solving the problem for your child. Do your best to allow your child to try to solve his own problems before jumping in. Who knows? Because young minds are flexible and without many preconceived notions, he may come up with a creative solution you hadn’t thought of. Also, it’s okay to let your child try an unworkable solution and actually fail. Doing so will help teach him the process of trial and error as well as develop the important skills of persistence and patience.
2. Encourage brainstorming. Young children may only see one solution to a problem. When you can, brainstorm with your child about all the possible ways to solve the problem. Ask leading questions that can help him see the problem from different points of view. You can also work together to break the problem down into smaller, more workable parts. This will help encourage creative and flexible thinking, and it may help your child avoid frustration, if he understands that more than one solution exists.
3. Model your own problem solving. As always, your child will learn from the model you set. Talking through problems out loud will help your child understand the different processes and possibilities for solving the problems he runs into. To maximize success, try to focus on problems he can relate to, such as running out of a key ingredient for dinner or misplacing a library book, rather than challenging problems that may cause him distress or concern!
4. Give your child a creative environment. Figuring out how to use new objects or using familiar objects in new ways are good practices in creative thinking and experimentation. Provide your child with novel objects and open-ended play materials, such as building blocks and cardboard boxes, to give him opportunities to use his imagination and exercise his creativity.

Developmental Milestones:

Has your baby achieved the following Reasoning and Problem Solving developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all the skill(s) he has already mastered to date using Playful Bee’s developmental milestones tracker. It’s absolutely FREE and easy to use, just click HERE!

• Negotiates solutions to conflicts.
• Approaches problems from a single point of view.

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Playful Bee

Education Team at Playful Bee

Playful Bee is an e-Preschool that delivers inquiry-based preschool learning from the classroom to your home. Our preschool curriculum was created by our talented team of rock star teachers. With years of hands-on preschool and Kindergarten teaching experience, they've developed a high-quality preschool experience that is convenient-to-use and easy-to-teach by you, grandparents, or your nanny at home.

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