Creative Games for Kids to Promote Problem-Solving Skills

Kids face various challenges and problems on a daily basis. They could be peer issues, school work, or a sports that they are playing. This is where problem-solving skills can come in to help. The more challenges kids solve by themselves, the more confidence they will build up and they will be even more encouraged to solve more challenges independently. That’s why problem-solving is an essential skill set for kids and creative games for kids are great to introduce the concept to them.

Ways to introduce kids to problem solving

The earlier you introduce creative games to your kids to problem-solving, the more chances they have to grow this critical skill set. Problem-solving is a method to identify a problem, come up with ideas and test out these ideas to solve the problem. Usually the process can be broken down into these steps:

1. Defining the challenge: it is common for kids to feel frustrated when they face a challenge but do not exactly know what the challenge is. You can ask them open-ended questions to help them recognize the challenge they are facing. Sometimes, just stating the challenge clearly can provide kids the clarity they need to start brainstorming.

2. Brainstorming: once you identify the challenge with your kids, you can introduce your kid to the concept of brainstorming. You can work with them to come up with different ideas, asking them if there is another way to perform a task, or trying things differently. It is essential to remind kids that brainstorming is a time to think of all possible solutions and not to start with a solution.  

3. Deciding where to begin: after coming up with lots of ideas, you can ask kids to select an idea that can be tested. Which one would be the easiest to try out? Which one can give you the most shot at success? You can help them expand different aspects that they need to consider for.

4. Testing and analyzing solutions: This is where you can help kids test out solutions to see if they work. From there, you can work with them to modify or add to the idea based on what they learned along the way if the first one does not work out perfectly (and it often would not!). Sometimes, you even need to choose a new idea.

See if you can map these steps with a situation or problem you encountered:

Educational Learning Games that grow problem-solving skills

Educational games for kids provide a great opportunity to introduce new skill sets in a fun environment and it’s also a great way to grow problem-solving skills. Osmo kids learning systems include fun iPad games that use the power of hands-on learning to help kids pick-up essential skills like language, cognitive and socio-emotional skill sets. It could also help with developing problem-solving skills as well.

Osmo Explorer Starter Kit includes interactive educational games that promote problem-solving and critical thinking through math and science. The Tangram game builds visual spatial reasoning skills in kids and the Numbers game helps build numeracy skills with exciting math challenges. The Words game includes fast-paced word challenges that build vocabularies. The Masterpiece game helps kids learn drawing and fosters creativity whereas Newton game lets kids practice physics in action. Coding Awbie is a great way to introduce children to the fundamentals of coding through hands-on coding and is great for problem solving.

Osmo Starter Kits and games have a great selection of educational games that promote problem solving skills in kids. Pick up one for your kid, and watch them excel at problem solving!