The Transformative Power of Daily Problem Solving Activities in Early Education: 6 Easy Tips
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In the ever-changing world that is early education, the transformative power of teaching problem solving skills cannot be overlooked! Involving students DAILY in problem-solving activities will not only engage their minds but also make way for amazing changes in the ways they view and approach challenges. Check out these 6 daily problem solving activities you can use in your classroom with ease!
Why You Should Teach Problem Solving Skills in Your Classroom
Learning problem solving skills early in life encourages a mindset that embraces curiosity and is resilient. Changes and challenges are a normal part of life, and teaching young students how to approach them allows them to become adaptable and practice important life skills in controlled ways.
Practicing problem solving skills daily also:
- Develops Critical Thinking Skills
- Fosters Teamwork and Collaboration
- Enhances Decision-Making Skills
- Boosts Confidence
- Prepares Students for the Future
Develops Critical Thinking Skills
Including problem solving activities in your daily classroom routine is an investment in bettering your students’ critical thinking skills.
They also learn other important life skills like how to identify patterns and create effective solutions. Practicing these skills lays the groundwork for a lifetime of positive critical thinking abilities!
Transformation happens right before your eyes as your children become able to break down challenges into manageable pieces and work through possible solutions.
Fosters Teamwork and Collaboration
Problem solving activities also provide a natural opportunity for students to work on teamwork and collaboration skills with their peers. By working together to tackle problems, they learn to use each others’ strengths, communicate more effectively, and appreciate the diversity of their classmates.
Learning these skills at an early age and practicing them daily will prepare students for their futures as they need to collaborate with others later in school and life.
Enhances Decision-Making Skills
Exposing students to problem solving situations each day improves their ability to make decisions too!
As they evaluate their options, consider consequences, and make informed choices, they will become confident decision-makers— such an invaluable life skill!
Boosts Confidence
Confidence is HUGE! As kids successfully navigate and overcome obstacles, their sense of accomplishment and pride increases.
Confidence in students doesn’t just stay in the problem solving arena. This will positively impact their outlook on so many other aspects of school and life like test-taking, talking to new friends, trying new activities, and more!
Prepares Students for the Future
Perhaps the most important reason to incorporate problem solving into your daily classroom routine is that it prepares students for their futures!
The ability to think critically, collaborate effectively, make informed choices, and navigate challenges with confidence is vital for success. As you choose to teach and practice these skills, you are equipping your students with the tools they will need to truly THRIVE!
Each of these areas works together to create a more inclusive classroom environment where cooperation and positive communication flourish!
How to Teach & Use Daily Problem Solving Activities and Skills
Model Them!
Model problem solving skills out loud to your students by talking about the problems you face like schedule changes from assemblies or bad weather (hello, indoor recess!), a malfunctioning laptop, and more.
This helps students become aware of how important it is to solve problems throughout life.
While you speak out loud about these challenges, remember to do so with a positive attitude– because kids pick up on that too!
Use Resources
Resources are also a phenomenal way to intentionally teach and practice problem solving skills each day!
Keep learning fun and interactive for kids (and easy for you!) by choosing ones that are already done for you. While working through problem solving activities with your students, talk about how these activities will help them develop skills that are important for friendships and learning.
These 6 problem solving activities are perfectly designed to incorporate into your daily classroom routine:
1. Daily Logic Puzzles & Brain Teasers
Daily logic puzzles and brain teasers are great to use during your morning meeting and morning routine, as warm-ups for math and language arts lessons, for enrichment work, or for early finisher activities.
2. Morning Meeting Slides
This yearlong editable morning meeting slide set is completely NO PREP (and all the teachers said HOORAY!!)
It includes 180 interactive slides with matching student recording sheets that will take the stress out of your mornings for good! The daily slides include high-interest topics like Word of the Day, Question of the Day, Fun Fact of the Day, and Joke of the Day.
3. Morning Meeting Journal Prompts
This set includes all of the amazing parts found in the morning meeting slide set but with morning meeting journal prompts too! Students will practice writing skills as they work through daily problem solving activities.
4. Growth Mindset SEL Activities
The growth mindset SEL activity set is a great starting point to help students navigate managing emotions and learn coping strategies for social and emotional problem solving situations.
This set includes a social skills story about growth mindset, coping skills, and engaging activities to ensure students understand what they are learning and enjoy it at the same time!
The included coping strategies can be used daily in your classroom as problems arise.
5. Problem Solving Social Skills Story and Activities
The problem solving social skills story and activity set is perfect for your kids who need help understanding the difference between big and small problems. As they learn this vital piece of problem solving skills, they will be able to regulate their emotions more easily.
6. Word Ladders and Word Chains
Word ladders and word chains are great problem solving activities to incorporate into your daily classroom routine! They are both fun and challenging and are perfect for small group time.
Your kids won’t even realize they’re working on decoding, spelling, and vocabulary skills because they’ll be having too much fun!
Be Encouraging
Finally, be encouraging! Problem solving skills are difficult to learn for little ones!
Remind students that it’s okay if they don’t understand something and that it’s normal to encounter problems throughout the day. What matters most is that they try their best to work through the issues and ask for help when needed.
When students learn to identify problems, they can be creative when determining different ways to solve them. Problem solving skills apply to classroom activities, friendships, social situations, and life choices. YOU are making a huge impact on your students by adding daily problem solving activities in your classroom!
Let me know if you have any questions about anything you see here. Don’t forget to pin this post to refer to it later!
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Top 10 Activities For Teaching Feelings In The Elementary Classroom
MAKE MORNING ROUTINES IN YOUR CLASSROOM FUN AND ENGAGING WITH THESE
Free Morning Meeting Songs & Greetings
The perfect way to get students energized and ready to go in the mornings!
Diane Romo
Thank you for being here! I love sharing ideas with other teachers! If you are looking to enhance your teaching and build a positive classroom community, you have come to the right place!
