Here are some more preschool problem solving activities you can do to get that little mind ticking.

1. Give your child a coffee can, and let her roll it on the floor. Now, give her some objects like a coin, a marble, a block, a small metal toy car, a crayon, and let her place each object one by one in the coffee can, and then try rolling them on the floor. Does the can roll any differently when there are objects inside them? Do heavier objects slow down the cans? What can she do to get the can to roll faster or slower? Discuss.
2. Use world issues to teach about problem solving. For instance, global warming. Explain how traveling by car less, and walking or cycling around more, is one of the ways she can solve the problem of melting glaciers.
3. Use real life situations to tackle problems. For instance, if she’ s having a tough time getting ready for preschool in the morning, talk about things she can do to get dressed, fed and ready on time. She could wake up a few minutes earlier, she could time all her daily morning activities so she gets them done quicker, she could just go to preschool in her night clothes… Talk about the feasibility of the solutions.
4. Most kids’ movies have the theme of problem solving. When you’re done watching a cartoon show or a movie together, discuss the problem, and how the characters solved it.

Have fun!

On a more somber note, I received a request to let my readers know about Russia and Georgia’s use of cluster bombs in their recent conflict. I must admit I haven’t been following the conflict much, but the thought of tens of thousands of tiny bomblets falling over an entire area, being buried as de facto land mines, and then exploding later when kids chance upon these is appalling. My American friends can visit this site for details on how they can voice their support for a ban on these deadly weapons.

The concept of the cycle of days and months can be a difficult one for kids to grasp, especially if you tell them that December is the last month of the year, and Saturday/Sunday is the end of the week.

To make them understand that days and months end to begin all over again, write the names of different months on paper plates, and arrange them in a circle on the floor. When you’re teaching her the names of months, let her jump or skip from one plate to the next, instead of memorizing the names of the months verbatim. Do the same for days of the week too. This helps her understand that Monday follows every Sunday, and there is a January waiting after every December.

Have fun!

Teach your preschooler how to compare things. Begin by using himself as an object. Explain what “taller” means, and ask him to compare himself to different objects around the house - is he taller than the table, the refrigerator, his teddy bear, the dog, you…?

Once he’s grasped the concept, use other words for him to compare - shorter, faster, younger etc.

Have fun!