My inquiry questions I’m going to be exploring is “How does a young child’s problem-solving skills adapt when given different activities?”

I decided to explore this inquiry question because I’m very curious how children process information and what they will be able to do with it. Children think differently than adults and teens; therefore, I thought it would be very interesting to observe and do my research on how they face new challenges.

Evidence

The Role of Problem-Solving Activities in Early Childhood Development – Jan Peterson Blog

This article talks about how problem-solving activities play a crucial role in early childhood development by helping children adapt their skills in various ways. Enhancing cognitive problem-solving skills, letting children to ease into their thinking when things don’t go as planned like the activities building blocks or puzzles. Supporting social and emotional growth, teaching children to handle their emotions better like frustration and work with others through group activities and role-playing. Different activities, such as strategy games, puzzles, and role-playing, give the opportunities for children to practice problem-solving in multiple different ways like creative, logical, and social styles. Open-ended questions and creating a safe environment for trial and error helps children develop children’s problem-solving abilities.

The Development of Problem Solving in Young Children: A Critical Cognitive Skill | Annual Reviews

Children’s problem-solving skills adapt based on the activities they engage in. For example, when infants use a spoon improving their grip since they rely on their dominant hand, noticing patterns in how they hold it. 12 month olds, can adapt their strategy quicker and better than younger ones. Children also struggle to transfer skills learned in one context to another. For example, toddlers who can use a spoon can have a hard time applying the same methods to other activities like using a pencil. Verbal cues or prompts to visualize a solution, helps children adapt their strategies. This shows that children may struggle with generalizing problem-solving skills, supporting them and practice allows them to improve.

Story time with a twist – Literacy 

We will choose a simple and colorful picture book then at first, I will read it to her. After reading, I will ask my buddy to help retell the story like discussing her favorite part. Together, we will make up a new story, changing details like the characters or setting.

Supplies: Colorful simple book.

This activity will help my buddy practice sequencing, identifying problems in the story, and finding solutions, when we reimagine it. She will be solving the problem of how to adapt and change the narrative creatively.

Count the Animals – Numeracy

1. Will chose animal figurines, such as farm animals, jungle animals, etc.
2. The buddy will group the animals by type, color, or size.
3. My buddy will count how many animals are in each group.
4. Then I will ask her a variety of different question like, “If we add two more giraffes to the jungle group, how many giraffes will there be?”

Supplies: Small toy animals or animal figurines

This numeracy activity will help my buddy approach problems by categorizing, counting, and applying addition or subtraction.

Paper plate animal masks- Craft

1. First my buddy will decide on an animal, like a lion, cat, or bear, for the mask design.
2. We will cut holes for the eyes together
3. Then she will decorate the mask: Using markers and crayon she will decorate the mask to look like the animal she chose
4. She will wear the mask and pretend to be the animal with her imagination.

Supplies: Paper plates, Crayons, markers, Scissors

This craft makes problem-solving key in thinking about how to design the mask. The activity encourages spatial awareness, planning, and adjusting her approach if things don’t go as expected.