Have you ever stopped to think about what a blessing it is to be a good thinker? Now, I’m not talking about being a genius or intellectually gifted. I’m mostly referring to being able to use good problem-solving skills and good old-fashioned common sense.
As this world becomes ever more complex and laden with temptations, it becomes more and more important that we teach our kids how to build their mental muscles. Listed below are some quick tips:
- When your kids ask you for help with something, encourage them to try a bit longer before you jump in to help them. The only way to truly learn good thinking skills is by figuring things out on your own.
- You can encourage your kids to think by asking them as many questions as possible. Example questions include:
What else might you try?
What have you seen other people do to solve this problem?
What would happen if you tried_________?
Where might you learn how to do that?
Is that something you could learn about in a book, by asking someone, or by looking on the internet?
- Allow them to mess up. Too frequently, we step in and tell kids exactly what to do when we worry that they might be making a mistake. The best way to learn is by making mistakes. The best time for our kids to make mistakes is when they are young and the consequences are small. Allow them to blow it and learn.
We also teach the importance of limiting the amount of time watching videos or playing games on a computer or other electronic devices. The less time they spend watching entertainment on electronic devices, the better thinkers they will become.
You can hear many additional insights for parenting in the age of COVID-19 in our free, webinar called, “Parenting During Uncertain Times.”
Thanks for reading!