7 Ways To Teach Preschoolers Conflict Resolutoin

1. Approach the situation calmly and make sure everyone is safe.
2. Get down on the children’s level and use a calm voice.
3. Acknowledge each child’s feelings.
4. Gather information, allowing each child a turn to talk.
5. Restate the problem.
6. Ask children for ideas on how they will solve the problem. If necessary, suggest appropriate solutions.
7. Choose an appropriate solution that everyone can agree on

These tips were found on the Let's Explore Blog, read more on this topic by visiting the website.

Problem Solving and the Preschooler

8 Ways To Help Preschoolers Develop Better Problem-Solving Skills

1. Provide a variety of open-ended toys that encourage creative thinking and experimentation.
2. Talk out loud while you solve problems to model effective problem-solving strategies.
3. Ask questions more often than you give answers. Get in the habit of saying, “What do you think we could do to solve this problem?”
4. When your child is trying to solve a problem, think of yourself as a coach. Guide your child through identifying the problem, brainstorming possible solutions, choosing a solution to try and trying it, and evaluating how the solution worked.
5. Help your child view mistakes as opportunities to learn.
6. Try puzzles, tangrams, various math manipulatives, etc.
7. Create your own scavenger hunt with clues – make them just tricky enough that your preschooler has to think without getting frustrated.
8. Do simple science experiments together – practice making predictions and seeing what happens. Start with a sink/float experiment or search for things that are magnetic.

To find these tips and more information on problem-solving visit the Let's Explore Blog.

Encouraging Independence & Responsibility In Young Children

"Never do routinely for your children what they can do for themselves."

Susan Reichart, MOPS mentor

Encouraging independence in preschoolers is vital if you want them to grow to be a responsible adult. Not only is a natural desire for a young child, but it is a healthy desire for them to have! A child encouraged to do things for him/herself grows to be a more confident child, willing to take risks and learn from mistakes. For a preschooler, a sense of self-worth comes from being able to do something without an adult's help. Here are 7 ways to encourage your child toward independence and responsibility:

1. Encourage your child to complete self-help tasks, such as cleaning up spilled juice or sweeping up paper from a cutting project.
2. Break complicated tasks into small steps and celebrate all the little successes along the way.
3. Praise the effort, not the task: “You didn’t give up and kept trying until you opened the toothpaste. Way to go!”
4. Build extra minutes into your daily routines to allow your child to complete tasks without being hurried — such as putting on his own socks, buckling her own seat belt, etc.
5. Allow your child to brainstorm and try his own solutions to a problem. Resist giving him what you think is the easiest/fastest/best solution.
6. Help your child make a book or poster of all the things she can do. Read it when she is feeling frustrated or disappointed about not being able to complete a task. Adding photos of your child doing things for herself would be fun, too!
7. Give your child simple chores around the house such as setting the table, putting away the silverware, watering a plant, or feeding the family pet. Other age-appropriate chores for preschoolers include: dressing themselves, wiping the table or counter, wash their hands, dusting (Swiffer Dusters are wonderful tools for little ones), picking up toys, folding towels, putting books on a shelf, etc.

For these tips and other resources related to helping your preschooler be more responsible and independent check out the Let's Explore Blog.

Listening Well & Following Directions

4 Fun Ways To Practice Listening Skills

1. Start with something simple: Talk with your child a lot. Have conversations. Interview each other. Tell jokes. Talk, talk, talk.
2. Read and read and then read some more. Audio books are fun, too.
3. Play I Spy or other guessing games in which you and your child take turns giving each other clues.
4. When you are reading or telling a familiar story to your child, make a mistake, such as, “When Goldilocks arrived at The Three Frogs’ house, she went inside without knocking.” See if your child catches your mistake! (Don’t be surprised if they want you to do this all the time — mine do!)

4 Ways To Make Directions Fun

1. Scavenger hunts, treasure hunts, etc. with verbal clues.
2. Draw simple pictures for everyday routines, such as getting ready in the morning. Have your child point to each picture and tell you the “story” of this routine.
3. Have fun with silly, unexpected directions: “Go to the kitchen and quack like a duck!”
   Let your child have a turn being the direction-giver and you be the follower. Model good behavior!
4. When you cook together, talk about the steps. “First, we pour in the flour. Then, we add the sugar. Now, we mix it all together.” Use those sequencing words (first, next, then) so your child becomes familiar with them.

For these tips and more, plus examples of great ways to give easy-to-follow directions to your child visit the Let's Explore Blog.