In today’s world, children need to know how to be problem solvers. They must learn how to analyze and see things from another point of view.
This month’s elementary school edition of Parents Make the Difference newsletter suggests these ways to reinforce your child’s thinking skills:
- Sort things. Find something for your child to sort—buttons, pencils, coins or anything else in your house. Help her sort the items by size. Then mix everything up and have her sort them by color. This teaches your child that even though something is part of one group, it can be part of another group, too.
- Think about opposites. Suppose you have been talking about fairness. Ask your child, “What does fairness look like? What things show fairness in action?” Then ask her about the opposite. “What does unfairness look like?”
- Talk about points of view. What does your child think your house looks like from a cat’s point of view? What does your child think the school bus driver thinks about the students who ride her bus? This activity will also help your child develop empathy by seeing things from others’ points of view.
To view middle and high school Parents Make the Difference newsletters or activity calendars for all three school levels, visit this Parent Connection page on vbschools.com.