I try and do something educational with my (2 year old) daughter every day. Most times it’s just practicing the alphabet, or counting fingers. But once in a while we do something more creative. Today I took an opportunity to talk about problem solving.
Hazel is a pretty short child, and cannot reach the light switches (though at her current age, she definitely wants to). I showed her how she could use some of her kitchen tongs to reach the light switch, but she was having difficulty – so out to the garage we went, to make a custom tool!
We used a piece of scrap plywood, and a jigsaw to cut a small groove. Then Hazel picked out tape for her handle (To remind her to always hold it at the base). And of course we had to color it with some crayons.
And (with a little bit of practice) Hazel was able to turn on her own lights! But there was a new problem – our design didn’t work with turning them off. This was a good teachable moment to talk about iterative design. Back to the garage we went, do drill a hole. Ta da!
It can be tough as a parent because you’re constantly being barraged with questions and requests. Something I continually try and tell myself is that patience and support will always pay off in the end. Especially if I can teach ways to solve her own problems – I believe that is a skill that can act as a force multiplier.
