Problem Solving
Learn Problem Solving through play.
These are activities with an obstacle in them on purpose. Get the ball across the room without touching it. Build something taller than the chair. Get the toy out of the ice.
The adult job here is mostly silence. The urge to help is strong and usually arrives about ten seconds before the child would have worked it out. "What could you try?" is nearly always better than a suggestion.
Expect frustration and plan for it — every activity here has an easier version noted, so you can lower the bar rather than abandon the afternoon.
Activities
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A Masking Tape Obstacle Course
One roll of tape turns a hallway into a course to balance, jump and crawl along. Works in a flat, upstairs, in the rain.
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Five Games for the Wait Before the Food
No bag, no crayons, nothing to drop on the floor. Five games that need only the two of you and a table.
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An Egg Hunt That Works for Every Age
The same hunt, three difficulty levels, so a two-year-old and a seven-year-old can play together without either being bored.
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Rescue the Frozen Toys
Freeze small toys in a tub of water overnight, then hand over warm water, salt and a spoon. It buys a genuinely quiet hour.
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Cardboard Box Marble Run
Cut a delivery box into ramps and tape them inside the lid. It never works first time, and that is the entire point of it.