Provide toys and everyday items that your infant can safely explore on their own. Ensure that the toys or items are made of non-toxic materials and do not have sharp edges or loose parts which can cause hurt or injury.
One way to scaffold children’s learning and problem-solving abilities is to organize the environment to promote independent functioning and success in tasks.
Environments that encourage children to interact with their surroundings allow them to meet their own needs, solve their own problems, and make their own choices. Having the environment ready for children also decreases frustration levels as they work at their own pace, completing tasks independently.
Environments which are safe and secure for children, and have objects that children can safely interact with, are ideal for promoting problem-solving abilities.
Babies can develop problem-solving skills if they are provided with opportunities for open-ended exploration, and guidance. They can be offered a range of intriguing items, and action responsive toys that they can grasp and suck, when they are playing or going through their daily routines, for example, manipulating spoons during mealtimes. Poole, C. (1998). Problem-solving in action. Early Childhood Today, 12(8), 13–14. Lee, T. (2011). I did it by myself: Scaffolding to develop problem-solving and self-help skills in young children. Child Care Quarterly, Spring 11. Retrieved from https://www.childcarequarterly.com/pdf/spring11_scaffolding.pdf
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