Ways to develop children's decision-making skills

Parents will always want the best for their children, and it is important that children are provided with the correct environment to develop and learn independently, both in school and at home.

Children need to have the support from parents and teachers to ensure they develop a strong foundation of self-esteem and self-worth to help them progress as an individual.

Devising problem-solving activities is often a good way to develop decision-making skills among children, as they are able to think on their own. This will help to increase a child's confidence over time. Below, we have looked at some of the most effective examples of these:

Encouraging children to work as a team
One idea could involve setting a problem to a group of children such as finding their way out of a maze, but ensuring that they are blindfolded while doing so.

This will help children learn that a goal can be achieved when working alongside other people and that it is a crucial skill to learn. Children will realise that they are not always able to solve problems on their own.

Survival activities to limit focus
Children can develop their problem-solving skills with survival based games. Parents should create a list of different items that may be used in an emergency situation. This may include a compass, a newspaper and a cereal bar.

Children can then be told to pretend they have found themselves deserted on an unknown island that is a day's walk to the nearest town. The group of children must choose what items they should take with them on their walk to the nearest town. They will have to, as a group, decide what item is a priority and inform each other why their chosen item is vital.

When children work alongside one another they learn to share objectives with others and take on board the opinions held by other members of the group. This can increase the chances of children listening intently to teachers and parents about school work.