In the first part of this article , we looked at important skills to learn with your child: Teamwork, adaptability, and critical thinking.

Solving problems

Creative problem solving games for kids.

As parents, we care about our children's future and the skills they need to be successful later in life. Helping our children develop executive skills (such as problem solving) at an early stage can help them make their way to success easier.

Feeding problem-solving in young children can be as simple as playing games. These children's problem-solving games will help your child practice the skill at home.

Plan a cleaner hunt: Choose a few toys or other items and hide them around your home. Give clues as to where the objects may be. Ask your child to create a list of pictures or names of objects and help them cross them out after finding them.

Puzzle Practice: Puzzles encourage inherent motivation, as the satisfaction of solving the puzzle is the only reward. Encourage your child to try different types of puzzles, from jigsaw puzzles to more digital versions of educational apps (these mobile app guides can help you choose the right ones for your little one).

Play with blocks: When your child plays with blocks, ask him to build structures based on different scenarios (eg will you build a garage for my car?) Or "Let's pretend we have some horses. Can you build them?" Have your child explain its structure and ask questions that encourage him to think about solutions, such as, "Where would we put the food for the horses?" or "What if we have to bathe them?"

When nurturing problem solving in young children , it is important to remember that the process is more important than just finding the right solution or answer. Don't forget to slow down, leave enough time to complete the task and encourage your child to stick to it!

Self-control

Whether it's a sibling argument, an angry outburst before bed, or a shout about not making their way, at some point all children struggle with self-control. Try these activities to help your child build self-control.

Simply put, self-control is the ability to control the emotions and desires that affect our behavior, and the lessons that children learn in the first five years of self-control have a lasting effect. At the moment, it can be difficult to imagine your baby commanding attention one day in the boardroom. But executive skills such as self-control , working memory and adaptability play an important role in the future success of our children and have a significant impact on the development of skills such as teamwork, critical thinking and problem solving.

Simple activities today will help your child better achieve big dreams in the future. Work on this skill at home with the following simple activities:

Make a meal: Follow the steps of the recipe, measure the ingredients, set the timer and check the progress of the dish. Try some of these easy recipes for kids!

Play board games: Choose who comes first, turn around and follow the instructions of the game.

Build an obstacle course: Create a structured course and specify a route that your child should follow during the course.

Play a freeze dance: dance to music with your child and freeze when the music stops. (For older children, ask them to freeze in a certain position.)

These activities will test and strengthen your child's ability to focus on tasks, manage behavior, and practice patience by learning to follow rules or guidelines.

Working memory

Your child's working memory not only helps them remember information; it enables her to use information by following instructions or rules and performing multi-level tasks. Help your child develop his working memory with these activities.

Promoting working memory - a critical executive skill - helps children take on more complex tasks and enables them to feel the challenges and benefits of responsibility - an important part of growing up.

Help your child develop their working memory by enjoying these activities together:

Make up stories: Start making a story and ask your child what happens next. Complete the story together!

Read aloud: Ask your child to tell a favorite story or what happened during her favorite part of a book.

Play board games: Practice following the rules of the game and ask your child what the next step is.

Do the housework together: Help your child sort and do the laundry, talk about the steps needed to wash the dog, or get them to focus on certain items while cleaning their room (For example, first, we'll put away the play blocks Then we'll make your bed.)

Working memory not only plays a big role in the lives of young children, but also has a great impact on their success as adults. According to a recent national survey, two out of three HR managers say hiring top-level employees with good executive skills such as working memory, self-control and adaptability is a top priority for their company's long-term success.