Try This
Here's What To Do
Help your child to think of, and use different strategies as they try a new or challenging task. It could be anything – independent dressing or eating, playing a new game, or learning a new skill.
Ask guiding questions to help them try different strategies.
Or, brainstorm different strategies together.
Remind your child that it’s OK to keep trying, and that sometimes it takes time to learn something new.
Put PEER Into Action
Pause:
- While engaged in the task, take a few deep breaths with your child to help them stay calm and persist.
Engage:
- While doing a puzzle, ask questions like, “What would happen if you turned the piece?” or “I notice some red here, can you find a piece with red as well?”
- While starting a new task, ask questions like, “What do you notice?” or “What do you think might happen if you …?”
Encourage:
- “You are really working hard and trying your best!”
- “What else do you think you could try to ___?”
Reflect:
- “What happened when you ___?” “How did you feel when you kept trying?”
Not quite ready?
Give your child hints and clues for strategies they could try. “Both of these pieces have blue flowers. Let’s see if they go together.”
Ready for more?
Encourage your child to apply familiar strategies to related situations. “Yesterday when we did the puzzle we put all the edges first, what could we do today?”
As your child masters this skill...
They will apply different strategies for new and challenging tasks.