Big Heart World Unit 6: Problem Solving
“In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers.” — Fred Rogers
Everyone is bound to find themselves in a disagreement from time to time — especially children who are new to the ideas of cooperating, collaborating, and being good friends. Though conflicts are inevitable, parents, caregivers, and educators can help children learn skills to resolve conflicts and problem solve together with their friends.
There are many skills that children may need to access to help them solve problems with friends, including the ability to calm themselves down after they get upset; the ability to clearly express their own point of view and listen to others’ perspectives; and the willingness to collaborate and pitch in to work together on a team effort. Big Heart World skills that you practiced with your child in previous months like understanding the feelings, empathizing with others, and skills related to friendship like sharing and taking turns also come into play.
As children explore the activities, books, music, and other content from Unit 6, they will start to understand that they have the power to solve their own interpersonal problems! They will feel increasingly confident in their ability to navigate challenging moments with friends, and they’ll help others to feel that way, too. When children enter school and their social circles expand to include peers with different backgrounds and perspectives, the ability to solve interpersonal problems will become even more important. Developing these skills early will help children to navigate new relationships and make learning together more fun.
Listen to Explore Problem Solving
“Let’s Work it Out” is about interpersonal problems — and how to solve them together! Todd and three kids (all big siblings with lots of problem-solving know-how) draw on their experience and problem-solving skills to help Mango and the Qook-a-Lackas to resolve interpersonal conflicts. Use our discussion guide, in English and Spanish, to keep the discussion going!
Sing and Dance to Become a Problem Solver
“Help Work It Out” from Noggin’s Big Heart Beats Album is about how we solve interpersonal problems! As the song says: “We can all live peacefully, if we can help to work it out!”
Featured Big Heart Play: Play to Learn Problem Solving
