PRINCIPLE 8 Recognize problems as learning opportunities, and let infants and toddlers try to solve their own. Don’t rescue them, constantly make life easy for them, or try to protect them from all problems. Caitlin and Ian are two 18-month-olds in your family child care home; they have been with you since they were six months old. Caitlin is spirited and alive with activity; Ian is not as active and tends to observe Caitlin a lot, or follow her lead. This morning Caitlin is busy dropping shapes through holes in a plastic box. When a shape does not fit readily into a hole, she pounds it vigorously with her hand to make it fit and then quickly turns the box to find another hole. She giggles with delight at the sound of each shape dropping into the box. Ian is watching her from a slight distance, holding his stuffed dog; he seems interested but makes no attempt to approach Caitlin and her activity. Caitlin is suddenly finished with the plastic box. She moves over to the block area where you have arranged a few blocks on the floor and added a new, small red car. She immediately notices the new car and says “car!” This attracts Ian’s attention, and he moves over to the block area, too. Caitlin gives the new car a push, and it rolls (faster than she realized) under a nearby bookshelf and is out of sight. Caitlin rushes over to the bookshelf, intent on retrieving the car even though it has probably rolled too far under the shelving for her to reach it. Ian looks over to you with an expression that seems to say “now what?”

1		How would you describe each child’s approach to exploration and problem solving?
2		How would you interact with each child to foster their individual learning opportunities?
3		Are you at all concerned with Ian’s approach to problem solving? Or with Caitlin’s approach? Why or why not?
4		What would you do about helping the children retrieve the red car?
5		What features would you provide in an environment to try to foster problem solving in young children? Related Web Links