This week's activities 09/16

Welcome to week 33 of Wonder Weeks: a year of creativity, curiosity and connections. ☀️ This Week’s Theme: Problem Solvers!

🌟 Problem Solvers Week

This week, we’ll celebrate our children as problem solvers. Every time they stack a block, rescue a toy, or figure out how to share, they’re not just “playing” — they’re building important skills for life. Through fun challenges, teamwork, and imagination, we’ll give kids the chance to practice persistence, creativity, and resilience in safe and joyful ways.

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Activities

🧩 Problem Solvers Week Activities

1. 🏗️ How Tall Can It Go?

Ages: 3–6 | Skills: Engineering thinking, balance, teamwork
Materials: Blocks, cups, or recycled containers
How to Play:

1. Challenge children to build the tallest tower possible.

2. Encourage experimenting with wide vs. narrow bases.

3. Celebrate all attempts—even the wobbly ones!

🧠 Why it Matters: Builds resilience and introduces trial-and-error learning.
👶 Level Down: Stack 2–3 blocks and practice knocking them down safely.
⚡ Level Up: Add a timer: “Can you build a tower taller than you in 3 minutes?”

2. 🎈 The Bridge Builder

Ages: 3–6 | Skills: Problem solving, planning, teamwork
Materials: Blocks, sticks, cardboard strips, toy cars/figures
How to Play:

1. Ask: “How can we get the toy car across the river?” (use blue paper/scarf as the river).

2. Offer materials and let kids design different bridges.

3. Test: Which bridge holds? Which needs fixing?

🧠 Why it Matters: Supports critical thinking and persistence.
👶 Level Down: Pre-set a simple plank bridge for toddlers to roll cars across.
⚡ Level Up: Challenge them to make a bridge strong enough for multiple cars.

3. 🔄 Ball Run Challenge

Ages: 3–6 | Skills: Engineering, cause & effect, creativity
Materials: Cardboard tubes, PVC pipes, funnels, tape, small balls
How to Play:

1. Invite kids to build a ball run from top to bottom.

2. Test if the ball makes it through—what needs adjusting?

3. Encourage redesign and collaboration.

🧠 Why it Matters: Teaches persistence, early physics, and group problem solving.
👶 Level Down: Provide a simple pre-made ramp for rolling balls.
⚡ Level Up: Add turns, drops, or race two balls at once.

4. 👫 What Would You Do If…?

Ages: 3–6 | Skills: Social problem solving, empathy, communication
Materials: Simple scenario cards or oral prompts
How to Play:

1. Present real-life scenarios: “What if both friends want the same toy?”

2. Ask children how they might solve it.

3. Role-play solutions and practice calm words.

🧠 Why it Matters: Builds emotional intelligence and peaceful conflict resolution.
👶 Level Down: Use puppets/dolls to act out very simple turn-taking problems.
⚡ Level Up: Invite older kids to come up with multiple solutions and compare outcomes.

5. 🧩 Team Puzzle Fixers

Ages: 3–6 | Skills: Cooperation, perseverance, critical thinking
Materials: Puzzles, matching cards, or simple scavenger hunts
How to Play:

1. Present a puzzle and challenge kids to “solve it together.”

2. Encourage communication: “Where could this piece go?”

3. Celebrate when the group completes it.

🧠 Why it Matters: Strengthens teamwork and patience.
👶 Level Down: Offer chunky toddler puzzles with fewer pieces.
⚡ Level Up: Hide pieces around the room for a combined “find + solve” challenge.

👶 Little Explorer Problem-Solvers

6. 🪣 Fill It, Dump It, Solve It

Ages: 18m–3 | Skills: Cause & effect, fine motor, persistence
Materials: Buckets, cups, beans/rice/pompoms (or outdoor sand/water)
How to Play:

1. Give little ones containers to scoop, fill, and dump.

2. Watch them try different tools (cups, spoons, hands).

3. Ask gentle problem prompts: “What happens if it’s too full?”

🧠 Why it Matters: Builds persistence and early scientific thinking.
👶 Level Down: Use just large items (blocks, balls) to drop in/out of buckets.
⚡ Level Up: Add funnels or smaller scoops for trickier filling challenges.

7. 🐻 Teddy Rescue Mission

Ages: 18m–3 | Skills: Problem solving, gross motor, imagination
Materials: Favorite stuffed animals, chairs, scarves, boxes
How to Play:

1. Place a stuffed animal “stuck” somewhere (on a chair, under a scarf).

2. Ask: “How can we rescue Teddy?”

3. Let toddlers try climbing, pulling, or moving obstacles with help.

🧠 Why it Matters: Encourages creative thinking and safe risk-taking.
👶 Level Down: Keep Teddy close and easy to reach for instant success.
⚡ Level Up: Add 2–3 simple obstacles (chair tunnel, scarf to lift, block to climb).