Many parents make every decision for their children, often out of love and habit. Yet asking a child’s opinion on everyday matters tells them that they are valued and trusted. It also gives them practice in one of the most useful life skills: making a decision and living with the result.
Start with everyday choices
Clothes are an easy place to begin. Offer two or three suitable outfits and let your child choose. If you buy new clothes, ask what they like; a child who chose a shirt is far more likely to wear it happily.
Involve them in family plans
Ask where to go at the weekend, what to cook on Friday or which game to play together. You still set the options, but your child feels part of the plan.
Ask about their room and their things
Let your child have a say in how toys are organised or where their books go. When they designed the system, they are more likely to keep it tidy.
Keep the limits clear
Consulting your child does not mean they decide everything. Safety, health and school are decided by adults. Explain this simply: “You can choose the game, but bedtime stays the same.”
Listen to the reasons
Ask “Why do you prefer that one?” and take the answer seriously. Weighing reasons is the start of logical thinking.
Practise decisions through play
Strategy and puzzle games ask children to plan, choose a move and see what happens. Try the Intellect Puzzle or a maze such as the Magnetic Digital Maze, where every choice of path has a visible result.
See more thinking games in Stem Toys, or choose “Thinking, memory and problem-solving” in the Smart Guide.