When you have a particular opinion on something, or you’re used to viewing things in one particular manner, it can be difficult to adapt to new problems or ideas that come up. We all have our own perspectives and lines of thinking; however, we should try to evolve our thought patterns and adapt them when necessary. Even if it’s natural to want to just stick with what you know, flexible thinking can benefit everyone, especially young students.
Children are continuously honing their cognitive skills as they go through developmental stages. Those skills impact their success at school, their behavior at home and their social interactions with other children. Flexible thinking is an essential cognitive skill that can benefit your child in many different aspects of their life.
In this blog post, we’ll talk about what flexible thinking is and why it can be such an important tool for children. We’ll also discuss ways that you can help a child improve their flexible thinking.
Defining flexible thinking
Flexible thinking refers to being able to think about something in a new or different way. It plays a large role in successful planning, emotional regulation, problem-solving and decision-making. It’s essentially about keeping an open mind. It means being flexible when it comes to issues and changes while prioritizing your emotional and mental health.
A person who is a flexible thinker is able to:
- Emotionally and mentally handle unforeseen challenges
- Adapt to changes
- Multitask when necessary
- Maintain healthy relationships during difficult circumstances
- Incorporate new information or viewpoints into strategizing or planning
- Think outside the box when it comes to problem-solving
Examples of flexible thoughts include:
- “This situation isn’t as bad as it seems.”
- “What’s the silver lining to this situation?”
- “This problem is out of my control.”
- “How else can I approach this problem?”
- “My friend made a good point about this issue.”
- “This problem won’t interfere with my goals.”
Why flexible thinking is important for children
Everyone can benefit from having a flexible thinking mindset; indeed, it’s a skill that should be developed as early as possible. It’s important to recognize the role that flexible thinking can play in a child's current and future successes and overall well-being.
Flexible thinking is a powerful tool for children because it helps them:
- Be open to trying new things, like trying a sport or hobby
- Move on from a disappointment or negative experience
- Manage stress and anxiety that comes from change, such as moving up a grade
- Become self-aware of their behaviors and emotions
- Learn how to be open and empathetic of other people’s feelings and opinions
- Improve their ability to make effective decisions and solve problems
- Gain different perspectives on a situation or topic
How to improve flexible thinking in children
Just like every other essential skill, your child can develop or improve their flexible thinking by forming habits and adjusting their emotional, mental and behavioral patterns.
Both teachers and parents can help a child develop flexible thinking through activities, techniques and productive communication. Here are a few strategies for honing your child’s flexible thinking skills:
- Encourage breaks — A common roadblock to flexible thinking is being overwhelmed by emotions and thoughts about a particular situation. When a child can’t sort out complex emotions and options, it’s easy for the brain to just shut down. Recommend that they step away for a bit. Going outside for fresh air can help them reset their mind for a new perspective.
- Play flexible thinking games — It’s important for children to recognize the multiple approaches that can be applied to a situation. By playing flexible thinking games, they can learn to think of creative solutions to a problem and recognize different courses of action that can lead to a similar conclusion. Most board games encourage flexible thinking, along with games like chess, checkers and sudoku. There are also divergent thinking games, such as "Yes, and ..." or "Fortunately, Unfortunately."
- Switch it up — While routines are important for children, they can also lead to them having trouble adapting to last-minute changes or unexpected issues. Try to alter their routine every once in a while to help them adjust to change while also getting excited about something new. For teachers, this can mean changing up the lesson plan once a week. Parents can change their child’s chores or plan a new experience once a month.
- Teach self-talk — When something negative or unexpected happens, it can be easy for a child to get caught up in negative emotions and thoughts. By learning how to process their emotions, talk through a problem and understand the positive aspects, they can improve their stress management skills. They’ll also learn how to be kind to themselves and practice self-compassion.
It’s important to note challenges that may interfere with a child’s flexible thinking, such as ADHD, anxiety disorders or depression. If a child has been diagnosed with any disorder that can impact their Executive Function skills, including flexible thinking, it can be helpful to collaborate with the child’s teachers and doctors to determine the best strategies.
Beyond BookSmart can help improve a child’s flexible thinking
An Executive Function skill like flexible thinking plays a vital role in a student’s work routine that will benefit them both now and in their future endeavors. Executive Function skills are life management skills that help you plan, initiate and achieve goals at home, in school and in the workplace. Executive Function skills can be applied to any student’s success because they are both coachable and trainable.
At Beyond BookSmart, we help students hone their Executive Function skills by personalizing our Executive Function coaching services to their individual needs, learning differences and emotional challenges, such as anxiety.
Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an inquiry call.