作者: system

Written by：Gigamind English Primary School Principal Law

There is a Chinese saying: “Raising a child for 100 years old is a long-term worry for 99 years. This speaks to the heart of thousands of parents. As the weather turns colder, you are busy adding clothes for your child, but when you see other people’s children running and jumping around wearing only a single coat, you may worry that he is too warm and less able to adapt. If your child doesn’t listen to you and does what he wants to do, you will be annoyed, but if he asks you for everything, you may worry and say, “Oh! Didn’t I teach you that? Why don’t you always know how to adapt?

The power of adaptability from the movie

Spontonsive Flexibility is an element of creativity. If you know how to adapt, you can solve a problem in a different way.

Have you ever seen the movie “Apollo 13”, which is based on a true story? One scene of the movie tells the story of the runaway spacecraft, filtering toxic gas equipment is broken, scientists found that to solve the problem, we need to connect a round interface to a square interface above. Different sizes of water pipes cannot be reliably connected, but they want to connect the round interface? Sounds like you know it is impossible, but if you cannot connect the filter cannot pass the toxic gas, the three astronauts will not be able to return alive! In the end, with the cooperation of each other, they used plastic bags, cardboard, tape and other things to connect the two different interfaces, successfully solved the problem.

We need to be mindful that developing children’s adaptability requires an attitude of tolerance and acceptance of seemingly silly solutions to problems. Since adults have more experience and are better at solving problems than children, they sometimes feel that the solutions children come up with are not good enough. However, the most important thing is that these solutions were thought up by the children themselves, and they can work. Even if they don’t work, they probably make some sense and can barely do it. No matter how “dumb” a child’s approach is, every success and every parental support gives him or her more confidence to solve problems in the future.

Letting your child try

Adults may be able to figure out solutions to problems faster than children, so we need to give children enough time to think and try, and not rush to tell them what they think. Parents should let go of their children and let them face difficulties on their own. “Poverty leads to change”, and the motivation for “change” will be weakened with too much help.

This is the difficulty of being a parent.If you help too much, you worry that your child will not know how to solve problems on his own; if you help too little, you worry that he will not be able to catch up with others; and with so many things to deal with every day, how can you have time to let your child take his time to finish what he has to do every day? However, there are times, such as during the holidays, when we really need to consider slowing down the pace of life and allowing our children to do more of their own work, learn to solve problems in their own way, and develop adaptability.

我們要注意，培養孩子的變通力，要有一個包容的態度，接受一些看似愚蠢的解決問題的方法。由於成人的經驗較多，其解決難題的能力會比小朋友強，因此他們有時覺得孩子想出來的方法不夠好。然而，最重要的是這些方法是孩子自己想出來的，而且亦可行。即使方法不太可行，但他們大概講得出一點道理，勉勉強強做得來便可以了。無論孩子的方法多「蠢」，每一次成功，每一次得到父母的支持，都讓他在將來更有信心解決遇到的難題。

放手讓孩子嘗試

成人想出解決問題的方法可能比孩子快，為此我們要讓孩子有足夠的時間去想辦法和嘗試，不要急於將自己的想法告訴他，不然他就少了一次自己解決難題的機會，也就是少了一次進步的機會。父母要放手讓孩子自己面對困難，「窮則變」，在過多的協助下就不會「窮」，「變」的動機也就減弱了。

撰文：激活英文小學羅煦鈞校長

中國有句說話：「養兒一百歲，長憂九十九。」這可算是道出萬千家長的心聲。天氣轉涼，您忙著為他加衣，但看到人家的孩子只穿一件單衣在跑跑跳跳，您可能又擔心他是不是穿得太暖，少了適應能力。孩子不聽話，自把自為，您當然煩惱，但假如他每件事都要問您，您可能又會擔心地說：「唉！不是教過您嗎？怎麼您總是不懂變通？」

從電影看變通力

變通力（Spontonsive Flexibility）是創意的一個元素。懂得變通，就能夠用不同的方法解決一個問題。

大家有看過這套由真人真事改編的電影「太陽神 13 號」嗎？電影其中一幕講述失控的太空船內，過濾有毒氣體的設備壞了，科學家發現要解決這個問題，就要將一個圓形的接口連接到一個方形的接口上面。大小不同的水喉也不能可靠地接上，他們卻要將圓形的接口接上去？聽起來就知道不可能吧，但假如接不上，過瀘不到有毒的氣體，三個太空人就不能活著回來！結果在彼此合作下，他們用膠袋、紙皮、膠帶等東西，將兩個不同的接口連接起來，成功解決問題。

困難是培養變通力的契機

正所謂「窮則變，變則通」，「窮」在這裡不是指「貧窮」，而是指到了盡頭，亦可說是遇到困難。在事情好像走進了死胡同的時候，只有一些另類或與別不同的方法，才可以將問題解決。

培養變通力正需要讓孩子面對難題，透過思考，嘗試用不同的方法將難題解決。其實孩子每天要面對的難題不會少，例如做數學題、做手工和砌模型等，都需要孩子解決一些難題，我們可以充分利用這些機會，培養他們的變通力。

包容孩子的想法

我們要注意，培養孩子的變通力，要有一個包容的態度，接受一些看似愚蠢的解決問題的方法。由於成人的經驗較多，其解決難題的能力會比小朋友強，因此他們有時覺得孩子想出來的方法不夠好。然而，最重要的是這些方法是孩子自己想出來的，而且亦可行。即使方法不太可行，但他們大概講得出一點道理，勉勉強強做得來便可以了。無論孩子的方法多「蠢」，每一次成功，每一次得到父母的支持，都讓他在將來更有信心解決遇到的難題。

放手讓孩子嘗試

成人想出解決問題的方法可能比孩子快，為此我們要讓孩子有足夠的時間去想辦法和嘗試，不要急於將自己的想法告訴他，不然他就少了一次自己解決難題的機會，也就是少了一次進步的機會。父母要放手讓孩子自己面對困難，「窮則變」，在過多的協助下就不會「窮」，「變」的動機也就減弱了。

做父母就是有這個難處，幫得太多或擔心孩子不懂自己解決問題，幫得太少又擔心他追不上別人，而且每天要處理的事情這麼多，又那有時間讓孩子慢慢地完成每天要完成的事情？不過，有些時候，譬如在假日，我們就真的要考慮將生活的節奏減慢下來，讓孩子多處理自己的事情，學習以自己的方法解決困難，發展變通力。