Play provides a fun and low-stakes environment for children to experience and navigate new situations. During free play, steer the scenario towards problem-solving challenges. Start with “Oh no!” And then describe a pretend problem to solve. For example, in the dramatic play store, pretend a power outage has disabled the cash register and ask children how they would resolve the issue. “Oh no! The power just went out and we can’t use the cash register. What can we do?” This gives children the opportunity to practice problem-solving and explore different solutions with a playful tone. Some children will need help thinking of solutions. “I wonder how we might…” is a great prompt to get them thinking, “I wonder how we might give customers their change without the register.” For older kids, where you may not have free play or free choice, you can still use the same concept but with more age-appropriate terms. Instead of “Oh No!” come up with another term like “Let’s imagine,” “Let’s imagine living in a time before the internet. How would we get the information we need?”