The ability to get things done in the face of obstacles and constraints is referred to as resourcefulness. This entails approaching what is in front of you and optimizing what you have, whether you’re creating something new or simply considering how to do something better. Being resourceful necessitates more than just cognitive ability. It is necessary to be able to process information both emotionally and intellectually.
A significant study was conducted by the Faculty of Education at Kocaeli University in Turkey. It discovered that students with higher learned resourcefulness had better coping skills, used more constructive reappraisal techniques, were more likely to seek out social support, and were less likely to resort to exam-day escape-avoidance tactics.
Individuals who are aware of their surroundings and resources available to them which can be useful in certain situations develop a constructive mindset toward fixing issues. They grow up to be self-assured and productive adults. To practice and develop the skill, specific classroom activities can play a crucial role.
Thus, this post includes engaging activities for students that can help them think critically in order to boost resourcefulness.
Engaging activities to boost resourcefulness in kids
Resourcefulness requires an individual to think creatively and find unique ways and solutions to problems by using whatever resources are already available to them. To practice such a skill, the learner needs to think and view the problems from all sides and corners, so that number of possible solutions can be derived.
Given below are some classroom activities that can be used and employed to foster resourcefulness in students.
1. What’s the Problem?
Patience is a key factor when solving problems and being resourceful. The activity focuses on tricking students with different yet tough questions and watching how they control their behavior.
- To conduct this activity, give students a scientific problem that is incredibly difficult or a research subject that has an unclear or ambiguous answer.
- Inform them that you will be moving about the room to assist them.
- If they seem frustrated or start to ask for a lot of assistance, start asking them different questions.
- What do you already know about the topic?
- Can the issue be rephrased in another way?
- Who may be able to assist?
These inquiries help teach students what to do in a stuck situation. They also get an opportunity to find their way through problems by addressing the questions.
2. Role-Camera-Action
Unique situations help students understand how to make use of the resources already available to them. The activity aims to present situations where students have certain resources yet they have to come up with innovative solutions.
- To conduct this activity, students should be divided into pairs or teams of 3 members each.
- Give each team a slip of paper with a situation that would call for resourcefulness on it.
- For instance, one situation would be that they are supposed to repair a vehicle for that they have just $15 and that is to spend on stationery for an art project.
- Ask the kids to role-play how they would approach these issues with resourcefulness in front of the class.
It helps boost resourcefulness skills while also being creative in a limited period of time. Students also learn to accept different perspectives and ideas from other team members.
3. Limited Stationary
Students learn to be resourceful when they have limited resources in hand. This activity can teach them how to be creative and find out ways to complete the task in an environment of limitations.
- To conduct this activity, give one blank sheet to all students.
- All students should also be given two different colored crayons and one sketch pen.
- Now, make a team of 2 students per team.
- Each team now has 2 blank papers, 4 crayons, and two sketch pens.
- Ask them to be creative and make something that is completely out of the box.
- It can be a drawing or even craft-related material.
- At the end of the activity, see how they use limited resources to come up with something really creative.
It helps them use resources in their optimal usage. As students are aware of situations and limitations with resources, they develop patience in order to complete the activity. They also learn to collaborate with other team members and generate ideas.
4. How do I escape the Island?
Brainstorming is one of the crucial practices to teach resourcefulness to the students. This activity involves creative thinking and team-building abilities to find out their way.
- To conduct this activity, divide the students into a team of 3 members each.
- Now that students are divided into teams, teachers should present different situations to students.
- For example, one of the situations could be that students are stranded on an island with a boat and they need to ask for 5 different resources from the class that can help them escape the island.
- Now, students need to brainstorm with each other and find out 5 crucial elements that can help them escape the situation.
- For example, they can ask for blank paper and a red pen and state how they can make a reg sign to attract any plane or people to save them.
- Once they have found the resources, they need to ask for these resources from different students or take any element from the classroom and explain how it is going to be useful in the given situation.
The activity allows them to think creatively. Students also learn to accept each other’s perspectives and opinions while learning team-building qualities.
5. Best out of the Waste
Visual appealing activities work well as students are able to connect better. Here, students get to create something completely out of the box from scrap materials.
- To conduct this activity, ask students to get waste materials from their homes.
- In this activity, students can get empty plastic bottles, candy sticks, newspapers, and boxes.
- Now that they have got different waste materials, team up students into two members per team.
- Ask students to create something innovative out of these waste materials.
- For example, if a student has a newspaper they can create a frame out of newspapers or a roller coaster with straws.
It helps boost the confidence of students as they create something beautiful out of the waste materials through critical thinking. They also understand how waste materials at home can be used as resources for craft ideas.
6. Classroom Code of Conduct
Students are likely to face some or the other minor problem while being in the class. This activity focuses on addressing those issues in a different manner.
- To conduct this activity, ask students to analyze the entire situation as soon as they enter the classroom.
- Here, students will be involved in understanding different problems that they face in their everyday classroom operations.
- Now, ask students to devise a plan, that is create a code of conduct to be followed in the classroom.
- Ask students to address issues and take creative decisions to solve them
- Let students use their note-taking skills to address issues, plan actions, and study the consequences of them.
- Once done, ask students to individually discuss their plans and solutions in front of the class.
The classroom Code of Conduct is a practical way to instill a sense of responsibility and authority in students. They also learn to frame guidelines and know the classroom environment better.
Where does resourceful help children?
As you have seen different activities that can help boost resourcefulness, understand how students can use it in a variety of situations. It is crucial for parents and teachers to know the usage and application of this skill to guide children better.
- Resourcefulness is a crucial element of problem-solving. When students face different issues with unique situations or people, they’re more likely to respond in a problem-solving manner with skills of resourcefulness.
- Many times, students need to take up individual tasks as they might not always be assisted by parents or teachers. That’s when resourcefulness makes them productive as they can visualize ideas and develop them into actions.
- Resourcefulness is also helpful when students have to collaborate with different classmates. This skill helps them understand the strength of each team member by understanding how to utilize the strength in the most optimal manner.
- Resourcefulness also means the capability of understanding the problem and deriving multiple solutions to it. It makes students more confident when they face challenges and are unable to find solutions to them. Resourcefulness opens their mind and doors to multiple options in any given situation.
Wrapping up,
Children tend to develop abilities in organizing, planning, making decisions, and solving problems as they learn to use and apply all those resources already available to them. These abilities work as the foundation for resourcefulness. Children can build crucial links between knowledge and goal accomplishment when they can see numerous possibilities, set their own goals, try out novel strategies, and negotiate obstacles.
The above-mentioned activities are an ideal way to instill a sense of resourcefulness and provide them the platform to explore the skill to its maximum potential. Children learn to organize that task while also gaining creativity in finding solutions to perform the best activities. Additionally, parents and teachers can always introduce students to famous personalities and talk about how resourcefulness helped them through their way. Books or practical applications may also be of good use to teach this skill.
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,