A _In life we can sometimes be overwhelmed by problems. The reason behind this is that we wait for problems to find us. We would do far better to take a proactive approach, actively seeking out potential problems and deciding on which are worth tackling in the first place and taking appropriate action.

B _Next, one has to resist the temptation of going straight into problem analysis and solution. As with the first step, this stage is one of the secrets of effective problem-solving. Having already decided upon what problems are worthwhile solving, at this stage, you need to establish what exactly you are trying to solve.

C _Now you are ready to get down to work on actually tackling the problem you have identified. You need to break down the complexity of the problem, stripping away the superficial and getting to the causes/issues. Whilst this may take some time and thought, in the long run you will reap the benefits of spending time in this more contemplative stage of the process.

D _There are always more than one ways to solve a problem, so take time to create and work upon plenty of creative possibilities to the problem. Think of it as a personal brainstorming session. However ludicrous a solution may seem initially, write it down nevertheless. You never know how effective a solution will be anyway until it is put into practice.

E _Next you need to make choices. You need to weigh up the relative merits and risks of the different options you generated in the previous step and decide which to go for. This is more of a filtering stage where you weed out the solutions that are less likely to work from the more plausible options.

F _Deciding on which course of action to take is only half the story, though. You need to carry the action through in an effective way if you are to deliver the outcomes essential to solving the problem you originally defined.

G _Hopefully once you have reached this stage your problem is now a thing of the past. Before you give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back though, it is worth taking time out to reflect on what you have achieved so far and whether you in fact arrived at the anticipated outcome you had hoped for. Any perceived failings on your part in implementing the steps can then be addressed, allowing you to take more effective action in problem-solving situations in the future.

The function and definition of play

Play can be defined by three basic criteria: an expression of freedom of choice, personal enjoyment and an activity that is an end in itself. Its persistence through the ages and across diverse cultures demonstrates its functional role in human survival and development. In a nutshell, play serves to develop social and cognitive abilities as well as acting as a form of self-expression.

Within the activity of play itself there are several clearly defined types. These types range from simple physical play with objects such as baby rattles, to more complex cognitive play in games with many rules, such as cards or chess played by older children.

At the most basic end of the play continuum is passive play. Children exhibiting passive play behaviours are not involved physically in any play activity themselves. When play behaviour is exhibited by other children in their presence, they may be virtually oblivious to it, or they may observe but not participate, exhibiting 'onlooker behaviour'.

At a more engaged level, children will exhibit involved play behaviours. To what extent this is a social activity varies greatly, depending on where the child is on the socio-developmental spectrum. At one end of the spectrum a child may be actively involved in play but alone or in parallel to other players. In both cases the child does not interact with other children in play activity. As the child learns to engage more with other children socially, involved play behaviour will show acknowledgement but not complete interaction with other children in associative play and more complete engagement with other children in cooperative play which requires negotiation skills and turn talking.

As a child develops language and vocabulary skills, pretend play will evolve. This type of play serves to increase memory abilities and enhances reasoning and problem-solving abilities. Children at this stage use imagination to overcome what adults would term 'problem-solving'.

As cognitive abilities develop in a child, they will begin to engage in cognitive play. Here, at a more complex level of this stage, the child will play games with set rules, such as chess or jacks, as well as engaging in dramatic play that involves a degree of role play.

At three to five years of age, when cognitive and social abilities are significantly more developed, a child will demonstrate socio-dramatic play. Role play is used and the child interacts with other children to narrate and act in stories with fluid storylines that they then act out together.