One challenge is the amount of distractions today (internet, devices, etc.) seem to have greatly shortened children's capacity to 1) handle "boredom" in creative ways (like trying to solve a problem, as per your experience) and 2) have the sufficient attention span to see things through. (I used to spend hours as a teen doing math problems on my own because I enjoyed it; but this was pre-internet and my parents didn't even have a TV (out of principle). There was only books, math, and my bike. I feel like kids today are at a huge disadvantage.
One challenge is the amount of distractions today (internet, devices, etc.) seem to have greatly shortened children's capacity to 1) handle "boredom" in creative ways (like trying to solve a problem, as per your experience) and 2) have the sufficient attention span to see things through. (I used to spend hours as a teen doing math problems on my own because I enjoyed it; but this was pre-internet and my parents didn't even have a TV (out of principle). There was only books, math, and my bike. I feel like kids today are at a huge disadvantage.