Learning problem-solving skills gives kids the chance to build resilience and acquire the tools they need for collaboration—one of the 6Cs at the heart of the Begin Approach.
In this article, discover strategies and tips for setting your child up for success on their problem-solving journey!
Key Takeaways
- Problem-solving skills encourage creativity, perseverance, confidence, critical thinking, and logic.
- Strategies for teaching your child to problem-solve include modeling problem-solving in action, asking your child for advice, teaching basic problem-solving steps, looking at a problem from multiple perspectives, engaging in activities with problems to solve, asking open-ended questions, and introducing them to coding.
- To help your child succeed at problem-solving, keep these tips in mind: encourage them to keep trying new solutions, collaborate, acknowledge big feelings are common when faced with a problem, take the opportunities your child offers, give your child space to make mistakes, and be patient.
Table of Contents
- Why Is Problem-Solving an Important Skill?
- Problem-Solving Strategies to Try With Your Child
- Tips For Teaching Your Child How to Problem-Solve
Why Is Problem-Solving an Important Skill?
Did you know babies as young as 10 months old engage in problem-solving? Let’s say they want to get a toy. They might try to reach for it, bat at it, or move closer. And if none of those work, they might look to an adult for help and/or start vocalizing.
Problem-solving is an integral part of leading a meaningful life. The question is not if we will run into problems (we will), it’s how we will handle them. That’s why we need skills to solve them that encourage creativity and build perseverance, confidence, critical thinking, and logic.
Problem-Solving Strategies to Try with Your Child
As parents, our impulse is to be there to help our kids when they face challenges, but the reality is they need to learn how to solve some problems for themselves.
Before they do, they need guidance and practice. That’s why we’ve put together some useful strategies for teaching kids problem-solving skills.
Model Problem-Solving in Action
Sometimes our kids do exactly what we tell them to do, and sometimes they don’t. One reason they might not listen to us is because they hear us say one thing and see us do another. Our kids are always watching us, so modeling behavior we want them to exhibit is a great strategy.
Let your child see you problem-solve. Instead of thinking your way through the process, talk your way through it so your child can observe how you approach an issue and make decisions.
Ask Your Child for Advice
Let your child know that encountering problems is a common experience so they’ll feel less alone when faced with their own challenges.
Be honest when you’re facing a problem that’s appropriate to share. For example, you have three chores to do before dinner, but you don’t have time to do them all in the few hours you’ve got.
Consider asking your child for advice so they can put their problem-solving skills into action. Weigh pros and cons for solutions out loud and ask them what they would do.
Teach Basic Problem-Solving Steps
Problem-solving can sometimes feel like an overwhelming process, but if kids realize they can break it down into manageable, definable pieces, it becomes less intimidating. Explain to them that they can tackle a problem by going through these steps:
- Say what the problem is
- Come up with different ways to solve it
- Choose one solution and try it
- If the solution didn’t work, think of possible reasons why it didn’t. Change the way you solve the problem with that in mind. Keep adjusting until you’re successful. When your solution does work, celebrate!
Engage in Activities Full of Problems to Solve
You can also nurture your child’s problem-solving skills by offering them hands-on experiences that contain opportunities to practice them.
Some activities that require problem-solving include:
- Board games
- Puzzles
- Sports
- Books that include brainteasers, mazes, crossword puzzles, etc.
Ask Open-Ended Questions
Learning to ask open-ended questions expands your child’s thinking and leads them to consider different approaches to solving a problem. Here are some questions to get their creative mind working.
When they are faced with a problem:
- What do you know about the problem?
- Is this similar to a problem you’ve had before? Can you solve it the same way?
- What are some different ideas to solve it?
When they have choosing between the ideas:
- What solution do you think is the best?
- Why do you think it will work?
- What will you do if it doesn’t?
When they’ve tried the solution:
- Did it work?
- If it didn’t, why not?
- What will you do to solve the problem now?
Introduce Coding
Learning how to code is a fun way for kids to build their creative problem-solving skills.
Based on research by MIT, Princeton, and Carnegie Mellon, the codeSpark app is personalized to your child’s abilities and offers lots of opportunities for them to practice the skills necessary to tackle problems, including thinking in steps, critical thinking, dealing with variables, and more!
Tips for Teaching Your Child How to Problem-Solve
You can support the development of your child’s problem-solving skills by encouraging them to let you know when they’re facing a challenge and by being alert to any behavioral changes you see that signal an issue. Help them solve the problem by providing support and encouragement.
These tips can help:
Try Different Solutions
Reassure your child that if one solution doesn’t work, there are others to try. Sometimes having that knowledge alone is enough to reduce anxiety, which can get in the way of moving forward with confidence.
Create More Positive Outcomes by Collaborating
Let your child know they don’t have to go it alone, and that letting others help them can make problems feel less daunting.
Encourage them to collaborate with family and friends by sharing and discussing ideas as they work toward solutions. Explain how when we put our heads together, we can learn from each other.
Big Feelings Are Common When Faced with a Problem
Give your child the space to express their emotions about a problem before you try to help them fix it. Acknowledge their feelings by repeating them out loud.
Once they know you understand where they’re coming from, your child will be much more apt to move forward and search for solutions.
Take the Opportunities Your Child Offers You
When your child comes to you with a problem, let them know how much you appreciate them sharing it with you. Really listen to what they have to say, ask thoughtful questions, and use it as a moment to foster emotional connection.
This positive experience will make them much more likely to confide in you again, which will give you more opportunities to help them build their problem-solving skills.
Give Your Child Space to Make Mistakes
Be there for support as your child problem-solves, but allow them to make mistakes and try to correct them on their own. Remind them to be patient and persistent as they try different solutions. It’s all part of the learning process!
Provide Encouragement
Encourage your child when you see them taking constructive steps to solve a problem. Praise them even when something they try doesn’t work. Celebrate progress over perfection!
Let’s Problem-Solve Together!
The more your child practices solving problems with your help, the more natural the process will be for them and the stronger their skills will become.
Begin is ready to support you both with products that build problem-solving skills in many different ways—with games and activities in the HOMER, Learn with Sesame Street, and codeSpark apps, and with hands-on kits from Little Passports. We help show kids the way to problem-solve through play!
Frequently Asked Questions
How can the “5 Whys” method help with problem solving?
In this method, you state the problem, then ask “why” five times in succession to get to the cause of it. It’s easy to get stuck on the first reason you think of, so continually questioning gets you to dig deeper.
Some claim this method helps you figure out exactly what you’re trying to solve.
What can I do if my child avoids problems?
Try to get to the root of why they avoid facing problems. Do they find problem-solving overwhelming? Are they unsure how to begin the process? Are they afraid they’ll fail?
Validate their feelings and thank them for sharing them with you. Then let them know you’re always there to help support and guide them as they tackle challenges.
What are the five stages of creative thinking?
Being able to think creatively is a huge asset for solving problems. The creative process tends to fall into a five-stage format:
- Preparation: brainstorming
- Incubation: letting your ideas sit for a while
- Insight: the ideas coming together and sparking a possible answer
- Evaluation: trying a solution and analyzing it
- Elaboration: fixing, reimagining, and coming up with the answer
