Hey fellow grown-ups! Problem-solving skills? Nah, who needs those in life, right? We’ll just let our next generation Google their way through everything.
Let’s talk about something interesting. You know how being a grown-up means dealing with lots of tricky stuff like paying bills, meeting work deadlines, and handling household chores? It’s like trying to solve a big, complicated puzzle.
Have you ever wondered what kids are dealing with? They have their own challenges, just like us. They’re learning how to think carefully, be creative, and grow as people. According to a study by Shaffer, kids can start developing basic problem solving skills from the age of three. This further continues to develop as they grow.
In this blog, we’ll read through ways of problem-solving activities that even a kindergartener would give a high-five to. We can actually make teaching problem-solving skills for kids a whole lot easier!
Importance of Problem solving skill in children
According to a report by the National Center for Education Statistics, as many as four-fifths of high school graduates are not adequately prepared for college-level coursework, which includes problem-solving skills Isn’t it stressing?
Kids, being the little Picassos they are, often come up with solutions that are, let’s say, out of the box. Like suggesting building a rocket ship to school instead of taking the bus.
But here’s the twist – instead of slamming the creativity brakes, keep an open mind. After all, Elon Musk did start somewhere, right? Encourage their wild ideas.
Ah! Kids and their unique problem-solving approaches. Some of them haven’t quite figured out how to deal with problems yet. Instead of facing them, they tend to dodge them like a pro dodgeball player. It’s crucial to help students learn how to solve problems and make better decisions. We need to teach them how to ask themselves questions, as this skill can be useful in various situations. According to deakin.edu, the three most basic problem-solving techniques are defining the problem, listing out all the possible solutions, and evaluating the options.
Here’s what the process of self-questioning for students looks like:
First, stop and ask, “What’s the question I need to answer?”
Next, ask your kids to think about how you can get information. What do different people say about it?
Ask the child to imagine brainstorming ideas. How can he/she pick the best one and organize his / her thoughts?
Ask the child to picture making a plan, just like planning a trip. What steps do you need to take, and who should be involved?
Finally, the child should look at his/her work as if you’re checking homework. What did he/she do well, and how can they make it better?
Here are some cool ways you can get your kids involved in problem-solving activities:
Activity #1
Build-a-Story Game
Begin with a simple story idea or a classic opening like “Once upon a time in a land far, far away…” Take turns adding one sentence to the story at a time. Each person’s sentence should continue or introduce new characters and ideas.
The goal? Create a story that’s funny, imaginative, and maybe even a little bit silly!
Activity #2
Shape Sorting Adventure
What You Need:
A bunch of cool objects with different shapes (like toys or building blocks).
Your imagination!
Collect your shape buddies – the objects with all kinds of shapes. Make sure they’re ready to join the adventure! Lay out all your shape friends in front of you, like they’re lining up for an exciting game. Here’s the fun part! Here’s where the fun kicks in! Your job is to put these shape pals together in groups based on their shapes. Can you gather all the square ones? What about the round ones?. Can you put all the square ones together? How about the round ones? Imagine you’re a shape detective. Study each shape carefully and decide which group it belongs to. It’s like solving a cool puzzle! If you have a friend with you, you can work together like a shape-sorting team. Share your ideas and see if you both agree on where each shape belongs. Once you’ve sorted all your shape friends, take a good look. Did you do it right? Are they all in their correct shape teams? If something doesn’t look right, no worries! Sit down and chat about your shape sorting adventure. How did you decide where each shape should go? What did you learn today about shapes and solving puzzles?
Activity #3
Rapid Skits Challenge
Materials Needed: A open space
This is a high-energy group activity where the kids work together to find solutions to tough situations. Here’s how it goes
Get some small cards with different scenarios or questions. For example, “You see a friend cheating” or “Your little sibling accidentally breaks your favorite toy.” Depending on how many kids there are, you can either make teams (with 6-8 kids per team) or have individual players stand up. Each team then acts out a short skit based on the scenario card they pick. For smaller groups, each child shares their own perspective on the same scenario.
This activity helps them sharpen their problem-solving skills and encourages them to show empathy by navigating real-life situations in a creative way. You can change up the scenarios, but the main goal stays the same.
Activity #4
Pair & Share: Building Better Ideas Together
This activity is a great way to nurture creative and promising ideas. Here’s how it works.
Start by generating a list of possible solutions or questions to explore. Each student should jot down their three best ideas.
Once everyone has their lists, pair up with a classmate. Together, discuss your combined six ideas and decide on the top three from this set. Write these new top three ideas on a piece of paper.
Now, your pair needs to join hands with another pair, creating groups of four. In these groups, talk about your collective six ideas and work together to select the top three ideas from this larger pool.
Continue this process. Joining with more pairs until the whole class comes together as one big group. In this final stage, everyone discusses all the ideas and collaboratively agrees on the top three ideas that stand out the most.
And that’s it! Kids have worked together to find the top three ideas, combining the best of everyone’s input. This activity helps us work together to find the most promising ideas and fosters creative thinking.
Wordless Movies to Teach Problem-Solving
To make problem-solving fun, show kids wordless movies that depict characters facing challenges and finding solutions:
These wordless movies spark creativity and encourage kids to think about how characters overcome challenges without words.
- Ormie the Pig: Watch here
- “Let Me In!” – Simon’s Cat Shorts #2: Watch here
- “Sweet Cocoon” by ESMA: Watch here
- “Birds on a Wire” – For the Birds: Watch here
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