Problem-solving is a life skill and Kids who lack it may grow up depending on someone else to solve their own problem for them. I decided to stop helping my 7-year-old son tie his shoelace because he was getting too comfortable and entitled to me helping him out. I remember asking him one day as he was about alighting from the school bus why he didn’t tie his shoelace, and he said he couldn’t tie it. This of course is after teaching him how to tie it severally, so I told him I am done helping him. Surprisingly the next morning I saw him slugging it out with it. Even though he didn’t tie it appropriately, I intentionally ignored it and when he showed me and said: “mummy I did it!” I gave him a proud smirk. With time he became better and even added some bit of style. 

Kids face various problems and difficulties every day and, in most cases, would rather ignore them rather than investing time into solving them. Some ignore and wait for mummy to solve it because mummy will, of course, always step in. If you are always stepping in to help your child do what they should do for themselves, then you are pulling the helicopter parenting stunt, and that may create even bigger problems for them in the long run. Meanwhile, when you give kids a clear way for solving problems, they’ll feel more confident in their ability to try.

Here are 5 simple steps to teach kids problem-solving skills.

Step 1. Identify the problem

Identifying the problem is the first head start tip every child must know, in order to solve problems. For example, if your child is facing difficulties in a particular subject at school, then he or she is expected to voice out to you ‘’mum/dad I’m having issues with Math”.  Stating this problem out loud is a big step in problem-solving and that is the beginning of actions that lead to the solution. As we know a problem shared is a problem half solved.

Step 2. Develop Possible solutions

The next step to teach kids is finding possible solutions to the problem. Ask them to brainstorm about possible ways to solve the problem. Emphasize that all the solutions don’t necessarily need to be good ideas. Help your child develop solutions if they are struggling to come up with ideas. The main goal is to help them see that with a little creativity, they can find many different potential solutions.  For instance, after the math problem has been identified, probe them what the exact problem is, how it can be solved, what should be done? You can also suggest spending more time studying math, or getting extra lessons from tutors, or using online games to help your kids learn math the fun way. 

Step 3. Identify the pros and cons of the solution

Help your child identify potential positive and negative consequences for each potential solution they identified. This helps them to weigh their options and helps them come up with a possible solution that works.

Step 4. Pick a solution

Once your child has evaluated the possible positive and negative outcomes, encourage them to pick a solution. Don’t forget our example, now it’s time to pick one solution to help your child learn math better. After weighing the pros and cons, you have settled for maths games which you consider to be most effective. Let’s go to the next step.

Step 5. Try it out

Tell them to try a solution and see what happens. If it doesn’t work out, they can always try another solution from the list that they developed in step two. 

When kids are faced with difficulties or problems, don’t be too quick to solve their problems, instead help them to walk through the problem. This helps them develop the ability to solve their own problems in the future and become independent and these few steps are just a practical way to help them.  You can step in only when you feel they are finding it difficult to come up with a solution.

Problem-solving skills and collaboration are necessary 21st-century skills every parent must teach their kids. See our article on six tips for teaching kids teamwork