Every organization looks for people who can solve problems effectively. But none of us are born with such problem-solving skills. We all need to develop them over time. If you want your kids to become great problem solvers, you need to help them learn the necessary skills right from the start. we have a map together few tips that will help to improve problem solving skills for kids.
You must be aware that these skills are highly valued in both social and work situations. While schools and colleges are good places to learn new information and develop new skills, you should focus on helping your kid solve problems from home.
6 Steps of Problem Solving
When kids (even teenagers) learn skills and strategies for problem-solving and start to sort out conflicts on their own, it boosts their confidence. It makes them a more independent and better place to make the right decisions all by themselves.
In this blog, we will discuss 6 steps for problem-solving, which can be helpful to young people facing unavoidable problems. If you are a responsible parent, you should help your child get acquainted with the following steps.
Identify the problem:
The first step towards solving a problem is figuring out what the problem exactly is. This allows you and your kid to understand the problem in the same way. Then you need to put the problem into words, making it seem more solvable. Here are a few examples:
- Your assignment is due next week.
- You have been using other people’s things without asking them first.
You should focus on the issue, not on the person or the emotion. If you choose to highlight the problem while being emotionally driven, your child may feel attacked and get defensive or feel frustrated as they do not know how to solve the problem.
It is recommended you be reassuring to your child while helping them to identify the problem. For example, instead of telling your kid, “Why didn’t you finish your assignment earlier,” you should tell them that it is essential to submit the assignments on time as it can impact their overall grades. Tell them, “We’ll find a way to solve the assignment sooner.”
Try to figure out why it is a problem?
Help your kid describe what is causing the problem and where it is coming from. It will be helpful to consider answering a few questions, including the following ones:
- Why is this so important to you?
- What do you think might happen?
- Why do you need this?
- What is the worst thing that could happen?
- What is troubling you?
As your kid answers these questions, try to listen to them without arguing or debating. It will help you understand what your kid is currently going through. Encourage them to use statements such as “I need … I feel … I want …” to help them boost their confidence. Also, be open about the reasons for your concerns, and avoid blaming them for any inconvenience.
Brainstorm to find out the possible solutions to the problem:
Furthermore, to encourage problem-solving at home, you need to sit with your kid and make a list of all the possible ways you can solve the problem. You should consider all the possibilities – whether they sound sensible or not. Try to avoid being judgemental or debating these issues.
If your kid is having trouble coming up with solutions, you should help them with this thing by suggesting some resolutions of your own. This way, you will be able to set the tone. Suggesting something funny or extreme can help make the brainstorming session more interesting, allowing your child to come up with their suggestions effortlessly. Try to come up with a minimum of five possible solutions together and write down all the possibilities.
Evaluate the solutions:
Once you and your kid have a list of possible solutions, look at each of those solutions and determine the pros and cons of each. This way, no one will feel that their suggestions are being criticized. Once you list the pros and cons, you need to evaluate those points to ensure which suggestion is more beneficial.
Rating the suggestions based on their effectiveness will help you and your kid sort out the most promising solutions. While choosing the solution, make sure that it can be put into practice and solve the problem without fail.
If you did not find any solution that looks promising, you need to go back to the brainstorming session again to come up with different solutions. Also, talking to other people about the problem may study help you and your kid get a range of fresh ideas.
Put the solution into action:
Once you choose a solution, you and your kid need to plan together how it will work. Instead of keeping the discussion verbal, try to write down the ideas. For example, you can include the following points:
- Who will perform what?
- When will they do it?
- What do you need to do to put the solution into action?
You may also discuss when you will meet again to look at the progress of the solution. Your kid may require some level of coaching to feel confident with their solution. For example, if they need to solve an assignment with a short deadline, outlining the task may help them finish it faster.
Evaluate the result of the problem-solving process:
Once your kid has put the plan into action, you need to assess how it went and help them to go through the process again if there’s a need. You need to give the solution some time to work and acknowledge that not all solutions will work. Sometimes, you will have to try different ways to see which solution works.
Being able to adapt to the situation when things don’t go as planned is a part of effective problem-solving. You should ask your kid the following questions –
- What has worked perfectly?
- What did not go as planned?
- What could you do differently to make the solution work more effectively?
If the solution does not work, you may need to get back to step 1 and redo the process. There is a possibility that you may have made a miscalculation while identifying the problem.
Final thoughts
These steps do not make a kid a great problem solver overnight. It is a continuous process that you need to perform with your kid to help them sharpen their problem-solving skills. Your communication skills and your guidance can certainly make a huge difference in the process of making your kid a genuine problem solver for all cases.
Author bio: Tyler Gough is a career counselor by profession, based out of New York, USA. He is associated with Assignmenthelp.us, where he offers assignment writing help to students on requests. He also has a Ph.D. in the field of psychology.
