problem solving skills in toddlers

Discovery Play with Littles

2:01 pm ·

15 Powerful Problem Solving Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

I looked over to her table and she’s crying. Again. While everyone else is happily working away, she sat there, unable to move, just crying. 

Not asking for help.

Not trying to solve her problem.

Just crying.

I took a deep breath before heading over. We’ve already been at this for several months…isn’t it about time the problem-solving has kicked in yet?

One glance and I could tell what her problem was. She didn’t have her pencil.

Know how I knew?

It laid on the floor beside her. In plain sight.

As a kindergarten teacher, I don’t jump right in and solve problems for kids. It’s good for them to try to solve the problem themselves. This is something she struggled with. 

I reminded myself of the need for patience and empathy as I walked up to her. “What’s wrong, Amanda?” 

“I…can’t…find…my…pencil….” she sputtered out between sobs. 

“Ok, that’s a problem we can solve. What have you tried?” 

“I don’t know.” 

After a long time trying to first, calm her down, and second, come up with some strategies she could try, she finally found her pencil. At that point, everyone else had finished the project. 

What is Problem Solving?

Problem-solving is the process of finding a solution to your problem . This can be quite tricky for some young children, especially those with little experience in finding more than one way to solve a problem.

Why is Problem Solving Important? 

Problem-solving skills are used throughout childhood into adulthood. As adults, we solve problems on a daily basis. Some problems we solve without thinking much- I wanted to make tacos for dinner but forgot to buy the ground beef. What are we going to have for dinner now?

Other problems are significantly more complicated. 

Problems for kiddos can be problems with friendships, the inability to find something that’s needed, or even what to do when things don’t go your way. 

Kids who lack problem-solving skills struggle to maintain friendships or even begin to attempt to solve their own problems. 

Children who lack problem-solving skills are at a higher risk for depression as well.

What Are Problem-Solving Skills?

Problem-solving skills are:

• Breaking Down a Problem into Smaller Parts
• Communication
• Decision-making
• Logical Reasoning
• Perseverance

That’s a big list to teach toddlers and preschoolers. Where do you begin?

The Problem-Solving Steps

Sometimes kids are so overwhelmed with frustration that it affects their ability to solve problems.

Kids feel safe in routines, and routines help them learn and grow. After a few times of repeating this routine, you’ll find your kiddo starts to do this on their own. 

It’s important not to skip straight to solving the problem , because your kiddo needs to be in a calm state of mind to solve the problem, and also they need to know their feelings are valid. 

• The first thing to do when your kiddo is struggling with problem-solving is to validate their emotions.

In doing this, they will feel more understood and learn that their emotions are okay. There are no bad feelings, and we must learn how to manage our emotions. 

This might sound something like “Oh, I can see you are really frustrated that the block won’t fit on there right. Let’s take some deep breaths to help us calm down before we think about what to do next.”

• Next, work through your calm-down process . This may be taking some deep breaths together, hugging a stuffie, or giving your kiddo some quiet time to calm down their heart and mind.
• Identify the problem . This sounds like something you may have already done (before the meltdown) but it’s important to be very clear on the problem you’re solving. Have the child tell you their problem out loud.
• Move on to solution-finding . When your kiddo is ready, talk about what the problem is and three possible solutions. When possible, let your kiddo do all of the talking. This allows him to practice his problem-solving skills. It’s important to remind him that the first thing he tries may not work, and that’s ok. There’s always another way to solve the problem. If he’s prepared for this, solutions that don’t work won’t be such a frustrating experience. 
• After you’ve done that, test your solutions one by one. See what works. If you haven’t found a solution yet, go back and think of different ways you might be able to solve your problem and try again.

Are you tired of hearing “It’s TOO HARD!” followed by a meltdown?

Using this one simple phrase you’ll get in this powerful lesson, you’ll not only be able to help your kiddo not give up but you’ll:

>Activate their superpower of perseverance so that they can turn around a meltdown and keep trying

>Inspire them to use perseverance …even when it’s hard

>Teach them to recognize the warning signs of giving up , and how to turn it around by taking control of their choices.

Grab your powerful FREE video lesson to teach your kiddo one of the most powerful keys to perseverance.

Powerful Activities that Teach Problem-Solving Skills to Toddlers & Preschoolers

These activities below may look simple, but don’t let that deter you from trying them. A lot happens in little developing brains and these powerful activities help toddlers and preschoolers make connections and develop {many} essential skills-more than just problem-solving.

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Puzzles are fun and a great way to encourage cognitive development in children. They are great for spacial reasoning and strengthening problem-solving skills. They also develop memory skills, critical thinking, and the ability to plan and execute the plan. Toddlers will enjoy the simple puzzles, and preschoolers will do great with floor puzzles with larger puzzle pieces.

Doing Simple Chores

Doing simple chores is a great way to teach children problem-solving skills, and it strengthens responsibility and perseverance as well. 

During the toddler years , you may start with just picking up their toys, or helping you put their dirty clothes in the hamper. 

Preschoolers can take their dirty dishes to the sink (or load them in the dishwasher), collect the trash, dust, wipe baseboards, and do their own personal care items like making their bed, taking care of their dirty clothes, and putting clean clothes away.

Stacking Rings

When watching a toddler play with stacking rings it doesn’t look like much is happening, but playing with these toys is full of ways to encourage development. It helps with visual and spacial perception and planning ahead, but it also with balance control, crossing the midline, creative play, and gross motor skills. Not to mention it’s a great opportunity to practice problem-solving. 

Playing Hide-and-Seek

Hide and seek has many surprising benefits for kids. Playing hide and seek is like a treasure hunt that helps develop gross motor skills and encourages physical development, as well as problem-solving skills. It also helps young children develop visual tracking, working memory, and social-emotional skills.

Imaginative Play

Imaginative play (also called role-play) builds important skills. Through pretending to be in different situations, kids develop social skills, emotional skills, better communication, and problem-solving skills. Imaginative play is a great idea for young toddlers all the way to older children.

Free Play 

Many young children don’t have {enough} time for free play. Free play is important for healthy brain development , not only developing imagination, cooperation, physical skills, and independence but also providing a great opportunity to strengthen problem-solving skills. 

Playing with Wooden Blocks

Building blocks are a fun way for children to develop creative thinking, imagination, problem-solving, fine motor skills, and if working with others, cooperation, communication, and friendship.

Playing Memory

Memory games improve attention, focus, visual recognition, and concentration. It helps children recognize details and of course, strengthens problem-solving skills. 

Ask Questions

When I see my son struggling with something, my first instinct is to give him choices or at least lead him in the right direction. The better thing to do is to ask very open-ended questions that lead his process, not his thoughts.

Questions like “What’s one way to solve your problem?” are much more effective in teaching problem-solving skills than “Well, where did you last see your stuffy?” 

Read Books and Social Stories

Reading books is one of my favorite ways to teach any skill. It’s extremely effective at teaching, and it’s also an amazing bonding time with kids.

When we read stories, our brain reacts as if we’re living in the story. This is why reading books about skills such as problem-solving is so effective. 

Kids of all ages learn from the people they love . (Yes, even those older kids who you don’t think are paying attention.) Often as adults, we’re too busy going through our daily routine to think about talking about the way we solved the problem at work that day.

Talking about how you use skills such as problem-solving, perseverance, and integrity is a great way to set an example, and an expectation that this is how we do things, and it will provide encouragement for your kiddo to do the same.

Scavenger Hunts

Scavenger hunts are a great group activity that can strengthen your child’s logical thinking and problem-solving skills.

When Your Kiddo is Ready, Add These Activities

Preschoolers would benefit from all of the fun activities on the list above and when they’re ready, feel free to add in the following activities.   

Mazes are great for problem-solving and perseverance, but your kiddo will need to have decent fine motor skills to do these activities. Mazes are one of our favorite activities. We love to take our activity book of mazes in the car with us for road trips. 

Board Games  

Board games are a good way to strengthen problem-solving, teamwork, planning skills, patience, sportsmanship, and communication skills. They also strengthen family relationships by providing some intentional time of connection .

Any board game can also be turned into an academic game with just a deck of cards for whatever skill you’re working on. If you’re working on the alphabet, put one letter on each card. Before each player’s turn, they draw a letter card and say the letter’s name. (You may accidentally forget the name of a letter every now and then to see if your kiddo is really paying attention!) 

Allow Opportunities for Hands-On Investigations

Kids are tactile. They love to touch and explore things with their hands. This is a good activity for toddlers also, as long as they are out of the putting everything in their mouth stage. Hands-on exploration is great for language development, sensory exploration, and problem-solving.

Allowing kids to investigate with their hands allows them to see how the world works up close. It also gives them time and space to try to make things work…and problem-solve when it doesn’t go as they think it should.

The Most Difficult Way (and Most Important Way) To Strengthen Problem-Solving Skills

Watching our kids struggle is hard ! We don’t want to see them having a hard time…and most of the time we don’t want to deal with the impending meltdown. Standing back and giving our kids time and space to work through even simple problems is hard to do. It’s also the most important way to strengthen problem-solving skills. 

As parents, we’re like frogs in boiling water. When our kids are infants, they need us to recognize their needs and solve them immediately. As they get older, they can point to what they want, but we still have a lot of interpreting and problem-solving to do on our own. If we aren’t careful, we stay in this stage and don’t teach our kiddos the steps to problem-solving for themselves. 

The next most difficult thing? Allowing natural consequences to happen. (As long as your child is safe of course.) If your child saves their money for a long time to buy a new toy, but walks down the toy aisle and picks up something you know they’ll be disappointed with, let it happen. It will teach a valuable lesson that will last for years to come.

Another Essential Part of Problem-Solving

Perseverance is a big part of problem-solving. We are rarely able to solve problems the first time, and it’s essential that kids can find more than one solution to a problem. Studies have found that perseverance is actually the biggest predictor of success, even more than aptitude or raw talent. 

An entire module is dedicated to perseverance in our course for kids, Super Kid Adventures . Your kiddo will get 25 teacher-led lessons on character traits (perseverance, empathy, friendship, responsibility, and wellness) and activities that take their learning further. 

Want a free preview? Grab a FREE Perseverance video lesson that teaches your kiddo one of the most important secrets that help them use perseverance.

Want More? 

If you like this, you’ll love: 

The Ultimate List of Books that Teach Perseverance

7 Simple Ways to Encourage Independence in Young Children

How to Help Your Child Develop Self-Help Skills

Your Turn 

What are your favorite ways to teach problem-solving skills?

About Elizabeth

Elizabeth is a mama of two boys, a former teacher, and the founder of Discovery Play with Littles. Her mission is to make raising kids with character simple and fun. Join us for our best learning through play ideas, character growth activities, and family connection ideas so you can watch your child thrive.

Reader Interactions

As a SLP trying to guide parents as I work with their child. I would like to know what toys to recommend to my parents as I assist in guiding their child’s development in cognition and expressive language.

Perseverance is the biggest predictor of success, even more than raw talent or aptitude.

Grab a FREE lesson to teach your kiddo one of the keys to perseverance...which is how we talk to our brains.

They'll learn what to say when they encounter something difficult, and why it's so important.

PLAY is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood. -Mr. Rogers

17 Valuable Problem Solving Activities for Toddlers

Posted on February 24, 2023

Problem solving activities for toddlers don’t need to be overly complicated.

I would sit there watching my toddler as he was playing with his toys during his playtime . He would be trying to fit a block into one of those circular toys with the shapes cut out.

He was trying to put a square into a circle cutout.  After a couple of attempts, he clearly couldn’t get it to work and he absolutely lost his cool.

There is yelling and screaming and the toy was eventually thrown some distance across the room. This was not a one-off event.

My second child didn’t seem to have such a lot of trouble with these kinds of situations but my third child is very much the same as her older brother.

Problem-solving skills come easier to some people than they do two others.

However problem-solving skills are an important asset to have no matter who you are or what stage of life you’re in.

Life can be complicated and challenging and we often come across situations that we’re not comfortable in and we’re not sure how to handle.

But is it really that important to start working on problem-solving skills when our kids are still just toddlers?

Why are Problem-Solving Activities for Toddlers Important?

Layers. Let’s think about problem-solving skills in layers.

You may feel as though it’s not very important for your toddler to be working on problem-solving skills but that is the furthest thing from the truth.

The toddler years build-up to the childhood years build-up to teenage years and the teenage years built up to adulthood.

Each stage contains its own unique set of problem-solving that needs to happen and problem-solving skills are a crucial part of toddler cognitive development.

The problem-solving skills that a toddler must learn are not going to be the same as what a teenager is going to need to learn.

However, the skills that a toddler learns are going to directly impact the skills that a teenager is going to be able to learn and how easily they’re able to learn them.

What your toddler learns now is going to make their problem-solving so much easier when they are a teenager.

To put it frankly you want to allow your toddler to be learning problem-solving skills now in order to make their future that much easier. 

Important Skills that Problem-Solving Offers

Let’s just take a moment to really consider everything that your child will gain from having some problem-solving skills. Problem-solving is great but it isn’t the only thing that your child is going to gain.

They will gain the ability to be more creative, have more flexibility, patience, and lateral thinking. 

Your toddler will gain skills such as resilience, level-headedness, and persistence. These may be basic skills, to begin with, but over time they will grow and get stronger and hugely benefit them in the long run.

Your child’s ability to increase their critical thinking skills and work out their own problems is made much easier if they’re given the opportunity to practice these skills as young children.

A List of Problem-Solving Games and Activities for Toddlers

As parents, we can sometimes overthink how our children are going to learn specific skills. An important thing to remember is that a child’s work is play. Play is a child’s work. Children need very little to learn important skills.

However, you can definitely help set up certain scenarios where your toddler can practice the art of problem-solving.

Because children learn through play I am listing a lot of games and activities for toddlers that are meant for building up problem-solving skills. 

I have also included at least one general life activity that takes place in the home. Children do learn through play but there are also just daily activities that are going to help hone their problem-solving skills. Sometimes we just need them to be pointed out.

We often just need some new ways suggested to us when we’re at a dead end for what the best way and most fun way is to teach these kinds of cognitive skills.

This seems like a really obvious answer but it is sometimes the simplest things that make the most difference.

There are there is an abundance of puzzles out there that are perfect for toddlers to home their problem-solving skills with.

My one piece of advice would be to make sure that it is age appropriate. If you pick one that is too advanced you’re only going to end up with a very frustrated toddler. 

#2 Asking Open-Ended Questions (Imaginary Games)

This is something that can be a really fun activity to do with your toddler and there are different ways to do it. You could set up a storytime where they are going to be telling the story themselves. To help them with this you simply ask them open-ended questions. In my experience kids absolutely love this.

You can also make this in an imaginary game. We all know how much our children love for us to play with them and to play imaginary games specifically.

Let them run the narrative by asking them questions. Young toddlers very often come up with the most hilarious storylines.

#3 Scavenger Hunts

This is an activity that all of my children love even my kids who are well out of the toddler stage. For that reason, it can be a really great family activity to do together.

 Create your own scavenger hunts or find one on Pinterest or Google. Make it into a treasure hunt if you really want to up the excitement level. Your older children will love this too.

 Your toddler will have so much fun hunting for things around your house or your yard. It’s a great way of developing their problem-solving skills as they have to think about where certain things would be.

You could even have them create a scavenger hunt for their siblings are friends to do. This is one of those fun activities that can be rehashed many times over.

#4 Creative Play

Creative play isn’t necessarily a toddler activity that you have to set up because they naturally fall into it all on their own. However, it is important to acknowledge how wonderful creative play is for helping to develop problem-solving skills.

Have you ever had a child come to you and complain that their sibling or friend is not playing by the rules of the game that they themselves created?

This is a perfect example of how they are developing their problem-solving skills.

Children naturally create scenarios and situations that are promoted by their life experiences and the things that they see around them.

Creative play gives them the opportunity to role model the examples that they have been exposed to and to work out different scenarios. This is a vital skill for them to develop at a young age.

Most kids can come up with all sorts of games without any toys at all however if you do want to provide toys for the specific kind of play look under toys listed as role play or creative play.

Consider a toy kitchen dress-up clothes play money. All of these things can have open-ended uses for play and learning vital skills. 

When they practice this kind of creative free play with other children, they’re also practicing their language development and working on solving difficult situations. It’s a really good way to overhear what they really are learning.

#5 Creating Patterns

I homeschool my children and one of the things that they all really in have enjoyed doing is learning about patterns. However, this is not something that you have to wait to teach your child until they are school-aged.

Toddlers are more than capable of recognizing patterns around them.

You can get free printables or printables that are very affordable that are specifically made to use with toddlers.

You can get them to continue the pattern or create their own pattern using flashcards.

This is an excellent way of developing problem-solving skills using simple games and even small objects. Use chocolate chips and cheerios to create a pattern. It’ll be great for their fine motor skills and they’ll love the treat when you’re finished the game!

Now, this is obviously not a game or specific activity for toddlers however chores are a normal part of life. In our home, everyone does their bit to help the home run smoothly.

You can totally give your toddler some basic chores that they are responsible for. Simple things like taking a rag and dusting the baseboards. My toddlers have always loved to be helpful in this way. It’s a great way to teach them problem-solving skills. They will learn about the tools they need to use the job to complete the job and how to get the job done well.

As they get older their skills will also get better. 

#7 Stacking Blocks

Stacking blocks are a pretty staple part of many toddlers’ toy chests. It’s an open-ended imaginative toy that your toddler can learn great problem-solving skills from.

The simple act of having to balance blocks on top of one another without them falling over is a skill in and of itself. These were a favorite toy in our home when I had really little kids.

Using building materials such as wooden blocks helps them to problem solve and learn important concepts such as balance, spatial reasoning, and many other great skills.

Little minds can be seen working through the thought process of all the possible solutions for what they want to build.

This was a toy that I often had set aside for independent play (a great tool to have during the early years!).

#8 Magnatiles

Magatiles are another great toy option for open-ended imaginative play. Again your toddler will have to make sure that they understand how to get the tiles to fit together and create the shapes that they’re trying to achieve.

#9 Hide n Seek

Playing hide n’ seek honestly holds some of the fondest memories I have of my kids. There is just something about hearing their little giggles as they are trying their best to hide from me that just melts my heart. Ultimately I end up in fits of vehicles myself.

In all seriousness, your toddler can learn some great problem-solving skills by playing this game with you their siblings or friends.

#10 Grouping Activities

Another simple activity that teaches great problem-solving skills is having your toddler practice grouping specific items based on either their shape color or other identifying thing.

#11 Playing Playdough

Play-Doh is one of the cheapest and most accessible open-ended play items that you can give to your child. You can either just leave them to play with it or you can give them playdough mats where they can create specific shapes with their player.

This is a great activity for developing hand dexterity and also problem-solving skills amongst other things. 

#12 Reading Together

You might not consider reading together an activity that would develop problem-solving skills. However, as your child goes through the story with you and the character that you are reading about is struggling with specific issues your toddler is also going to be thinking about how those issues might be resolved.

A way to make this activity even better is to have a discussion with your toddler as you’re reading a story or after you’ve finished it. 

#13 Gardening

Gardening is a really wonderful activity for your toddler to be involved in.

Not only are they going to learn about plants how they grow and what they can produce for us but they can also learn some valuable problem-solving skills as they help alongside you in the garden. 

#14 Shape Insert Toys

Remember that toy that my son was really struggling with at the beginning of this article? Well despite his frustration it is actually a really fantastic toy for teaching toddlers problem-solving skills. 

#15 Games (Think, Fun, Roll)

There are different games that you can play with your toddler that can also help with problem-solving skills. One that we really love in our home is Think, Fun, Roll .

But there are also board games such as Candyland that toddlers really love and will teach them great skills. 

#16 Playing Memory

Some toddlers may find it a little frustrating playing the game memory . However, if you’re smart and modify it and make it a little easier then this can be a really really wonderful game for toddlers to build up their problem-solving skills.

They’ll learn the process of elimination. They also work on extending their concentration and obviously they’ll be working on their memory skills too.

#17 Daily Activities

Finally, I just want to address one of the most obvious things and that is daily activities. Your child will be doing things like getting dressed brushing their teeth picking up their clothes taking their plate to the kitchen and many other simple tasks like this every single day.

Do not fail to see the wonderful skillset that they will gain from doing these basic tasks.

Toddlers can learn great problem-solving skills simply by getting dressed in the morning.

We really don’t need to overcomplicate things.

Problem-solving is such a vital skill to have especially in adulthood but the things that we provide for our children now will make a big difference in the future.

It can take patience on our behalf and a lot of grace at times to give them the space to really practice their problem-solving skills.

It’s not fun having to listen to your toddler frustrated and whining as I try to learn something new and not step in to fix it for them.

However, you have to see how good is for them to learn these skills. There will be times when you will need to step in and help but a lot of the time it will be great for them to figure it out on their own.

I hope these toddler activity ideas give you a great jumping-off point for a way to teach a child really great problem-solving skills. 

Hi! I’m Christine – a homeschooling mom of three. I see homeschooling simply as another facet of parenting. Just as you teach your child to tie their shoes, you can also teach them how to read and do arithmetic. As a second-generation homeschooler, I know the endless benefits that homeschooling offers. I went on to complete a Bachelor of Nursing and have now chosen to stay at home with my children (while also running an online business).

I have a heart for mothers that feel as though they are just existing from day to day and are longing for more. You can find out more about me and my family over on my ‘ About Me ‘ page.

As well as the abundance of posts you’ll find on my blog, you can also find me over at iHomeschool Network and Today Parenting .

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8 Engaging Problem Solving Activities For Toddlers

Learning to problem solve is an important life skill that is learned through years of practice and patience. These 8 problem solving activities for toddlers and preschoolers are proven ways to help give your child a head start with this skill.

We can not always be there to help our little ones solve their problems. We CAN, however, provide them with the right tools and resources to help them learn to solve problems independently.

What is Problem Solving?

Problem solving is essentially the process of finding a solution to a problem. To successfully problem solve, children first have to analyze the problem in detail, think about it critically, figure out what needs to be done, brainstorm different strategies to remediate the issue, and then evaluate if the solution was successful.

For children, this can be a very complex and difficult process simply because of their lack of experience.

Since we draw on our knowledge and experience when faced with obstacles, it is important we expose our children to activities that will help give them both the knowledge and experience they need to help face these challenges.

Why Problem-Solving is Important for Young Children

Learning to problem solve is incredibly important during early childhood. Not only does it play a major role in a child’s cognitive development , but it is also a critical component of their academic success and ability to maintain healthy relationships.

When children can effectively solve a problem, it drastically improves their self-esteem and self-confidence. This is especially important when it comes to academics.

Children who can not effectively problem solve tend to get frustrated easily and they may begin showing signs of avoidant behaviors. This can cause children to feel incompetent in school and with relationships which can ultimately lead them to falling behind academically.

Luckily, children learn at an incredible rate, especially during those first couple of years. As you expose your child to different problem-solving activities they will gain the confidence needed to face any challenge they may encounter.

Problem Solving Skills in Early Childhood

Problem-solving skills require the cognitive capabilities to think through a problem and take appropriate action. Some problems may need a simple fix while others may require the use of many of these skills.

Examples of Problem Solving Skills:

• Adaptability and flexibility
• Analytical thinking (being able to break a complex problem down into more manageable parts)
• Communication
• Creativity and innovative
• Critical thinking
• Decision making
• Logical Reasoning
• Negotiation

How to Teach Problem Solving Skills (+ Strategies)

The best way to teach this skill is to expose your child to various activities that will require a bit of critical thinking and problem-solving.

The problem solving activities for toddlers listed below is a great place to start!

While this skill can be learned during free play , children will develop even stronger problem-solving skills if you encourage this type of thinking and reasoning during certain activities.

Strategies For Parents, Caregivers, or Teachers:

1. Model problem solving by talking out loud in front of your child

Since children lack the experience, they may find it difficult to problem solve. Try modeling this skill when you run into daily problems.

For example: ”I ran out of sugar to make my coffee sweet. Since I do not have any more sugar, what can I put in my coffee to make it sweet? I will put some honey because honey is naturally very sweet!”.

2. Ask open-ended questions

When children approach you with a problem, try asking open-ended questions to help them solve the issue on their own.

Here are some example questions:

• Why did your blocks fall over? What can we do next time to make it stronger?
• What other games you can play with your ball?
• What are some other things can you use to make the fort bigger?

Sometimes children just need a little push to help them find creative solutions.

3. Avoid fixing every problem for your child

One of the best things you can do for your child is to avoid fixing every problem for them.

Whether it is a toy-related issue, a difficult math equation, or a social conflict with a friend or sibling. Try to encourage your child to solve some of these issues with as much independence as possible.

8 Problem Solving Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Here are 8 simple problem solving activities for toddlers and preschoolers. While these activities may seem to be very simple and basic, do not let that fool you. Learning through play is the best way to ”teach” our children the skill of problem solving.

Puzzles are a great activity to encourage skills like trial and error, persistence, and patience. Each new puzzle presents a new set of challenges that the children have to work through.

When children are around 2 years of age you can start with plastic or wooden shape sorters. As they get older and their skills develop, you can give them more complex puzzles to complete like 9 or 12-piece puzzle sets.

2. Sorting Activities

This activity is so simple because you can sort anything including toys, clothes, and even fruits and veggies.

Children learn to compare, contrast, and classify based on what they are observing. This helps with logical thinking, analytical thinking, and it gives children a sense of order. This type of systematic thinking is very helpful for problem solving because it teaches children to perform tasks in a structured manner, much like the steps to solve a problem.

3. Board Games

Board games are a great problem solving activity for toddlers and preschoolers! I love that it can be interactive with young children and adults!

When children are younger, it is best to start with simple games like Zimboos . This is a stacking game that requires children to analyze, critically think, and collaborate with others to make sure the pyramid stays balanced.

As children get older you can advance to more complex games like Quirkle . This game includes a puzzle-like component that allows children to develop their spatial recognition, planning, and problem solving skills. 

4. Construction Play

Construction play using mega blocks, wooden blocks, or even train track sets is an amazing way to help support your child’s brain and cognitive development.

Everything from planning what they want to build to figuring out what to do when certain pieces don’t fit together helps children learn the foundational skills for problem solving.

These are the types of toys I would encourage all parents to have readily available for their children.

5. Story Time Questions

There are so many amazing benefits of reading to your child and it is one of the best listening activities for kids !

As you read to your child, try making it an engaging experience. You can start by asking them open-ended questions to really help them think through certain problems and scenarios.

Here are some examples of the types of problem-solving questions that can be asked during a read-aloud:

• What healthy foods should the caterpillar have eaten to not get a stomach ache?
• The Duck and Penguin don’t like each other, what can do they to work it out and become friends?
• If you lost your shoe, how would you try and find it?
• If your kite got stuck in the tree, how would you try and get it down?

6. Fort Building

I remember always building forts as a child and constantly running into problems. The blankets were always too small, or I couldn’t get them to stay in place!

This is why it is such a great activity for problem-solving! Children have to plan, make decisions, analyze, evaluate, and solve problems. The best part is that most kids will persevere through despite all these challenges because the end result is so much fun!

7. Simple House Chores

If there is one thing I have learned since becoming a mom is that kids love to help! I really enjoy involving my toddler when I am doing work around the house.

To encourage practice with problem-solving, ask your child questions so they can think of solutions to your problems. If your child is still young, this is a great opportunity to model problem solving by simply talking out loud.

Here are some examples:

• These clothes are really dirty, what should we do?
• How can we make our clean-up time faster?
• There are so many toys on the floor, how can we sort and organize them?

8. Scavenger Hunts

Scavenger hunts are an incredible learning activity for kids. Since kids learn best through play , it is important to make learning an enjoyable experience for them.

I love scavenger hunts because of how many different skills are involved. Children have to use their observational skills, critical thinking skills, and imagination to solve the problem and complete the tasks.

These are also very customizable. You can use words, pictures, or even descriptions depending on your child’s skill level.

I hope can incorporate some of these problem solving activities for toddlers into your daily routine to help your child become a master problem solver!

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The 9 Best Cognitive Activities for Toddlers

Some skills gained from the problem-solving activities include lateral thinking, analytical thinking, creativity, persistence, logical reasoning, communication skills, and decision-making skills. 

The Importance of Problem-Solving Activities for Toddlers

In almost every stage of growth, children are likely to encounter some difficulties. How they handle these challenges depends on the skills they have built over time.

That’s why every parent should invest in quality problem-solving activities for their child. The skills mentioned above are critical for toddlers, and it can be challenging to develop them.

Early ages are the best time for children to learn how to solve different problems in a fun way. 

In many cases, many young mothers are students who dream of spending as much time as possible with their children, but they are held up with advancing their knowledge in their areas of specialization.

To have more time for toddlers as young mothers, you can use the online essay writer service EduBirdie to have your research papers written by top writers. EduBirdie has great writers, and you will receive quality work at the right time. This automatically translates to excellent scores.

If you have more time with your child, you are likely to notice the challenges they are going through and choose the best problem-solving activities for them.

The more problem-solving activities they perform, the more likely the child will develop excellent skills that will enable them to navigate most of the challenges in their lifetime. Here are some simple problem-solving activities for toddlers:

1. Building a maze

Building a maze is fun outside and one of the best activities for 2-year-old toddlers. Since toddlers can’t yet do a maze in an activity book, this is a great way to use their problem solving and navigation skills.

Draw a big maze on the pavement with sidewalk chalk . Then, make passages, including a few that end in a dead-end. Teach your toddler how to walk through and find their way out.

Allow them to try it on their own. The more trials, the better the child gets at figuring out the best way out. If the child gets used to the simple maze, you can draw a more complex one, adding more dead-end passages to make finding their way out more complicated.

This way, you will enhance their cognitive skills, which are vital for success in their life.

Puzzles are some of the best sensory activities for toddlers. They help a lot in enhancing the thinking capabilities of toddlers.

A puzzle is a big set of muddled-up things that must be sorted out and put back together.

The best type of puzzle for children is wooden puzzles , as they last longer, and the frame provides a structure to guide the child while playing. Inset puzzles are perfect for toddlers, especially ones with familiar objects (transportation, animals, colors, and shapes).

So, make an effort to sit with your child and help them play different puzzles. It’s even better than leaving your toddler to play with fancy toys with flashing lights and music.

Solving puzzles is real learning and allows the students to build their skills at their own pace. It’s ok to let them get a little frustrated! The more you leave them to independently figure it out, the quicker they will gain the skill.

3. Following patterns

Following patterns is just a simple activity that can be played with colored blocks, counters, or shapes. In this case, the child should simply make a pattern with the blocks and vary it by changing the patterns’ colors, shapes, or sizes.

At first, you can demonstrate how to make simple patterns to your child and then make the patterns more complex as they get used to the simple ones. Following patterns train the toddler to analyze given information, make sense of it, recognize the pattern it should follow, and then recreate it.

For the complex patterns, carry out the first few steps and then ask your child to continue.

4. Board games

Playing board games is an excellent way to develop your problem-solving skills, and your child can quickly start with simple games. This could be CandyLand ( a huge hit with little ones) or Chutes and Ladders .

Board games teach toddlers the skill of following rules and moving logically.

With time, you can introduce games that require deeper thinking and planning, like Monopoly Junior. This game will require you to explain a lot, and sometimes you will have to play with the child.

You can also let your child play Go Fish to teach them how to think ahead and solve the problems they will encounter in the future.

Related Post: Perfect Board Games for 2 Year Olds

5. Storytime questions

Stories are a great way of teaching children moral values and the problem-solving skills they require for their lifetime. During storytelling, develop a habit of asking questions to help the child develop higher-order thinking skills like comprehension.

It’s simple: pause for a few minutes and pose questions about the story. Start with simple questions, like “What did the boy say?” or “Where did the family go?.”

Then move onto more abstract thinking, problem solving questions, like “what will the boy do now that his pet died?” or “what can the girl do to find her lost toy?”

You can also pose an unexpected question to make the child more attentive. Storytime questions teach toddlers to pay attention to details and concentrate on one activity at a time.

It also reinforces the message you were trying to pass to the toddler. As a result, the toddler will easily remember the story’s moral lessons and apply them when faced with challenges in their lifetime.

6. Building with construction toys

Construction toys could be engineering blocks, Legos, or a proper set of wooden blocks that can be used to construct simple structures.

Everything the toddler will build is challenging as it requires critical thinking in brainstorming what to build and how to put the different pieces together.

The design built should be functional and work as expected. So, let the child construct freely and occasionally set for them a challenge to be completed within the set time with specific conditions.

This could be building two towers with a bridge joining them or building a creature with three arms standing on its own. Let the kids exercise their brains until they find a way to make the structure work.

7. Classifying and grouping activities

Classifying and grouping activities are among the best sensory activities for toddlers. You can easily do this with a tin of buttons or by unpacking the dishwasher. The idea behind classifying and grouping activities is to teach the skill of categorizing information.

There are several button activities for your kids that you can adopt, and they include a messy play tray, making a nameplate, sorting buttons, ordering buttons, or making a button necklace.

Each activity will teach the child an important skill they need to solve problems in the future.

When was the last time you engaged in any of the activities discussed above with your child? Start young with these problem-solving activities that help them navigate most of the challenges in their lifetime.

Take time and choose one of the activities discussed above for your toddler. 

Author’s Bio

Helen Birk is a magnificent writer who creates beautiful stories that leave her readers asking for more. She’s been a wonderful storyteller and her years of experience help her do even better every time she takes up a new book to write. She’s currently planning a book that talks about the role of AI in the development of school education.

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The Ultimate List of Creative Problem Solving Activities for Toddlers

We will explore problem solving skills, milestones and creative problem solving examples for kids that you will have fun trying with your little one.

Let’s Define Problem Solving

It’s simple. Problem solving is a skill set used by your baby that incorporates his or her ability to perceive, think, and gain understanding about his or her world; including remembering and decision-making. All of these problem solving skills are also known as cognitive skills .

Purposeful Problem Solving

Problem solving is a skill that begins early in your baby’s life. But there is a difference between simple problem solving and purposeful problem solving. Let’s explain.

Purposeful problem solving involves an intended action to achieve a desired result. Your child will use a specific problem solving approach to achieve this. They may include:

• Manipulating objects
• Learning about different properties of objects
• Learning how to get things done in the easiest way

Overcoming Obstacles

Overcoming obstacles is a necessity in becoming good at problem solving . There are times when you will be convinced that your child is a genius with the clever ways he can overcome the obstacles that stand in his way!

Everyday Problems and Solutions

Make way for your little creative thinker! Overcoming obstacles in clever ways is what your little one does best. These clever ways are not always verbal (especially at a younger age), it is important to practice nonverbal problem solving activities. So, what will your baby’s creative problem solving abilities look like? Take a look at two examples of problem solving life skills activities:

Life Problem: Your child sees her bottle sticking out of the diaper bag that is slightly out of reach. Solution: Your child pulls at the strap of the diaper bag to pull it closer to her.

Life Problem: Your child sees his favorite toy on the other side of the laundry basket. Solution: He crawls around the laundry basket to get his toy.

Understanding Cognitive Development

Cognitive development is your child’s ability to communicate, think, and problem solve. As your child grows, his or her brain is growing as well. As your child’s cognitive skills become more developed, the more he or she will begin to explore their world and test things in his or her environment. Understanding your baby’s cognitive development is key to chosing the best activities to help your baby master his or her problem solving skills.

Resist Coming to the Rescue

One great tip for parents is to not be so quick to come to the aid of your child when he or she faces small everyday problems. By allowing your baby the time and space to figure things out for himself, you help him build confidence and grow his ability to problem solve.

Tips for Easy Creative Problem Solving Activities

We at ADAM & Mila wish to provide practical and easy to apply ideas for fun and educational activities. There is a variety of easy brain boosting activities to stimulate your baby’s brain, increase his or her critical thinking skills , and help your little one become a great problem solver. There are a lot of activities that you can do with your child.

Problem Solving Activities For Infants

• Sing to your baby
• Read to your baby every day

Problem Solving Activities For Toddlers

• Play peek-a-boo
• Play hide-and-seek with objects
• Play with puzzles, blocks, or drawing materials

Problem Solving Activities For Children Age 2-3

• Sort objects by color, size, and shape
• Help your child “write” his own book by writing his words while he or she draws the pictures
• Teach the words; on, under, behind, around by playing games like Simon Says
• Provide a “dress-up” box for your child for imaginative play

The Milestones of Developing Methodical Problem Solving Skills

Below we have collected all the milestones your child will go through month-by-month as he or she acquire these critical problem solving skills.

That Second Reach

Development Milestone emerges from age 5 to 7 months.

At about 5 months old, your child will begin to purposely reach for second objects while still holding on to the first one. For example, while holding one toy in his hands, he may use his other hand to reach for a second toy. He does not, however, have to necessarily pick it up.

Works for It

Development Milestone emerges from age 5 to 9 months.

Now, your baby’s movements start to demonstrate clear purpose, intention, and persistence while repeatedly reaching for objects. This is when your child will try and try again to get that ball he really wants that is out of his reach. He may reach, stretch, or even wiggle to get it.

Drops Object to Pick Up New Object

Development Milestone emerges from age 6 to 8 months.

At this age, if your little one is holding an object or toy in each of her hands, she may drop one of them to pick up a new object without even thinking about it. She isn’t yet purposefully trying to think of a way to hold all three, which is why she will drop one toy to get the new one.

Reaches for New Object While Holding Two

Development Milestone emerges from age 8 to 10 months.

Unlike the stage before, this time when your child is holding an object in each of his hands, he will attempt to pick up a third one without dropping the ones he is already holding. There is a thought process of how to hold the third item, whether it is by adjusting his grasp on the current two items, reaching with his mouth for the third item or coming up with another way.

Pulling It Closer

Now, when your child sees his favorite toy resting on a towel or sheet out of reach, he will simply purposely pull the towel or sheet with the toy on it closer to him. Observe this milestone on your child by simply placing a toy on a towel on the floor and see what your child does.

Development Milestone emerges from age 8 to 11 months.

Nothing is going to stop your little one from getting to the toy he wants! Not a box, laundry basket, or pillow. At this age, your baby will figure out a way to get that toy he wants, even if he has to push, reach above, or move around something to get it.

Getting in Motion to Grab an Object

Development Milestone emerges from age 9 to 12 months.

Now, your child is ready to crawl, creep, scoot, roll, climb, or walk to get to that toy she wants! You can test to see if your child has mastered this milestone by placing a toy that has multiple pieces like a stacking toy around the room. Place the base of the stacking toy by your child and the rings around the room and watch as your child problem solves to find the rings and bring them back to the base.

Pulling Toy Horizontally by a Handle or Strap

This stage shows your child’s understanding of how two objects are connected and how one can influence the movement of the other. So, you may see your child pull at a shoestring to get her shoe or the strap of a diaper bag to get her bottle or sippy cup.

Pulling Toy Vertically by a Handle or Strap

Development Milestone emerges from age 13 to 15 months.

Now that she has mastered pulling horizontally at a string or strap of an object to bring it closer to her, she will begin to pull at strings or straps that are hanging to pull an object up to her. For example, she may pull a string or plastic chain link of a toy dangling from her high chair.

Flips Over Container to Get to Small Objects

Development Milestone emerges from age 12 to 18 months.

When trying to get at a small object inside of a container, your baby will likely try to get at it by poking his finger in it or shaking it. However, after showing him how, your baby will flip over the container and begin to shake it until the desired object falls out.

Simple Problem Solving with Tools

Development Milestone emerges from age 17 to 24 months.

At this stage, your child will use an unrelated object to get the object she actually wants. For example, she may grab a nearby stick (or spatula) to get her favorite toy out from underneath the couch or she may invent other ways to solve her problem of getting her favorite toy out.

Turning Doorknobs

Development Milestone emerges from age 21 to 23 months.

Now, the fun begins (depending on your idea of fun) because your toddler has figured out that he or she can get to the other side of the door by simply turning the doorknob. This means you need to do another round of baby proofing. A door is no longer an obstacle.

These are some of the many milestones that your child is mastering as he or she is growing from infant to toddler. Your baby’s ability to problem solve is an important one. It can also be a lot of fun to help them along the way as that skill continues to develop. It is important to note that every baby learns at his or her own pace. So, don’t worry if your baby isn’t doing what your neighbor’s kid was doing at that age. Always speak to your pediatrician for serious concerns. Otherwise, try out some fun activities with your baby that we know will benefit both you and your child. Oh, and remember to have fun!

We hope that this article was helpful to you. We would love to know what you think! Please share our article with others who might benefit from it.

Read our complete guide to Cognitive Development Milestones

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April 3, 2019 at 6:27 pm

Enjoyed reading your article on early childhood growth and thinking process for problem solving. Helpful

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25 Fun Problem Solving Activities for Kids

Problem-solving activities for kids : Explore 24 fun problem-solving games and activities, and learn effective tips and strategies to teach kids problem-solving skills. If you want to explore problem-solving strategies more in-depth, you can also grab our workbook “ Problem-Solving for Kids ” (printable resource).

Problem-solving is the cognitive process of finding solutions to challenges or complex situations.

A systematic approach to problem-solving tends to include defining the problem, gathering information and data, generating potential solutions, evaluating the pros and cons of each solution, making a decision, and implementing the chosen solution.

Effective problem-solving often requires critical thinking, a good dose of creativity, and the ability to consider multiple perspectives. It may also involve identifying patterns, breaking down a problem into manageable chunks, and applying our logic to develop solutions.

Problem-solving is present in everyday situations and across all fields: business, science, personal life, and education. There is not one single aspect in our lives where we don’t need to apply our problem-solving skills.

Table of Contents

• Problem-solving steps
• Development of problem-solving in childhood
• Benefits of developing problem-solving skills
• 10 Tips to teach kids problem-solving skills
• 10 Examples of problem-solving strategies
• 25 Problem-solving activities and games for kids

Problem-Solving Steps

Some key components of problem-solving include:

• Identifying the problem Recognizing and defining the issue or challenge that needs to be addressed.
• Analyzing the problem Investigating and understanding the underlying causes, factors, and relationships related to the problem.
• Generating solutions Generating potential solutions or strategies to address the problem.
• Evaluating all possible solutions (Pros and Cons Analysis) Assessing the feasibility, effectiveness, and potential consequences of each solution. Considering the positive and negative aspects of each solution.
• Decision-making Selecting the best solution based on our analysis and judgment.
• Implementing the best solution Actioning our chosen solution
• Monitoring progress and results
• Reflecting on the outcomes Reviewing and evaluating the outcomes of the implemented solution, learning from the experience, and making adjustments if necessary.

Development of Problem-Solving Skills in Childhood

Children begin to develop problem-solving skills from a very early age, and these skills continue to develop and refine throughout childhood and adolescence.

Babies soon learn about action and reaction. And, as early as eight months, they begin to acquire an understanding of cause and effect (they shake a rattle, it makes a sound; they push a toy, it falls)

Between 13 and 24 months, they start solving simple problems through trial and error and engage in symbolic play using their imagination.

As children progress into middle childhood (ages 7-11), they develop more advanced problem-solving skills. They become capable of understanding multiple perspectives and can consider multiple factors when solving problems. They start using logic and reasoning to solve increasingly complex problems.

During adolescence (ages 12 and up), problem-solving skills continue to develop. Teenagers can generate and test hypotheses and use deductive and inductive reasoning to arrive at solutions.

Each child will develop their problem-solving skills at their own pace. Some children may show advanced problem-solving abilities at an earlier age. Others may require more time and experience to develop these skills fully.

Benefits of Developing Problem-Solving Skills in Children

Problem-solving skills in children are crucial for children’s cognitive, social, and emotional development. It equips them to approach challenges, think critically, make informed decisions, and find creative solutions. 

The benefits of good problem-solving skills in children include:

• Positive impact on self-esteem and confidence Identifying, analyzing, and solving their problems contributes to our kids’ sense of competence .
• Fosters Independence and Autonomy When our kids are able to problem-solve on their own, they take one more step toward independence
• Academic Success Problem-solving skills contribute to academic achievement, as they help students analyze and solve complex problems across various subjects.
• Cognitive Development Problem-solving fosters cognitive skills such as logical reasoning, analytical thinking, and abstract reasoning.
• Critical Thinking Problem-solving enhances critical thinking abilities, enabling children to evaluate information, identify biases, and make informed judgments.
• Creativity Problem-solving promotes creativity by encouraging children to think outside the box, generate innovative ideas, and explore multiple solutions.
• Emotional Resilience Problem-solving skills enhance emotional resilience by enabling children to manage and cope with challenges effectively, reducing stress and promoting well-being.
• Improved Social Interactions/Relationships Problem-solving abilities contribute to better social interactions, conflict resolution , and peer collaboration, promoting healthy relationships.
• Future career success Problem-solving skills are highly valued in the workplace and can positively influence future career success.

10+ Helpful Tips to Teach Kids Problem-Solving Skills

Teaching problem-solving skills to kids is an important part of their cognitive development. It helps them develop critical thinking, creativity, and resilience.

But how can we help our kids and students to develop this essential skill?

We can help our kids and students develop and improve their problem-solving skills in many ways.  These are some helpful tips that you could consider:

• Model problem-solving behavior When you see yourself in a problem-solving situation, verbalize your thought process: “I wonder how I should address this issue. I guess my alternatives could be… They all have positives and negatives….”
• Let them participate in the problem-solving situation “Could you help me solve this puzzle?”
• Provide real-life problem-solving situations Real-life scenarios make problem-solving more meaningful for kids. For example, discuss how to resolve a conflict with a sibling or how to make the morning routine smoother.
• Teach them how to break down problems Show them how to break down complex problems into manageable sub-problems.
• Practice brainstorming Create brainstorming situations where all the family (or the classroom) can contribute to solving a problem
• Teach the value of perseverance Sometimes, we must stick to a situation and persevere before finding a solution. Encourage kids to persevere through challenges and setbacks, emphasizing that mistakes and failures are opportunities for learning.
• Encourage critical thinking Encourage kids to analyze situations, consider different perspectives, and evaluate possible outcomes.
• How could we make your school lunch healthier but still yummy?
• How could we reuse/recycle all this paper?
• What could we do to help you remember all the steps in your night routine?
• Encourage reflection When they can find a solution for a problem, don’t jump to solve it for them. Encourage them to reflect on the problem and find and evaluate alternatives. And after a problem is solved, think about the whole process and the learnings. “How did this work?” “What did you learn” “Do you need to change anything?”
• Foster creativity Provide them with opportunities for imaginative play, creative projects, and brainstorming sessions.
• Teach the value of teamwork Teach kids the importance of working together to solve problems. Engage them in group activities or projects that require teamwork and collaboration. This helps kids learn the value of different perspectives and work together towards an objective while they practice their communication skills.
• Teach decision-making skills Teach kids how to approach problems systematically by going through the steps we have mentioned in our first section.
• Encourage both structured and free play. Structured play can help you create good problem-solving situations, while free play will foster creativity.

Developing problem-solving skills is an ongoing process that will also continue in adulthood. Provide your kids with guidance and support, and celebrate their efforts and achievements along the way.

10 Examples of Problem-Solving Strategies

There are different strategies that can help us solve a wide range of problems. Here are some commonly recognized problem-solving strategies:

1 . Trial and Error : This is the first problem strategy that we ever learn. We start using trial and error strategies in infancy, and it continues serving its purpose in many situations. This strategy involves trying different solutions or approaches and learning from the errors or failures until a successful solution is found.

2. Algorithm: An algorithm is a step-by-step procedure or a set of rules that guarantees a solution to a specific problem. It is a systematic approach to problem-solving that follows a predetermined set of instructions.

3. Heuristics: Heuristics are mental shortcuts or rules of thumb that help simplify problem-solving by providing quick and efficient strategies. While heuristics can be effective in many situations, they may also lead to biases and errors.

4. Divide and Conquer: This strategy involves breaking down a complex problem into smaller, more manageable chunks or steps that make the overall problem easier to tackle.

5. Working Backwards: This strategy involves starting from the desired outcome and working backward to determine the steps or actions needed to reach that outcome. We often use this problem-solving strategy when we set goals.

6. Analogical Reasoning: Analogical reasoning involves drawing parallels between the current problem and a similar problem that has been solved in the past. By applying the solution from the previous problem to the current one, individuals can find a solution more efficiently.

7. Brainstorming: Brainstorming gets lots of brains working on the same problem. It is a great collaborative problem-solving strategy that can bring different perspectives and experiences to the table and may result in lots of creative ideas and solutions. 

8. Decision Matrix: A decision matrix is a systematic approach to evaluating and comparing different options or solutions. It involves creating a matrix that lists alternatives and the criteria for evaluation. It assigns weights or scores to each criterion to come up with the optimal alternative.

9. Root Cause Analysis: Sometimes, we need to understand what is causing a problem before we can attempt to solve it, as different causes may require different approaches (for example, when you are sick, your doctor may need to understand what is causing the problem before prescribing a medicine)

10. Simulation and Modeling: Simulation involves creating a simplified representation or model of a problem situation to gain insights and test different scenarios.

Our choice of strategy will depend on the problem, available resources, and our own personal preferences and circumstances. We may also need to combine strategies or apply different ones to different aspects of a complex problem.

(Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. You can also read our Disclosure & Disclaimer policy  here )

Best Problem-Solving Activities for Kids

Play-based activities are centered around play and are designed to engage children in active learning and exploration. And fun problem-solving activities are a great way to develop children’s critical thinking, creativity, and decision-making skills.

In this section, we will review some problem-solving games and activities that will engage your kids’ critical-thinking skills and creativity.

1. Puzzle Games Puzzles are a fun activity for children of all ages. Young children will enjoy simple puzzles, while older children (and adults!) can have fun with more complex ones. Encourage them to use logical thinking and problem-solving strategies to complete the puzzles.

2. Crosswords A crossword is another fun type of puzzle and a good source of mental stimulation.

3. Sudoku Sudoku is a popular logic-based puzzle that involves filling a grid with numbers.

It can be extremely easy or very challenging, adaptable even for young learners.

Let’s go now for a couple of building challenges!

4. Build the Tallest Tower Give the child a set of materials (Legos, building blocks, wooden blocks, or other construction materials) and ask them to build the tallest tower they can. This simple game will encourage them to problem-solve as they build and figure out how to make the tower stable.

5. Build Towers with Different Materials Ask your child to build three different towers with different materials. Then assess how stable they are and how much weight they can hold. Analyze the pros and cons of using each type of material.

6. Treasure Hunt Set up a treasure hunt with clues leading to hidden objects or rewards. Children will have to follow the clues and solve puzzles to find the ultimate prize. This activity encourages problem-solving, critical thinking, and teamwork.

7. Scavenger Hunt Playing Scavenger Hunt can be a fun way for our kids to put their creative problem-solving skills to good use. Provide them with clues and puzzles that they must solve in order to find the next clue.

8. Mystery Bag Fill a bag with random objects and ask children to come up with creative uses for each item. Encourage them to think outside the box and find innovative solutions.

9. Memory Game While memory games primarily focus on memory retention and recall, they can indirectly contribute to problem-solving skills by developing cognitive abilities such as attention, information processing, and adjusting their strategies.

10. Role-Playing Scenarios Create role-playing scenarios where children have to solve a problem or make decisions. For example, pretend to be stranded on a desert island and ask them to decide what items they will take and how they will survive.

11. Role-Play Social Situations Work in developing social skills with social problem-solving situations.

12. Brainstorming Sessions Choose a topic or problem and hold brainstorming sessions where children can generate as many ideas as possible. Encourage them not to limit themselves (even if alternatives feel unfeasible!)

13. Team Building Activities and Games Engage children in team-building games like building a balloon tower. Each team member will need to collaborate, communicate, and problem-solve together to complete the project.

14. Escape Rooms An escape room is a super fun team problem-solving activity.

In an escape room, participants are locked inside a themed room and must work together to solve puzzles, find clues, and accomplish tasks within a given time limit in order to “escape” from the room.

15. Science Experiments Conduct simple science experiments that involve problem-solving. For example, in the classic “sink or float” experiment, children predict and test which objects will sink or float in water.

Problem-Solving Board Games

There are many board games that will test our kids problems solving activities. These are just a few examples:

16. Cluedo Players must solve a murder mystery by deducing the murderer, the weapon used, and the location of the crime. Players collect and examine clues to eliminate possibilities and make logical deductions.

17. Codenames Another classic game where players are split into two teams and must guess words based on clues from their teammates.

There are many codenames games available, including themes like Disney or Harry Potter.

18. Mastermind Game In this strategy game players take turns setting and solving secret codes

19. Scrabble Scrabble is a classic word game where players form words on a game board using letter tiles.

Kids must use their problem-solving skills to analyze the available letters, consider the best word combination and strategically place those words to score the highest points.

Learning Problem-Solving with Card Games

Card games provide opportunities for kids to develop problem-solving skills such as strategy, memory, pattern recognition, decision-making, and observation.

Just a couple of examples:

20. Uno Uno is a classic card game where kids match cards based on color or number. They need to assess their cards, strategize and make decisions about which cards to play to get rid of their cards while also considering the cards in their opponents’ hands.

21. Go Fish Go Fish is a classic card game where players try to collect sets of cards by asking other players if they have specific cards. Players need to remember which cards they have and make decisions about who to ask and what sets to pursue.

22. Coding Challenges Introduce children to coding activities using platforms like Scratch (or ScratchJr for younger kids), Code.org, or Tynker. Coding involves problem-solving and logical thinking, and children can create interactive stories, games, or animations.

23. Outdoor Problem Solving Take children outside and present them with challenges that require problem-solving, such as building a shelter using natural materials or finding their way through an obstacle course.

24. Problem-Solving Worksheets Help your child follow a systematic approach to problem-solving with these helpful worksheets

25. Goal-Setting Activities for Kids Learning to set goals and make plans to achieve them is also a problem-solving activity. I have several resources to teach kids about goal-setting that I will list below:

• Goal-Setting Activities for Kids
• SMART Goals for Kids
• Goal Tracker Thermometer

Remember to provide guidance and support during these activities while encouraging children to think independently and come up with their own solutions.

Problem-Solving Worksheets

Looking for kid-friendly examples of problem-solving strategies ?

This workbook explores the following  problem-solving strategies  (with child-friendly examples and activities):

• Trial and Error
• Heuristics (Clever shortcuts)
• Divide and Conquer
• Working Backwards
• Brainstorming
• Decision Matrix
• Root Cause Analysis
• Systematic problem-solving

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Problem Solving Activities for Toddlers

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7 Problem Solving Activities for Toddlers

If you have a toddler, challenges like tough homework problems or social dilemmas are still a long way off. But their brains are already working to build the cognitive skills they’ll need to solve life’s “big” problems later on. For now, problem-solving activities – even ones that seem simple to us – can help them boost their cognition, resilience, and creativity. Best of all? These “problems” are actually fun! Here are seven simple problem-solving activities for toddlers and preschoolers you can start trying right away!

Memory Games

Those little memory card games with matching pictures are great for building concentration, memory, and problem-solving skills in your toddler! Many sets might come with a few too many pairs for a toddler to handle without help, so start with just three to four pairs and see if they can match them up! As they begin to master that, you can add in more and more pairs until they’re working with the entire deck. If you don’t have a deck, you can easily DIY your own with online printables or your own drawings.

Shape Sorters

Shape sorters are a classic problem-solving toy for young toddlers. In addition to matching the shapes to the correct holes, they’ll also need to figure out why the shapes don’t always fit into the hole, requiring them to rotate the shape or make subtle adjustments to their grip.

Sorting/ Grouping by Category

Sorting activities are excellent for toddlers’ problem solving and cognitive development, so there’s no need to stop with shape sorters! Set up simple activities that allow them to sort by a variety of categories. This can be as simple as letting them unload the dishwasher silverware tray into the silverware organizer. Or ask them to gather up all the yellow items they see in a room.

Rotating puzzles is a great way to keep the problem-solving challenge fresh for your toddler. Even a familiar puzzle can present a fun, “new” challenge for your toddler if they haven’t seen it in weeks.

Hide the Teddy Bear

One cognitive milestone for two-year-olds is the ability to find an object that’s been hidden under two or more layers. Once they’ve mastered that, they’ll be ready for more advanced hiding games. Try hiding a teddy bear or other toy when they aren’t looking and then give them clues to find it. You can start off with basic directions and then progress to tougher clues or games of warmer/ colder.

Help Mommy/ Daddy

Toddlers love to help, and helping Mommy or Daddy with a problem can be a lot less frustrating than solving their own. For example, if your little one has been determined to put on their own socks lately but always ends up super frustrated, try mimicking the same problem yourself and asking for their help. You can coach them through the process (“Now we need to stretch out the opening of the sock!”), and because their emotions aren’t already running high, they’ll be more likely to actually absorb your tips. You can model how to stay calm through frustrating situations and help them build confidence in their ability to tackle the same problem later.

Constructive Play Toys

The ability to build a block tower of four or more blocks is actually considered a cognitive milestone for two-year-olds. For three-year-olds, a tower of six or more blocks is the expected milestone. That’s because building anything, even a simple block tower, is a true problem-solving challenge for toddlers. Blocks, train sets, and other building toys let your child work out how to balance, fit pieces together, and deal with frustration as they learn to master the challenge.

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Easy Problem Solving Activities For Toddlers

Problem solving activities for toddlers are not only a great way to boost their critical thinking skills but also provide playtime fun for curious little minds.

These daily activities help toddlers develop important cognitive and motor skills while enhancing their creativity and imagination.

By engaging in problem solving activities, toddlers learn to think logically, make decisions, and develop a growth mindset.

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20 Problem Solving Activities For Toddlers

Sorting games.

Provide objects or toys for toddlers to sort by color, shape, or size. This activity encourages critical thinking and classification skills as they group items into different categories.

Want to know more about the benefits of sorting? Read this.

Sensory Bins

Create sensory bins filled with materials like rice, beans, or water, along with scoops and containers. Toddlers can explore textures and practice problem-solving through sensory play.

Here are more sensory play ideas for kids .

Obstacle Courses

Set up simple obstacle courses using pillows, cushions, and other household items. Toddlers navigate these challenges, enhancing their problem-solving abilities and physical coordination.

Need some climbing toy ideas? check out this list.

Offer water play activities with cups, funnels, and toys. Toddlers can experiment with pouring, filling, and discovering the properties of water, promoting problem-solving through exploration.

Need more water play ideas? check out Water Table Activities For Toddlers and Exciting Bath Activities For Toddlers .

Nature Walks

Take toddlers on nature walks to observe and interact with the natural world. They can explore different elements like rocks, leaves, and insects, fostering curiosity and problem-solving.

Need more on nature adventures? Check out Nature Exploration Kits For Outdoor Learning !

Shape Matching

Provide shape sorting toys or puzzles for toddlers to match shapes to corresponding holes. This activity develops spatial awareness and problem-solving skills as they learn to recognize and fit shapes.

Want to know more about child development and shapes? Check out When Do Kids Learn Shapes?

Cooking Together

Involve toddlers in simple cooking activities such as mixing ingredients or assembling sandwiches. This hands-on experience encourages problem-solving and following instructions.

Check out the Benefits Of Cooking With Children to learn more!

Animal Matching

Introduce matching games with pictures or figurines of animals. Toddlers can pair animals together, enhancing their memory and problem-solving abilities through this interactive activity.

Engage toddlers in age-appropriate DIY crafts using materials like paper, glue, and recycled items. Crafting activities promote creative problem-solving and self-expression.

Check out Art And Craft Kits That Boost Creativity !

Story Sequencing

Use picture cards or storybooks to prompt toddlers to sequence events in a story. This activity enhances comprehension and problem-solving through storytelling.

By the way here are the 16 Worst Children’s Books to avoid.

Pattern Recognition

Create patterns using blocks, beads, or stickers for toddlers to replicate. This activity promotes critical thinking and pattern recognition skills.

Sensory Exploration

Offer sensory play with materials like playdough, slime, or kinetic sand. Toddlers can explore different textures, encouraging problem-solving through tactile experiences.

Check out Safe Playdough For Babies – Fun & Non-Toxic !

Block Stacking Challenges

Encourage toddlers to build towers or structures with blocks. This activity fosters spatial reasoning and problem-solving as they balance and stack blocks.

Blocks are an excellent teaching tool overall, but I LOVE to play blocks with my toddler. Check out Tips To Be More Playful With Your Toddler !

Color Mixing

Provide paint or colored water for toddlers to mix. They can experiment with creating new colors, promoting problem-solving and exploration of cause and effect.

Shadow Play

Use flashlights or natural light to create shadows. Toddlers can manipulate objects to explore and problem-solve, creating different shadow shapes.

Music and Movement

Engage toddlers in music and movement activities like dancing or playing instruments. This fosters problem-solving and creativity through rhythm and movement.

Outdoor Scavenger Hunts

Organize scavenger hunts in the backyard or park, challenging toddlers to find and collect items based on visual cues or descriptions, developing cognitive skills.

DIY Sensory Boards

Create sensory boards with textures like sandpaper, fabric, or bubble wrap. Toddlers can explore and problem-solve through tactile stimulation .

Building Bridges

Provide materials like blocks, cardboard, and tape for toddlers to construct bridges or ramps for toy cars or animals. This encourages problem-solving and engineering skills.

Imaginative Play Prompts

Offer props or costumes for toddlers to engage in imaginary play scenarios. This fosters problem-solving and creativity through role-playing and imaginative play.

Need more imagination play ideas? check out 75 Easy Imagination Games For Toddlers and Best Games To Play With Dolls !

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Problem-Solving Skills for Kids: 10+ Games, Activities & Worksheets

Teaching Problem Solving Skills for Kids is about more than just solving math problems or deciding who gets the last piece of pizza. It’s about preparing them for real life, where they face many situations every day that require quick and effective decision-making.

It’s important for parents and educators to guide children to think creatively and keep trying, rather than solving every problem for them.

For example, if two children want the same toy, instead of deciding for them, encourage them to talk and come up with a sharing plan. This approach not only solves the immediate issue but also teaches valuable lessons in negotiation and fairness.

Kids who learn problem-solving skills become good at seeing challenges as chances to learn and grow, not just obstacles.

What Are Problem-Solving Skills?

Think about a time when you had a messy pile of shoelaces or blocks. It might have seemed tough at first, but then you figured out how to sort it all step by step. That’s problem-solving!

Problem-solving skills are like superpowers for handling all kinds of challenges. Whether it’s sharing toys with friends or choosing a game that everyone enjoys, these skills help you find smart solutions.

It’s not just about solving problems.

It’s about understanding them, thinking creatively, and sometimes working together.

So, the next time you face a tricky puzzle or situation, remember you’re ready to use your problem-solving skills.

Are you ready to be a problem-solving hero?

Why Kids Need Problem-Solving Skills?

Imagine you’re on a team, tasked with building the tallest tower using blocks. Everyone has ideas, but how do you choose the best one? This is where problem-solving skills are essential.

Problem-solving is not just about figuring things out by yourself; it involves teamwork, understanding various perspectives, and finding solutions that satisfy everyone. It’s like being a detective in everyday life, solving puzzles that make life smoother and more enjoyable for you and your friends.

Being good at solving problems means you can better manage difficult situations, like sharing fairly or adjusting when plans change. This skill boosts your independence and confidence because you know you can tackle any challenge.

Plus, excellent problem solvers are valuable team members and friends that everyone appreciates.

Building Resilience

When children tackle problems and figure out solutions, they become more resilient. This resilience allows them to recover from difficulties and adopt a positive, growth-focused attitude.

As children handle more challenges by themselves, they start to see problems as hidden opportunities.

Fostering Independence

Problem-solving skills help kids become more independent. By learning to think critically and make their own decisions, children grow to rely on themselves.

This self-reliance is key to becoming a responsible adult. When parents and teachers support these skills, they empower kids to manage their own lives.

Teamwork and Collaboration

Teamwork and collaboration involve kids working together to find solutions and reach goals. It teaches them to share ideas, listen to each other, and work as a team.

During problem-solving, they come up with ideas, talk about them, and choose the best one. Everyone plays a part and their ideas are important.

Teamwork helps kids learn to cooperate, respect different opinions, and use each other’s strengths. This way, they can overcome challenges and come up with creative solutions together.

Academic Success

Helping kids succeed in school is about more than just learning facts. it’s about teaching them how to solve problems. These skills allow kids to think deeply, understand different situations, and come up with solutions on their own.

Through group projects, tough puzzles, and hands-on experiences, kids learn to face challenges with creativity and determination.

As they get better at solving problems, they become more confident and flexible, which helps them do well in school and encourages a lasting passion for learning.

Types of Problem-Solving Skills

Problem-solving skills for kids include critical thinking, creativity, and resilience. They learn to analyze complex problems by breaking them into smaller parts. Creativity helps them think of different solutions.

Being able to communicate well allows them to share ideas and work with others. Persistence and resilience teach them to keep going, even when things get tough.

These skills help children confidently solve problems on their own, which helps them grow and develop.

Creative Thinking

Creative thinking is all about seeing things from a new perspective. When kids learn to think creatively, they can come up with innovative solutions to problems.

This skill is valuable not just in academics but in all areas of life.

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking involves analyzing information and evaluating different solutions. It’s essential for problem-solving because it helps kids make informed decisions.

Teaching kids to ask questions, seek evidence, and consider different viewpoints enhances their critical thinking skills .

Decision Making

Decision-making is the process of choosing between different options. This skill is closely related to problem-solving because it involves weighing the pros and cons of various choices.

Helping kids understand the impact of their decisions and guiding them through the process strengthens their problem-solving abilities.

Strategies to Teach Problem-Solving Skills

Ready to help your kids learn problem-solving? It’s a valuable skill that can be enjoyable to teach. Here are some great ways to help your children become skilled problem solvers.

Start with guided play, where you create scenarios or games that pose challenges. For example, building a bridge with blocks to avoid a “lava floor” or figuring out how to share snacks equally. Guided play offers a safe environment for children to experiment and discover solutions.

Then, try story-based problem-solving. Use stories to present problems, and after reading, ask, “What would you do in this situation? ” This encourages kids to think critically and creatively about the issues in the story.

Encourage them to ask questions like “What if?” and “ Why not? ” This boosts their curiosity and enhances their problem-solving skills as they explore different outcomes.

Also, lead by example. When you encounter a problem, share your thought process out loud. Show how you consider options and consequences before making a decision.

This real-life demonstration can greatly influence their learning.

By using these strategies, you’re not only teaching your children to solve problems, you’re also equipping them with skills to handle school, friendships, and future careers

Encourage Curiosity

Encouraging kids to be curious helps them get better at solving problems. When kids are free to ask questions and find answers, they start thinking more deeply and creatively.

This is important for solving problems well. If kids have a safe space to explore and make mistakes, they learn a lot from those mistakes.

Role-Playing Activities

Role-playing activities are fun and interactive games where kids pretend to be different characters, like detectives or doctors.

They face various challenges that require them to think creatively, solve problems, and make decisions. This helps them develop important skills such as understanding situations, working together with others , and effective communication.

Open-Ended Questions

Open-ended questions are those that kids can’t simply answer with a “yes” or “no.” They help children think creatively and critically, boosting their problem-solving abilities.

By asking such questions, adults encourage kids to express their ideas and reasoning, which deepens their understanding and helps them come up with their own solutions.

This not only improves their communication skills but also helps them see different viewpoints and explain their thoughts. Overall, this method nurtures curiosity and equips kids to approach problems with confidence and creativity.

Reflective Practice

Reflective practice in problem-solving helps kids think about how they solved a problem. They learn which strategies worked and which didn’t.

This reflection helps them get better at solving problems, builds critical thinking, and teaches them to keep improving. It makes them stronger and more effective problem solvers as they grow.

Problem-Solving Games and Activities

Problem-solving games are not only fun; they’re also excellent brain training, helping you become quicker and more creative at solving problems.

Consider playing a treasure hunt where you solve riddles to find clues or building a maze for a toy car that you navigate using a straw. These activities require quick thinking, strategy, and foresight, mirroring real-life problem-solving.

Activities range from puzzles, where you piece things together, to strategic board games . Even team sports and pretend adventures teach you to observe, analyze, and act on key problem-solving skills.

Why not try these engaging games? Each puzzle you solve or strategy you perfect helps you become a better problem solver.

Ready to learn while playing? Let’s start and discover the great solutions you can create!

Puzzles and Brain Teasers

Puzzles and brain teasers are fun ways to boost kids’ problem-solving skills. These challenges can be jigsaw puzzles, tricky riddles, or math puzzles, all designed to make kids think critically and creatively.

By solving them, kids learn to break down problems, be persistent, and find different solutions.

Jigsaw puzzles, Sudoku, Rubik’s cubes or Riddle Generator

STEM Challenges

Set up STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) challenges in which kids build structures with blocks , design paper airplanes, or create simple machines using household items.

Websites like NASA’s “STEM Activities for Kids” offer great resources.

Indoor/ Outdoor Scavenger Hunt:

Create a scavenger hunt in your backyard or a nearby park. Give kids a list of items to find or clues to follow, encouraging teamwork and problem-solving.

Learn More here at : Indoor scavenger Hunt , Nature Scavenger Hunt . Halloween Scavenger hunt

Scenario-based Activities

While problem-solving activities are fantastic for developing cognitive skills, it’s equally crucial to equip kids with the tools to handle social challenges.

One way to cultivate these skills is by engaging kids in scenario-based activities. Present various social situations and ask, “What will you do?” Then, offer four alternatives to choose from. like

• Your friend wants to play with your favorite toy, but you don’t want to share it. What will you do?
• During recess, you notice a classmate sitting alone and looking sad. What will you do?
• Someone in your class is being teased by others. What will you do?
• Your friend borrowed a book from you and accidentally ripped a page. What will you do?
• You’re playing a game with your friends, but one of them keeps cheating. What will you do?

These scenarios cover a range of social interactions and dilemmas. Allow kids to give their own Perspectives on each. Offering alternatives will ease their thinking process. Here is the “What will you do?” Worksheet to download and use.

Science Experiments:

Conduct simple science experiments at home that involve problem-solving, like creating a DIY volcano or testing the buoyancy of different objects.

Here is the list,

• Sink or Float
• Paper Airplane Engineering
• DIY Volcano
• Magnetic Attraction
• Color Changing Milk
• Gummy Bear Osmosis
• DIY Rainbow

Board Games:

Play board games that require strategic thinking and decision-making, such as chess, checkers, or strategy-based card games like Uno or Settlers of Catan. here is the List

• Settlers of Catan Junior
• Ticket to Ride
• Robot Turtles
• Rush Hour Junior
• Forbidden Island

Art Challenges:

Give kids art challenges like drawing a picture using only geometric shapes or creating a sculpture from recycled materials. This encourages creative problem-solving and thinking outside the box. Like

• Collage Making With magazines, colored paper, fabric scraps, buttons, and beads
• Painting with Unconventional Tools Like sponges, cotton swabs, toothbrushes, or even vegetables
• Found Object Sculptures Like twigs, stones, bottle caps, and cardboard.
• Story Illustration
• Mosaic Art With cardboard or wood
• Shadow Drawing
• Tape Resist Art on on a canvas or paper

Escape Room Challenges :

Design a DIY escape room at home with age-appropriate puzzles and riddles. Kids can work together to solve clues and unlock the “escape.”

Trial and Error

Trial and error is a fantastic way for Kids to learn and explore new things. Just like we navigate the complexities of new gadgets, kids can dive into the world of toys and games with curiosity and determination.

Instead of giving kids all the instructions upfront, encourage them to experiment with different ingredients and techniques.

The kid might make a mess or burn a few pancakes along the way, but through trial and error, [he/she] will gradually learn how to whip up delicious meals.

Problem-solving skills are essential for kids to grow and succeed. These skills help children become strong, independent, and skilled.

Parents and educators can teach problem-solving through fun methods like role-playing , games, or asking open-ended questions .

It’s important to equip kids with the right tools so they can confidently and creatively face any challenge.

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I’m a former teacher (and mother of Two Childs) with a background in child development. Here to help you with play-based learning activities for kids. ( Check my  Next startup  Cledemy.Com )

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5 Simple Problem Solving Activities for Toddlers

One of the most curious times for a child is during their toddler years. As parents, it’s important to help them learn the skills they need to improve their senses and mental and physical health.

Problem-solving activities for toddlers are one way to help them during their early childhood development.

Problem solving skills are necessary for early childhood cognitive development. It helps them understand the new world they are in and wires their minds to become more independent day by day. They can see that one action can lead to another and that they have specific actions to follow to achieve something else.

Thankfully, there are plenty of problem solving activities for toddlers. Depending on what skill you want to help them develop, a specific type of activity can be done.

These problem skill types can typically be any of the following:

• Analytical Thinking
• Communication
• Decision-Making
• Lateral Thinking
• Logical Reasoning
• Negotiation
• Persistence

These may sound like complicated things but there are plenty of simple activities to encourage the development of one or two, if not all, of the skills mentioned above. Read further to find out our top picks for problem-solving activities that your toddler will love!

5 Simple Problem Solving Activities for Your Toddlers’ Thinking Skills

As parents, there are such wonderful moments when you see your child grow from a baby to an adult with the right set of skills to prepare them for the world. It is always a welcome idea to guide them every step of the way and see them develop through different ages. As they enter their toddler years, provide them with the toys, visual aids, and all other sensory materials they need to perform these problem-solving skills. And of course, the most important part is to make sure that they have fun when doing these activities. After all, learning through play is the best way to engage your little ones!

Pattern Blocks

Pattern blocks, also known as tangrams, are colorful blocks that come in different shapes and sizes. Your child will see it as another set of toys to have fun with. However, as you guide them into following certain shapes and color patterns, they will begin to see the challenge of creating wonderful images out of these pattern blocks.

You can print plenty of patterns online for this activity. Or, you can add a personal touch and do DIY patterns using the blocks or drawing them on a clean piece of paper.

You can also allow your child to explore their imagination by asking them to freestyle and just create whatever they want from the pattern blocks. Ask them to describe their creation after, and listen to them excitedly share with you how these tangrams turn into dinosaurs, houses, or their favorite animal.

Plus, if you need some quiet time to do something at home, giving your child these pattern blocks can keep them quiet for hours as they focus on creating images from their deepest imaginations.

Playing peek-a-boo or hide-and-seek

It brings delight to see your baby look at you magically when you play peek-a-boo with them. They really do believe that you disappeared for a second. Such is the beauty of innocent eyes!

And while we casually play peek-a-boo with kids without thinking about it, it is also a skill-developing activity. And, as they grow older, they reach the next level of hide-and-seek.

This activity helps your child understand the concept of object permanence – that an object still exists even when they are hidden from view.

There are many ways you can play peek-a-boo or hide-and-seek with your toddler. There is the classic hiding behind your own hands and then reappearing a few seconds later. You can also use an object like a toy and hide it from view to start while eventually making it reappear.

As they grow older, you can ask them to search for the objects themselves. Of course, you should vary the level of difficulty as they grow. As they are only starting to play the game, make sure that you hide the objects at easy-to-find places first. Then, you can progress to a more difficult hiding place when you see that they are now understanding the concept of the game.

Then, you can once again take it to the next level by having them play hide-and-seek with their friends. You can also check out these hide-and-seek variations so you can keep the game interesting for your kids and their friends.

Storytelling

Storytelling as a problem-solving activity for toddlers is self-explanatory. It touches on the creativity, analytical thinking, logical reasoning, and communication skills of your toddler.

There are pictures to enhance the visual comprehension of your child. Words and concepts can help them talk more clearly and understand better. Storytelling may already be a basic activity in a household with a toddler.

This is especially important in a time and age of digital screens where so many parents use mobile devices and the TV to keep their children busy. While they should understand the concept of modern gadgets since it is a part of their generation, encouraging them to love books remains essential as well.

When you consistently read them a story, there will come a time when they begin creating stories of their own. Then, they start to read on their own while developing cognitive skills important to grow into a more well-minded child.

Board Games

Board games are literal representations of learn-through-play activities. They are designed like games, but there are plenty of skills that a child can develop with every board game they try.

There are plenty of board games available that you can try with your toddlers. Check out this list of board games for kids and choose the ones you think your child may love to play.

Matching Objects and Letters

Matching objects and letters is a fun and easy way to help your child learn to recognize colors and shapes. This will later develop into recognizing objects and letters.

You can buy pairs of toys and different objects for them to match, or you can also opt for preschool printables where your little ones can match drawings or letters with lines.

Whichever way you prefer this activity with your child, it is a great way to help your child grow into an intelligent kid through visual learning.

“Problem-solving” may be a difficult-sounding word, and parents can sometimes put off doing these exercises for their kids, thinking that it is too early to be solving problems. Hopefully, after reading through this list, you can see that it’s not as difficult as it sounds. Plus, there are plenty of problem-solving activities that can fit the level and preferences of your children. All it takes is for us, as parents, to find the right tools and activities to make learning fun and effective for our little ones.

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Problem Solving Activities for Preschoolers

Colleen beck otr/l.

• by Colleen Beck OTR/L
• October 22, 2021

It can be frustrating when children act without thinking of the consequences. In this blog post, you’ll learn about the development of problem solving in specific parts of our brain, discover important aspects of executive functioning that impact problem solving abilities, how to teach problem solving to preschoolers, and problem solving activities for preschoolers and young children so they can use words instead of the preschooler’s behaviors  or tantrums.

Best of all, many of our favorite fine motor activities for preschoolers support problem solving skills in early childhood.

Problem Solving Activities for Preschoolers

Before we get into the problem solving activities for preschoolers, and specific strategies to use in early childhood, it’s important to understand the development of the problem-solving process in kids. Supporting small children by giving them the skills to be problem solvers takes time and practice. We’ll get to those specific strategies below.

But first, does this scenario sound familiar at all…

I just don’t understand why Johnny keeps throwing the ball in the house. Doesn’t he realized that he could break the window? Johnny is three and he loves to play with his tennis ball in the house. Even though I have told him over and over again that we don’t throw them in the house, I still catch him sneaking them indoors at least once a week. 

Before we can address problem solving by helping kids look at the big picture and coming up with creative solutions for problem solving issues, we need to understand what is happening developmentally. Self-reflection is a challenging cognitive skill, and for young learners! 

Let’s take a better look at the development of problem solving skills…

Development of Problem Solving Skills

It’s through play, observation of others, and practice that young learners are developing problem solving skills in early childhood .

Problem solving, rational thinking and reasoning are all skills that are controlled by a part of our brain called the prefrontal cortex. Our brains grow exponentially over the first five years of life, but not the part of our brain that helps us with critical thinking and problem solving skills. This part of our brain, called the prefrontal cortex, isn’t fully developed until we turn 25 years old! 

As babies, we are exposed every day to new experiences, but at this age we don’t comprehend how these experiences affect us and those around us. If only children could think through their problems. This resource on executive functioning skills offers more information.

Have you noticed that it can be a bit scary when teenagers get their drivers licenses? They don’t always think of “what might happen.” This is due to their prefrontal cortex not being fully developed. 

But what about our three and four year olds? We know they can count, ask questions and get the cookie off the counter in a very sneaky way when we aren’t looking. In the Early Years study of 2011 called Making decisions, Taking action , they describe the prefrontal cortex entering a rapid period of development, making critical interconnections with our limbic system. (link: )

This study states “The prefrontal cortex pathways that underlie these capacities are unique to human brains and take a long time to mature. Early connections begin in infancy. Between age 3 and 5 years, the prefrontal cortex circuits enter a rapid period of development and make critical interconnections with the limbic system. During adolescence and early adulthood, the neural pathways are refined and become more efficient.”

What is so great about this part of the brain anyway? 

As the prefrontal cortex (that is located behind out eyes) develops over the years, we are able to engage with situations differently, assessing our surroundings in a new way. As we develop these new executive functioning skills, we are able to keep ourselves safe, build friendships and become successful in our careers.

Related, these friendship activities for preschoolers offers ideas and strategies to support social emotional development.

This peer reviewed report competed by Merve Cikili Utyun, called Development Period of Prefrontal Cortex, discusses how amazing this part of our brain is, and how each of the three sections control different aspects of our functioning. It states that: 

“ PFC includes the following Broadman Areas (BA): 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 44, 45, 46, 47. “The dorsolateral frontal cortex (BA) 9/46 has been functioned in many cognitive process, including processing spatial information, monitoring and manipulation of working memory, the implementation of strategies to facilitate memory, response selection, the organization of material before encoding, and the verification and evaluation of representations that have been retrieved from long-term memory. 

The mid-ventrolateral frontal cortex (BA 47) has implicated cognitive functions, including the selection, comparison, and judgment of stimuli held in short-term and long-term memory, processing non-spatial information, task switching, reversal learning, stimulus selection, the specification of retrieval cues, and the ‘elaboration encoding’ of information into episodic memory.

BA 10, the most anterior aspect of the PFC, is a region of association cortex known to be involved in higher cognitive functions, such as planning future actions and decision-making. BAs 44 and 45, include part of the inferior frontal and these regions’ functions are language production, linguistic motor control, sequencing, planning, syntax, and phonological processing.

Finally, the orbitofrontal cortex mostly (BA 47, 10, 11, 13) in the orbitofrontal cortex has been implicated in processes that involve the motivational or emotional value of incoming information, including the representation of primary (unlearned) reinforcers such as taste, smell, and touch, the representation of learnt relationships between arbitrary neutral stimuli and rewards or punishments, and the integration of this information to guide response selection, suppression, and decision making.” 

Wow! No wonder it takes so long for this part of our brain to fully develop. Problem solving skills in preschoolers take time to develop!

When Johnny is throwing the ball inside the house, he is thinking about what is happening now, in the present. Not what has happened in the past (when he broke the window at grandmas house a year ago) or that breaking a window might happen in the future. 

What are some problem solving techniques?

Solving problems is a skill that all preschoolers need support with. This critical skill doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and practice to become second nature.

It’s hard for us, as adults, to remember that children ages 3-5 (preschool-aged) don’t yet have the brain capacity to problem solve on their own, or remember what they learned from a situation a week ago. 

Just like when Andrew was painting at the easel and his paintbrush got stuck in the container. Instead of asking for help or trying to “unstick” the brush, he screamed.  Or when Sally and Samantha ran outside to grab the red bouncy ball, Samantha screamed when Sally grabs it first. She didn’t see the other red bouncy ball in the bucket next to the bikes. 

Try some of these problem solving activities for  kids :

Observation- Children need problem solving strategies that they can observe, and then practice in their everyday lives. Let kids see you talk through problems as you “figure out” a solution. This gives children a chance to see a problem-solving approach in real life situations. They get to see problem solving scenarios in action.

Repetition- Repetition supports brain growth in every area of development including problem solving, executive functioning, motor development, language skills and social development.

Multisensory Activities- Children learn best with multi-sensory cues, learning new skills through seeing, touching, hearing and experiencing the skills they are learning. In 2013, the US National Library of Medicine published an article titled  Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat.  stating “The prefrontal cortex acquires information from all of the senses and orchestrates thoughts and actions in order to achieve specific goals.” (link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3621648/)

Creative Activities- Solving problems is a skill that all preschoolers need support with. It’s hard for us, as adults, to remember they don’t yet have the brain capacity to problem solve on their own. The best way to teach children how to problem solve, it to create activities that support these new skills in a positive way, that their developing brain understands. This letter to future self is one activity to work on goal achievement even at a young age. Preschoolers can draw a picture of what they would like to do or be as an older child or as a teenager or adult.

Problem Solving Activities for Preschool

Here are 3 Simple Ways to Teach Preschoolers to Solve Problems

1.Teaching executive functioning and problem solving skills in everyday situations will support the growth of a child’s prefrontal cortex. For example, these activities that teach executive functioning at the beach show how much thought and preparation goes into building a simple sand castles.

• Children have to think about how much sand to use, how to keep it standing, how to prevent sand from getting into their eyes and how to create another one if the one they are building falls down.
• They must create, plan ahead, problem solve when things get tough and communicate to adults and peers for help.

What other activities does your child do on a regular basis that requires all areas of the prefrontal cortex to activate?

2.When children become upset, their emotions become so overwhelming that they can’t think. In order to calm down and problem solve, they need to access a multi sensory way to help them remember how to do that.

Soothing Sammy gives children tactile and visual cues that remind them how to calm down and problem solve in a developmentally appropriate way. They can be reminded of this positive reinforcement with two words “Sammy Time!”

By reading the book about the sweet golden retriever, who understands that everyone feels upset sometimes, children are encouraged to use all of the sensory strategies to calm down. They can talk to Sammy about what is happening and think through their problem to create a solution.

Ashlie’s four year old daughter did just this. She reports: “When Molly was having some big emotions about coloring a picture and needed to calm down, she visited Sammy and returned with a solution to the problem she came up with all on her own (well with Sammy’s help).”

Click here for more information on the Soothing Sammy resources .

3.Problem solving requires us to remember what just happened, what is happening now and what do we want to happen next. A preschoolers brain tends to blend all three of these situations together, not able to communicate any of them until prompted by an adult. And as an adult, we are left “guessing” what our children are thinking about. Visual cues are a wonderful sensory communication tool to support both children and adults in the realm of solving problems.

Using tools like “First/Then” cards to support routine and common situations like transitions and completing tasks. Using visuals clearly communicates what needs to be done, especially if using pictures of real children doing these tasks.

A Final note about problem solving skills in preschool

Solving problems are hard for young children, even teenagers, as their prefrontal cortex isn’t fully developed yet. Using multisensory teaching tools to support brain development, practicing tasks that teach executive functioning skills and using developmentally appropriate tools to help children calm down, will help even the most frustrating moments become a bit less stressful for children and adults. 

As we learn to be more patient with children, understanding that the part of their brain needed to solve problems is just beginning to develop, repeating the same directions over and over again may not be so frustrating. Our children are doing the best they can. It’s up to us to provide them with experiences to help their brains grow and develop. 

Jeana Kinne is a veteran preschool teacher and director. She has over 20 years of experience in the Early Childhood Education field. Her Bachelors Degree is in Child Development and her Masters Degree is in Early Childhood Education. She has spent over 10 years as a coach, working with Parents and Preschool Teachers, and another 10 years working with infants and toddlers with special needs. She is also the author of the “Sammy the Golden Dog” series, teaching children important skills through play.

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Problem Solving for Preschoolers: 9 Ways to Strengthen Their Skills

By Carrie Mesrobian on 12/20/2021

As an adult, you likely run into dozens of small issues every day that require problem-solving skills. While you might not give much thought to the process of figuring out the best way to put groceries away or how to run errands without backtracking all over town anymore, these basic problem-solving abilities weren’t always so simple. You refined these skills as a child with practice and guidance from adults.

Building problem-solving skills in preschool-age children is a foundational duty of all parents and early childhood educators. But it can be easy to lose sight of how to incorporate these skills, especially when family life gets hectic or classrooms become busy.

For some fresh perspective on how to look at problem solving from a preschooler lens, we asked several experts in the early childhood education (ECE) field how they teach skills in their own classrooms. Read on for some insight on helping the young ones in your life figure out creative and workable solutions.

9 Tried-and-true ways to develop problem-solving skills in preschoolers

1. use everyday moments.

The handy thing about teaching problem-solving skills at this age is that there are no textbooks, worksheets or special equipment involved. Every day, normal situations provide all the materials you’ll need to practice.

“Parents can help their children develop problem-solving skills through ongoing interactions with their children throughout their day,” explains Paula Polito, owner of Beary Cherry Tree Child Development Center. “At home, in the grocery store and in everyday routines, such as mealtime or bath time.”

Rebecah Freeling, parent coach and child behavior expert at Wits’ End Parenting ®, believes household chores are an excellent way to teach problem solving.

“Housework is a matter of solving one problem after another. All these things go wrong when you’re doing housework,” Freeling explains. “Kids get this idea that problems are no big deal. Problems happen all the time and we just solve them.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean making a chore chart, though Freeling says some kids respond well to them. Instead, she encourages parents to try to integrate kids into the everyday maintenance of the home, and when possible, work alongside them.

“Say, ‘What would you like to be in charge of today?’” Freeling advises. “It’s the difference between getting to do something versus having to do it.”

While a grocery store trip can sometimes be a stressful rush, there are infinite opportunities to practice problem solving, says Dr. Elizabeth DeWitt, senior curriculum and implementation specialist at Learning Without Tears . DeWitt suggests using a list or a recipe of ingredients and asking your child to help you find certain items.

“Say, ‘I have this recipe that says we need chicken, rice and soup. I see chicken and soup in our cart. What are we missing? What could we or should we add?’” DeWitt says.

Taking the time to simply talk children through the thought process—no matter how simple it seems—helps reinforce and show them how you came to that conclusion.

2. Ask open-ended questions

As in the grocery store situation, just asking questions is a powerful way to foster both problem solving and creativity in young children.

“When your child comes across a difficult task, like zipping their coat, it can often be faster and easier to stop what you're doing and zip it for them,” says Becky Loftfield, an ECE teacher at Community of Saints Preschool .

If a child says, “I can't do this,” Loftfield advises asking “how come?” This lets them answer in their own words. “Asking ‘how come’ usually works better than ‘why’ for young children,” Loftfield adds.

Pausing to listen to the child’s explanation of the problem in their own words guides what happens next.

“Perhaps they don't know how zippers line up at the bottom for the mechanism to slide,” says Loftfield. “Maybe the zipper itself is too small for them to grip. Encourage your child to explore what the problem actually is beyond ‘I can't zip my coat.’”

Polito also believes in the power of conversational questions to build problem-solving skills.

“For example, parents can ask a child to explain why they did something a certain way,” Polito explains. “Providing hints to children as opposed to giving them the answer is also another way for children to think deeper about a concept.”

“We promote more learning when we allow them to think through the question,” Polito says.

3. Center emotions

All problem solving involves emotions. In the zipping-up-the-coat situation, a child might act frustrated, get angry or start crying. Handling the emotion is often the key to the child sorting out the situation, as well as learning that they are capable of finding solutions.

“We are not born knowing how to solve problems or having the vocabulary to express our feelings,” says Torri Parker, a pre-K instructor at Aspen Academy . “Often I hear a student telling another child ‘You’re not my friend,’ when what the child is meaning is that they are hurt by something their friend did, or they would like some space.”

Parker suggests picture books that focus on emotions and offer multiple ways to express them can be a powerful way to help kids not only problem solve but also identify emotions in their peers and develop greater empathy.

“By providing the words needed to convey those feelings, a child learns what that feeling feels like and can then have the vocabulary in the future to solve a conflict like that,” Parker says.

4. Read books and tell stories

Sometimes, not having to tackle a problem that’s happening in the moment is a good way to practice these skills. This is where reading books and telling stories come into play.

“Books have the opportunity to build incredible social-emotional skills,” DeWitt says. Not only are kids looking for solutions to the characters’ problems, they’re also building vocabulary, narrative skills and critical thinking as well.

Nicole Evert, a pre-K teacher and ECE trainer at Creating Butterflies, recommends the use of “ social stories ” for preschool problem solving.

“A social story introduces a problem, then shows successful ways to solve the problem,” Evert explains. “Sometimes a social story will include silly pages that show how to not solve the problem.”

Social stories can be especially helpful for children with anxiety about certain activities or routines, as well as kids with disabilities.

“Parents and educators can even make their own social stories using pictures of the specific child and their environment, which can be so powerful,” adds Evert.

5. Take advantage of natural curiosities and interests

One approach to helping young children practice problem-solving skills is in the discovery of something they are authentically interested in learning about. Adam Cole, music director at The Willow School , explains his school’s Reggio Emilia -inspired philosophy where a teacher gives students “provocations.”

“Provocations are opportunities for them to encounter something for which they may then express further interest,” Cole explains. “For instance, a teacher may set up a drawing provocation, and the children may draw buildings. The teacher may pick up on this and talk with the children about buildings, asking how they are built and where they can find more. This may lead to research or trips to see buildings and will continue on until the thread plays itself out.”

Because the focus is centered on topics or activities that already capture the child’s interest, the problem-solving aspect is more meaningful and compelling for many children. Because the teacher works alongside the child to problem solve, it offers space for the teacher to ask questions and encourage further creativity.

“This is an organic way to learn to solve problems, bolstered by the intrinsic desire of the child to learn more,” Cole adds.

6. Model problem solving

Preschoolers are always observing our behavior as parents and teachers.

“Given that 90% of brain development occurs between birth and four years of age, we have an opportunity during these preschool years to set our children up for success,” says Polito.

It may seem obvious, but our strategies and methods provide kids with in-the-moment examples of how to handle life with things go wrong.

“From a teaching perspective, you can think, ‘I’m teaching this child how to be who they are, how to live life,’” says Freeling. “A spill derails you a bit. So, stop and ask the child, ‘How should I clean this up?’”

Loftfield agrees. “Parents and educators can act as guides for a child’s experience, demonstrating how they problem solve and modeling what they want to see.”

This doesn’t mean that the adult must do everything perfectly or without emotions, however. Managing feelings is all part of learning to problem solve. “Allow time for mistakes, time for meltdowns and time for celebration,” Loftfield advises.

7. Look to the child for the solution

This last one might seem counter to number six above, but Freeling believes that parents and teachers can help children learn to problem solve by removing themselves from the process.

“Moving past your instincts to fix or smooth over problems helps a lot,” Freeling says. “Project the kid’s age in your mind. Think of a 25-year-old graduating from college. I want them to be able to ask for a higher salary, to vocalize what they want. You’re not just getting kids to be obedient—you’re teaching them how to negotiate the world.”

This is why Freeling advises adults to try coming into a problem-solving situation with children without a ready-made solution. She offers an example: there’s only one red truck, and two children both want to play with it.

“You’re really looking to the child and trusting their thinking and intelligence for solutions you hadn’t thought of,” Freeling says. She recommends repeating questions until the kids come to a decision and as long as no one’s at risk of injury, standing by the children’s solution.

“They might say, ‘We have to paint all the trucks red, since everyone wants a red truck,’” Freeling says. This might seem odd to an adult. But the point is to make the children a vital part of the creative process instead of just getting them to comply with the adult’s idea.

Developing empathy also factors into this scenario, especially in situations where problems stem from hurt feelings or other emotional conflicts. Freeling believes that finding ways to make restitution to others they’ve hurt is a better practice than forcing kids to apologize. She suggests having a child draw a picture of something the upset child likes as a way to make amends and help them recognize the other’s individuality.

“We don’t want kids to feel guilt for hurting someone; we want them to feel compassion,” Freeling says. “And solving problems in a relationship requires empathy.”

Is an early childhood education career right for you?

Enjoying the process of seeing life through a little one’s eyes? Early childhood education is an exciting, dynamic field full of creativity and potential to positively impact the lives of children and their families. If helping kids learn and grow sounds like something you’d be good at, check out our article “9 Signs You Should Be Teaching Preschool.”

Related Articles: 

• Working with Defiant Preschoolers: What Educators Should Know
• 10 Fun Exercises for Preschoolers That Do More Than Just Burn Energy

Wits’ End Parenting is a registered trademark of Wits’ End Parenting, Inc. This program does not prepare students for licensed teaching positions in elementary or secondary schools . A Bachelor’s degree and a state teaching license are typically required to work as a teacher in most school settings; however, states, municipalities, districts or individual schools may have more stringent licensing requirements. Childcare facilities and states establish qualifications for staff who work with children, and often implement guidelines regarding age, education, experience and professional development. Students must determine the licensure requirements for the state and facilities in which they intend to work.

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About the author

Carrie Mesrobian

Carrie is a freelance copywriter at Collegis Education. She researches and writes articles, on behalf of Rasmussen University, to help empower students to achieve their career dreams through higher education.

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10 Ways to Strengthen Your Preschooler’s Problem-Solving Skills

As an adult, you make many decisions throughout your day without even thinking twice about some– from setting up the coffee machine at home to avoiding the long line at the drive-thru that can make you late to work to having a difficult but necessary conversation with your partner about finances. These are just a few examples of problem-solving skills and how you adapt to the situations around you and use your skills to exist on personal, professional, and social levels. 

While some problem-solving skills are innate, your ability to access a situation and take a course of action is based on the fact that when you were a child, the adults around you taught you problem-solving skills. Our Raleigh early-childhood development center is sharing our best advice for anyone looking to strengthen their pre-schoolers problem-solving skills. 

What is Problem Solving in Early Childhood?

Problem-solving refers to the ability to find a solution to a problem. For preschool-aged children, this can be difficult to learn if not modeled for them through the appropriate ways to react to the issues they face. 

For instance, if two children are playing with a toy and one pushes the other in an effort to take the toy, this is clearly an inappropriate way to react to the problem. Furthermore, screaming or yelling for the child to give them the toy is also not a proper way to solve the issue. To model mature and proper problem-solving skills, adults around the child should be practicing the concept of sharing, patience, and communication while avoiding physical and emotional reactions when they don’t get what they want.

When the child learns that they can ask the other child, “Can I play with the toy next?” or understand the concept that another child was playing with the toy first, they are exhibiting the ability to problem solve. 

Why is it Important to Develop Problem Solving Skills in Early Childhood?

Children aged 3 to 5 are developmentally experiencing growth in the following areas: 

• Cognitive 
• Emotional 
• Language 
• Sensory 
• Motor 

Because this time for preschoolers is so substantial to their intellectual, emotional, and social development, the world around them can seem overwhelming, unfair, intimidating, and even confusing. By modeling and teaching problem-solving skills to preschoolers , they can learn how to react logically, think creatively, communicate their needs, and assess how best to react to a situation at hand. 

How Can You Teach Problem Solving Skills to Your Children?

It is the responsibility of the adults who raise and teach children to provide kids with opportunities to strengthen their problem-solving skills in early childhood. If you are a parent, guardian, childcare provider, or early-childhood educator, it’s important to consider the best strategies for helping little ones adapt to the world around them and learn problem-solving skills. And remember, it can be frustrating when things do not work out as expected for anyone at any age, particularly for preschool-aged children who are just learning to adapt to their surroundings. 

When teaching your preschool-aged child how to problem solve, consider these four steps that are used in early-childhood classrooms : 

• Identify the problem
• Brainstorm solutions to the problem
• Choose and implement one of the solutions
• Evaluate how that solution resolved the problem

Following this four-step guideline can help the adults in a preschooler’s life address how a child acquires problem-solving techniques to help them navigate through the difficult and everyday situations that arise. 

When teaching problem-solving, focus on developing these key skills that relate to problem-solving: 

• Lateral thinking
• Decision-making
• Communication
• Persistence
• Negotiation
• Logical thinking
• Analytical thinking

10 Problem-Solving Activities for Preschoolers

You know that you want to guide your child through developing and strengthening strategies for problem-solving, but where do you begin? Our early-childhood development school is sharing some of our favorite ways to incorporate problem-solving activities into your life so that you can teach your child to grow on a personal and social level. 

#1 - Use Everyday Moments

You do not need a textbook or outline of how to teach your preschooler problem-solving. Simply using everyday moments to demonstrate problem-solving techniques is more useful than any “how to” book or homework assignment can teach your child. 

Going to the grocery store, driving in the car, making dinner at home, and cleaning the house are all everyday opportunities to present your child with decisions related to problem-solving. Having your child put ingredients away in the pantry while you cook, asking your child what aisle at the supermarket they think you can find a particular item, or seeing that there is a mess of toys and supplies and directing the child to initiate where they should be placed prior to starting a new activity are ways to integrate problem-solving into everyday moments. 

#2 - Look to the Child for the Solution

As your child grows up, they will not always have you by their side to solve each and every problem that arises. From issues with friends, future relationships, and future careers, the child you raise will one day become an independent adult who needs to problem-solve on their own. 

Asking children to weigh in for solutions to problems as they arise is one way to get them thinking critically early on in life. When a child is taught to not only assess an obstacle but to trust their own decision-making abilities to resolve a problem, they will be better equipped for success as they get older. 

#3 - Solve Mathematical Problems

Mathematics is a great way to engage children at an early age in problem-solving and solution-making activities. Math is logical and non-emotional, having very clear set rules and boundaries with a single solution is one prime example of problem-solving. When children are given age-appropriate mathematical problems and math word problems, they are given opportunities to troubleshoot and follow an order of operation that leads to a solution.

#4 - Ask Open-Ended Questions

As adults, we often find that the most convenient way to get through the day when caring for a preschooler is to complete tasks for them so that we can get on with our busy day. However, it’s important to pause and present your child with the opportunity to find their own solutions to problems they are faced with by using open-ended questions. 

For instance, your child cannot find their favorite pair of shoes. Rather than tear the house apart on your own looking for them, present the child with a question: “Where did you last wear those shoes?” or “When did you last see your shoes?” This requires your child to consider where they last may have placed them. Additionally, a question like, “If we can’t find those shoes right now, you’ll need to choose a different pair to wear so we aren’t late.” guides them toward finding an alternative solution to the problem. 

Giving children the opportunity to find their own solutions to issues that arise by asking open-ended questions equips them with problem-solving skills they will need throughout life when things do not always go as planned. 

#5 - Puzzles and Board Games

Puzzles and board games, much like math equations, allow children to use their cognitive problem-solving abilities to complete tasks in a fun and unique way. Pre-schoolers are often drawn to images and visual learning components as well as interactive play. Putting puzzles together allows for pattern recognition, while board games allow for interactive problem-solving techniques to be utilized through a set of rules. Incorporating puzzles and games into the lives of children are excellent ways to get them to think critically and find solutions that offer immediate results. 

#6 - Read Books and Tell Stories

Books and storytelling are always exceptional ways to build vocabulary and introduce kids to characters and situations outside of their own. When children are given the opportunity to relate to characters and situations, and then address how those characters can react and engage in their conflicts and interpersonal relationships, it not only fosters imagination and creativity but also problem-solving skills. 

#7 - Center Emotions

As adults we understand that while reacting emotionally to a situation is sometimes natural, it does not get us very far when it comes to solving a problem. Children should be taught how to center those emotions, without shame or guilt by providing an alternative to emotional responses. This is often in the form of learning communication and language. 

If your son’s best friend hurt his feelings, he should not be made to feel that he shouldn’t feel how he is feeling. Having your feelings hurt, particularly by a friend, is, well, hurtful, and there should be no shame attached to that feeling. However, when it comes to addressing those hurt feelings to the friend, it would be inappropriate to shout, “I hate you!” or “I don’t want to be your friend anymore!” Rather, providing your preschool-aged child with words and phrases for when their feelings are hurt is essential to emotional and social development. 

Teaching your son to tell his friend, “It hurts my feelings when you say that” or “I get sad when you are mean to me” are great ways to help children not only process their emotional feelings but express them in appropriate ways that lead to a resolution. 

#8 - Model Problem-Solving Behaviors

Children look to the adults in their lives for how to handle the problems they face in the world. If your child sees you politely ask a waiter to return a plate of food that was incorrectly served, they will learn that proper communication, respect, and patience lead to resolution. In contrast, if a child sees their parents speak rudely and blame a waiter for an incorrect order, they will learn that emotional reactions are the way to address problems. As a parent and caretaker, it is your responsibility to use mistakes, obstacles, and hardships as learning opportunities passed on to your preschool-aged children, demonstrating first-hand that non-emotional responses, kindness, and communication are the keys to getting most issues resolved. 

#9 - Break Down Problems into Chunks

As an adult, one of the ways to get through major projects at work is to set up a schedule that breaks down a large-scale project into smaller portions. Using this technique in childhood education and development is a successful way to teach children how doing one small task can lead to an overall greater, larger picture in the long run. Since a large task can seem overwhelming or even impossible, breaking it down into smaller, easily achievable pieces that will eventually lead to the full, complete picture is a wonderful way to help children of any age, but particularly preschool-aged, tackle large issues without feeling the weight of the big picture.

#10 - Utilize Natural Curiosities and Interests 

Using natural, organic opportunities for learning and problem-solving is always one of the best ways to foster creativity as well as logical and analytical thinking. All children are naturally drawn to some interest– whether it’s unicorns, dinosaurs, airplanes, trucks, or the color blue… every child has something that they become naturally drawn to, often to the surprise of their parents. 

For example, maybe every time your daughter sees the mailman drop off the mail, she is fascinated. Maybe her face lit up with interest and excitement to check what was left in the mailbox today. This is an opportunity to ask questions that lead to analytical thinking and problem-solving. Inquiring, “what does the mail carrier drop off at other houses?” or teaching the concept of writing a letter to grandma and how it goes through the mail can continue to foster interests while teaching logical steps, planning, and problem-solving techniques. 

Enroll Your Child in an Interactive Preschool Care System 

It’s no secret that when a child is at preschool age they are naturally curious and soak up all the information around them. By teaching your child problem-solving skills, they are better equipped to handle the everyday struggles the world has to face. However, the professionals at our preschool development center understand that busy working schedules, multiple children, and life’s responsibilities do not always make it easy for parents to dedicate time to fostering and strengthening problem-solving skills in their children. 

If you have a preschool-aged child who will benefit from emotional, social, and personal development related to problem-solving, contact Primary Beginnings to enroll your child in our 5-star preschool program in Raleigh. 

Contact us today at 919-790-6888 for our Spring Forest Rd. location or 919-785-0303 for our North Hills Dr. location, or fill out our contact form below. 

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How to Teach Problem-Solving Skills to Children and Preteens

• By Ashley Cullins

Whether it’s a toy-related conflict, a tough math equation, or negative peer pressure, kids of ALL ages face problems and challenges on a daily basis.

As parents or teachers, we can’t always be there to solve every problem for our children. In fact, this isn’t our job. Our job is to TEACH our children how to solve problems by themselves . This way, they can become confident , independent, and successful individuals.

Instead of giving up or getting frustrated when they encounter a challenge, kids with problem-solving skills manage their emotions, think creatively, and persist until they find a solution. Naturally, these abilities go hand-in-hand with a  growth mindset .

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our FREE Your Words Matter Volume 2 Kit . With these 10 one-page parenting guides, you will know exactly how to speak to your child to help them stand up for themselves, be more confident, and develop a growth mindset.

So HOW do you teach problem-solving skills to kids?

Well, it depends on their age . As cognitive abilities and the size of the child’s challenges grow/evolve over time, so should your approach to teaching problem-solving skills.

Read on to learn key strategies for teaching problem-solving to kids, as well as some age-by-age ideas and activities.

3 General Strategies to Teach Problem-Solving at Any Age

1. model effective problem-solving .

When YOU encounter a challenge, do a “think-aloud” for the benefit of your child. MODEL how to apply the same problem-solving skills you’ve been working on together, giving the real-world examples that she can implement in her own life.

At the same time, show your child a willingness to make mistakes . Everyone encounters problems, and that’s okay. Sometimes the first solution you try won’t work, and that’s okay too!  

When you model problem-solving, explain that there are some things that are out of our control. As we're solving a problem at hand we should focus on the things we CAN actually control.

You and your child can listen to Episode 35  of the Big Life Kids Podcast to learn about focusing on what you can control.

2. Ask for Advice

Ask your kids for advice when you have a problem. This teaches them that it’s common to make mistakes and face challenges. It also gives them the opportunity to practice problem-solving skills.

Plus, when you indicate that their ideas are valued ,  they’ll gain the confidence to attempt solving problems on their own.

3. Don’t Provide “The Answer”

As difficult as it may be, allow your child to struggle, sometimes fail , and ultimately LEARN  from experiencing consequences.

Now, let’s take a look at some age-specific strategies and activities. The ages listed below are general guidelines, feel free to choose any strategies or activities that you feel will work for YOUR child.

Use Emotion Coaching

To step into a problem-solving mindset, young children need to first learn to  manage their emotions . After all, it’s difficult for a small child to logically consider solutions to a problem if he’s mid-tantrum.

One way to accomplish this is by using the  emotion coaching process  outlined by John Gottman.

First,  teach your kids that ALL emotions are acceptable. There are NO “bad” emotions. Even seemingly negative emotions like anger, sadness, and frustration can teach us valuable lessons. What matters is how we  respond  to these emotions.

Second,   follow this process:

• Step One: Naming and validating emotions.  When your child is upset, help her process the way she’s feeling. Say something like,  “I understand that you’re upset because Jessica is playing with the toy you wanted.”
• Step Two:   Processing  emotions.  Guide your child to her  calming space. If she doesn't have one, it's a good idea to create one.  Let her calm her body and process her emotions so she can problem-solve, learn, and grow. 
• Step Three: Problem Solving.  Brainstorm solutions with your child, doing more   LISTENING   than talking during the conversation. This allows your child to practice her problem-solving skills, and she’s more likely to actually implement the solutions she came up with herself.

Say, “Show Me the Hard Part”

When your child struggles or feels frustrated, try a technique suggested by mom and parenting blogger Lauren Tamm . Simply say, “Show me the hard part.”

This helps your child identify the ROOT   of the problem, making it less intimidating and easier to solve.

Repeat back what your child says,  “So you’re saying…”

Once you both understand the real problem, prompt your child to come up with solutions . “There must be some way you can fix that…” or  “There must be something you can do…”

Now that your child has identified “the hard part,” she’ll likely be able to come up with a solution. If not, help her brainstorm some ideas. You may try asking the question, “If you DID  know, what would you think?” and see what she comes up with.

Problem-Solve with Creative Play

Allow your child to choose activities and games based on her  interests . Free play provides plenty of opportunities to navigate and creatively solve problems.

Children often learn best through play. Playing with items like blocks, simple puzzles, and dress-up clothes can teach your child the process of problem-solving.

Even while playing, your child thinks critically:  Where does this puzzle piece fit? What does this do? I want to dress up as a queen. What should I wear?   Where did I put my tiara? Is it under the couch?

Problem-Solve with Storybooks

Read age-appropriate stories featuring characters who experience problems, such as:

• Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy by Jacky Davis: The story of two friends who want to play together but can’t find a game to agree on. After taking turns making suggestions, they arrive at a game they both want to play: Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy.
• The Curious George Series by Margaret and H.E. Rey: A curious little monkey gets into and out of dilemmas, teaching kids to find solutions to problems of their own.
• Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber: Ira’s thrilled to have a sleepover at his friend Reggie’s house. But there’s one problem: Should he or should he not bring his teddy bear? It may seem small, but this is the type of early social problem your child might relate to.

Connect these experiences to similar events in your child’s own life, and ASK your child HOW the characters in these stories could solve their problems. Encourage a variety of solutions, and discuss the possible outcomes of each.

This is a form of dialogue reading , or actively ENGAGING   your child in the reading experience. Interacting with the text instead of passively listening can “turbocharge” the development of literacy skills such as comprehension in preschool-aged children.

By asking questions about the characters’ challenges, you can also give your child’s problem-solving abilities a boost.

You can even have your child role-play the problem and potential solutions to reinforce the lesson.  

For book suggestions, refer to our Top 85 Growth Mindset Books for Children & Adults list.

Teach the Problem-Solving Steps

Come up with a simple problem-solving process for your child, one that you can consistently implement. For example, you might try the following five steps:

• Step 1: What am I feeling?  Help your child understand what she’s feeling in the moment (frustration, anger, curiosity, disappointment, excitement, etc.)  Noticing and naming emotions will diffuse  their charge and give your child a chance to take a step back.
• Step 2: What’s the problem?  Guide your child to identify the specific problem. In most cases, help her take responsibility for what happened rather than pointing fingers. For instance, instead of, “Joey got me in trouble at recess,” your child might say, “I got in trouble at recess for arguing with Joey.”
• Step 3:   What are the solutions?  Encourage your child to come up with as many solutions as possible. At this point, they don’t even need to be “good” solutions. They’re just brainstorming here, not yet evaluating the ideas they’ve generated.
• Step 4: What would happen if…? What would happen if your child attempted each of these solutions? Is the solution safe and fair? How will it make others feel? You can also try role-playing at this step. It’s important for your child to consider BOTH  positive and negative consequences of her actions.
• Step 5: Which one will I try?  Ask your child to pick one or more solutions to try. If the solution didn't work, discuss WHY and move on to another one. Encourage your child to keep trying until the problem is solved. 

Consistently practice these steps so that they become second nature, and model solving problems of your own the same way.  It's a good idea to   reflect :   What worked? What didn’t? What can you do differently next time?

Problem-Solve with Craft Materials

Crafting is another form of play that can teach kids to solve problems creatively.

Provide your child with markers, modeling clay, cardboard boxes, tape, paper, etc. They’ll come up with all sorts of interesting creations and inventive games with these simple materials.

These “open-ended toys” don’t have a “right way to play,” allowing your child to get creative and generate ideas independently .

Ask Open-Ended Questions

Asking open-ended questions improves a child’s ability to think critically and creatively, ultimately making them better problem-solvers. Examples of open-ended questions include:

• How could we work together to solve this?
• How did you work it out? or How do you know that?
• Tell me about what you built, made, or created.
• What do you think will happen next?
• What do you think would happen if…?
• What did you learn?
• What was easy? What was hard?
• What would you do differently next time?

Open-ended questions have no right answer and can’t be answered with a simple “Yes” or “No.”

You can ask open-ended questions even when your child isn’t currently solving a problem to help her practice her thinking skills, which will come in handy when she does have a problem to solve.

If you need some tips on how to encourage a growth mindset in your child, don't forget to download our FREE Your Words Matter Volume 2 Kit .

Break Down Problems into Chunks

This strategy is a more advanced version of “Show me the hard part.”

The bigger your child gets, the bigger her problems get too. When your child is facing a challenge that seems overwhelming or insurmountable, encourage her to break it into smaller, more manageable chunks.

For instance, let’s say your child has a poor grade in history class. Why is the grade so low? What are the causes of this problem?

As usual, LISTEN as your child brainstorms, asking open-ended questions to help if she gets stuck.

If the low grade is the result of missing assignments, perhaps your child can make a list of these assignments and tackle them one at a time. Or if tests are the issue, what’s causing your child to struggle on exams?

Perhaps she’s distracted by friends in the class, has trouble asking for help, and doesn’t spend enough time studying at home. Once you’ve identified these “chunks,” help your child tackle them one at a time until the problem is solved.

Show “ The Broken Escalator Video ”

Discuss the importance of embracing challenges and solving problems independently with the “broken escalator video.”

In the video, an escalator unexpectedly breaks. The people on the escalator are “stuck” and yelling for help. At this age, it’s likely that your child will find the video funny and immediately offer a solution: “Just walk! Get off the escalator!”

Tell your child that this is a simple example of how people sometimes act in difficult situations. Ask, “Why do you think they didn’t get off the escalator?” (they didn’t know how, they were waiting for help, etc.)

Sometimes, your child might feel “stuck” when facing problems. They may stop and ask for help before even attempting to find a solution. Encourage your child to embrace challenges and work through problems instead.

Problem-Solve with Prompts

Provide your child or a group of children with materials such as straws, cotton balls, yarn, clothespins, tape, paper clips, sticky notes, Popsicle sticks, etc.

With just these materials, challenge your kids to solve unusual problems like:

• Make a leprechaun trap
• Create a jump ramp for cars
• Design your own game with rules
• Make a device for two people to communicate with one another

This is a fun way to practice critical thinking and creative problem-solving. Most likely, it will take multiple attempts to find a solution that works, which can apply to just about any aspect of life.

Make Them Work for It

When your child asks for a new toy, technology, or clothes, have her make a plan to obtain the desired item herself. Not only will your child have to brainstorm and evaluate solutions, but she’ll also gain confidence .

Ask your child HOW she can earn the money for the item that she wants, and encourage her as she works toward her goal .

Put It on Paper

Have your child write out their problems on paper and brainstorm some potential solutions.

But now, she takes this process a step further: After attempting each solution, which succeeded? Which were unsuccessful? Why ?

This helps your child reflect on various outcomes, learning what works and what doesn’t. The lessons she learns here will be useful when she encounters similar problems in the future.

Play Chess Together

Learning to play chess is a great way for kids to learn problem-solving AND build their brains at the same time. It requires players to use critical thinking, creativity, analysis of the board, recognize patterns, and more. There are online versions of the game, books on how to play, videos, and other resources. Don’t know how to play? Learn with your teen to connect and problem solve together!

Have Them Learn To Code

Our teens and tweens are already tech-savvy and can use their skills to solve problems by learning to code. Coding promotes creativity, logic, planning, and persistence . There are many great tools and online or in-person programs that can boost your child’s coding skills.

Encourage to Start a Meaningful Project

This project has to be meaningful to your teen, for example starting a YouTube channel. Your teen will practice problem-solving skills as they’re figuring out how to grow their audience, how to have their videos discovered, and much more. 

In the Big Life Journal - Teen Edition , there’s a section that guides them through planning their YouTube channel and beginning the problem-solving process.

Apply the SODAS Method

Looking for a game plan that your teen can employ when faced with a problem? The SODAS method can be used for big or small problems. Just remember this simple acronym and follow these ideas:

• D isadvantages
• A dvantages

Encourage to Join Problem-Solving Groups

Does your teen enjoy solving problems in a team? Have them join a group or club that helps them hone their skills in a variety of settings--from science and robotics to debating and international affairs. Some examples of groups include: 

• Odyssey of the Mind
• Debate team
• Science Olympiad

Looking for additional resources?  The Bestseller’s Bundle includes our three most popular printable kits packed with science-based activities, guides, and crafts for children. Our Growth Mindset Kit, Resilience Kit, and Challenges Kit work together as a comprehensive system designed specifically for children ages 5-11.

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25 thoughts on “ How to Teach Problem-Solving Skills to Children and Preteens ”

I love, love, love the point about emotional coaching. It’s so important to identify how children are feeling about a problem and then approach the solutions accordingly.

Thank you for putting this together. I wrote an article on problem-solving specifically from the point of view of developing a STEM aptitude in kids, if you like to check it out – https://kidpillar.com/how-to-teach-problem-solving-to-your-kids-5-8-years/

I feel that these techniques will work for my kid.. Worthy.. Thank you

I love you guys

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Problem Solving for Kids: How-To Guide, Activities & Strategies

Children need to be able to solve their own problems. In daily life, kids face a lot of set of social circumstances and challenges. Whether they’re trying to figure out how to make friends, deal with bullies, or solve academic problems, they need strong problem-solving skills to be successful.

Problem-solving is a critical life skill that all kids need to learn. By teaching them how to identify and solve problems on their own, you’ll be setting them up for success in school and in life.

What are Social Problem-Solving Skills?

Social problem-solving skills are a skill set that involves behavioral and cognitive processes which allow an individual to find adaptive and positive ways of handling problematic situations that can arise in the social environment in our daily life. These skills comprise an understanding of emotions, empathy, self-awareness, prosocial behavior, anger management, perspective-taking, establishing positive relationships, and so on.

Why It’s Important for Children to Learn the Skills to Problem-Solve

Social problem-solving skills are important for kids to learn because they allow them to cope with the various challenges they face in their social environments, such as peer pressure, bullying, and exclusion from social groups. In addition, these skills can help them resolve conflicts effectively and build positive relationships with others.

How to teach Problem-Solving skills

There are many ways to develop social problem-solving skills in kids . One way is to provide them with opportunities to practice these skills through different activities and games.

There are a few key things that parents and educators can do to help kids develop strong problem-solving skills:

Teach Children to Identify the Problem

One of the most important steps in solving any problem is being able to accurately identify what the problem is. This can be tricky for kids, especially if they’re feeling emotional about the situation. Help them by teaching them how to take a step back and look at the problem objectively.

Help Kids Brainstorm Solutions

Once kids can identify the problem, it’s time to start brainstorming possible solutions. This is where creativity and out-of-the-box thinking come in handy. Encourage kids to think of as many possible solutions as they can, no matter how far-fetched they might seem.

Help Kids Weigh the Pros and Cons

After Children can come up with a few potential solutions, it’s time to help them figure out which one is the best option. This is where critical thinking comes in. Teach kids how to weigh the pros and cons of each solution and make a decision based on logic, not emotions.

Help Kids Implement the Solution

The final step is helping kids actually implement the solution they’ve chosen. This might involve role-playing different scenarios, practicing what they would say or do, or writing out a plan. Whatever the case, be sure to provide support and guidance every step of the way.

Praise Kids

It’s essential to praise your child when they demonstrate social problem-solving skills. This will help him feel confident in his abilities and encourage him to continue using these skills.

Also, proper guidance and opportunities to practice problem-solving skills should be provided for kids to be efficient enough to solve problems on their own. In addition to providing opportunities for practice, it is also important to model problem-solving skills for your child. 

By following these tips, you can help your child develop strong social problem-solving skills that will serve him well throughout his life.

Problem-solving in Child Development

Most children go through similar phases of problem-solving as they develop. However, the timing may vary depending on the child’s individual temperament and circumstances.

Here are some common milestones:

• Ages 2-3: During the age of 2-3 years, kids begin to understand that problems can be solved. They also start to develop a sense of self-control and can begin to use words to express their emotions.
• Ages 3-4: By 3-4 years old, kids are usually better at problem-solving and can use more logical thinking. They’re also beginning to understand other people’s feelings and perspectives.
• Ages 4-5: Around 4-5 years old, kids can usually think of multiple solutions to a problem. They’re also starting to understand the concept of cause and effect.
• Ages 5-6: By 5-6 years old, most kids can apply problem-solving skills in their everyday lives. They’re also able to understand complex emotions and empathize with others.
• Ages 6-7: Around 6-7 years old, kids are usually able to understand even more complex emotions. They’re also starting to see the world from other people’s perspectives and can use this knowledge to solve problems.
• Ages 7-8: By 7-8 years old, kids are often able to solve problems quickly and efficiently. They’re also able to think abstractly and see the world from multiple perspectives.
• Ages 8-9: Around 8-9 years old, kids are usually able to solve problems independently. They’re also beginning to understand the concept of time and how it can be used to solve problems.
• Ages 9-10: By 9-10 years old, kids are often able to solve complex problems. They’re also able to think abstractly and see the world from multiple perspectives.
• Ages 10-11: Around 10-11 years old, kids are usually able to solve problems independently. They’re also beginning to understand the concept of time and how it can be used to solve problems.
• Ages 11-12: By 11-12 years old, kids are often able to solve complex problems. They’re also able to think abstractly and see the world from multiple perspectives.
• Ages 12-13: Around 12-13 years old, kids are usually able to solve problems independently. They’re also beginning to understand the concept of time and how it can be used to solve problems.

As children get older, they should be able to solve more complex problems. If you’re concerned about your child’s problem-solving abilities, talk to their doctor or a child development specialist.

 Social Problem-Solving Strategies

There are several strategies that can help children of primary age to solve problems. Some of them are as follows:

• Encouraging children to take turns and share. This strategy helps children to be more patient and to understand that other people have feelings too. It also allows them to share their own feelings and thoughts more openly.
• Helping children to understand and express their emotions. This strategy helps children to identify and understand their own emotions , as well as the emotions of others. It also allows them to express their emotions in a more positive way.
• Teaching children how to compromise. This strategy helps children to understand that sometimes it is necessary to give up something in order to get something else. It also teaches them how to negotiate and how to reach an agreement with others.
• Encouraging children to think about other people’s perspectives. This strategy helps children to understand that other people have different points of view. It also allows them to see the world from another person’s perspective and to empathize with others.
• Helping children to understand and follow rules. This strategy helps children to understand that there are certain rules that must be followed in order to maintain order and peace. It also teaches them how to respect the rules of others.
• Teaching children how to improve their skills to problem-solve. This strategy helps children to understand that there are many ways to solve a problem. It also teaches them how to think creatively and to come up with their own solutions.

These are just a few of the social problem-solving strategies that can help children of primary age to solve problems. For more information, please talk to your child’s doctor or a child development specialist.

Social Problem-Solving Skills Activities

Games and activities for socialization are an excellent way for children for learning how to behave in social surroundings such as school or in the community.

It is essential for children to learn how to take turns, share, cooperate and resolve conflicts.

Here are some activities to improve social problem-solving skills for children of different age groups:

Social Problem-solving Activities for Preschoolers

Preschoolers are very young and need a lot of help to learn social problem-solving skills. The following activities are fun and will help them develop problem-solving skills.

• Circle Time: This is a great activity for kids to learn how to take turns and share. Give each child a turn to be in the center of the circle and share something about themselves such as their favorite color, food , animal, etc.
• Simon Says: This classic game is a great way for kids to listen and follow instructions. It also helps with problem-solving skills as they have to figure out what Simon is saying.
• Role-Playing: This is a great activity for kids to learn how to resolve conflicts. Have kids act out different scenarios such as sharing toys or taking turns. After each scene, discuss what happened and how the conflict could have been resolved.

Social Problem-solving Activities for Kindergarteners

Kindergarteners are still very young. So, they may need assistance when it comes to social problem-solving skills.

The following activities will give them a chance to practice these skills in a safe and fun environment.

• Cooperative Building: Have the kids work together in small groups to build towers or houses out of blocks or Legos. This activity will help them learn to share, take turns, and cooperate with others.
• Role-Playing: Act out different social situations with puppets or toys. For example, one child can be the customer in a store and the other children can take turns being the salesperson. This activity will help kids learn how to handle different social situations.
• Feelings Matching: Cut out pictures of people with different facial expressions from magazines or newspapers. Ask the kids to match the pictures with the corresponding feeling words (e.g., happy, sad, mad, etc.). This activity will help kids learn to identify and understand different emotions.

Social Problem-solving Activities for School-Aged Kids

As kids get older, they become more independent and are able to handle more complex social situations.

The following activities will help them practice their social problem-solving skills.

• Brainstorming: This activity can be done individually or in a group. Give your child a scenario and have them come up with as many solutions as possible. For example, “Your best friend just cancelled your play date. What are three things you could do?”
• Exercising empathy: It’s important for kids to be able to empathize with others and see things from their perspective. When they’re struggling to solve a problem, help them think about how the other person is feeling. For example, “Your friend might be feeling upset too. Maybe you can talk to her about why she cancelled the play date.
• Problem Solving Games: Games are a fun way to teach children the skills of solving problems. Try playing some classic board games like Chutes and Ladders or Candyland, which require players to make decisions and strategize. There are also many great online games, like Mission to Mars and Robot City, that help kids practice problem-solving.
• Discussing Problem-Solving Skills: As a family, discuss different problem-solving strategies. For example, “If you’re ever feeling overwhelmed or don’t know what to do, take a deep breath and think about what would be the best thing to do in that situation.”
• Model Good Problem-Solving Skills: As a parent, you are your child’s biggest role model. So, it’s important to model good problem-solving skills yourself. Whenever you’re faced with a problem, talk aloud about how you’re going to solve it. For example, “I’m having trouble finding my keys. I think I’ll check the couch first and then look in the car.”
• Encourage positive thinking: Help your child look on the bright side by encouraging them to think of the positive outcomes of a situation. For example, “Even though your play date was cancelled, you now have some free time to do something else you enjoy.
• Practice: It’s important to give kids opportunities to use their problem-solving skills in everyday life. When they’re faced with a social challenge, take a step back and let them try to figure it out on their own. Of course, be there to support them if they need help.

Social Problem-solving Activities for High-School Students 

High-school students often face a variety of social problems. They may have difficulty making friends, fitting in with classmates, or dealing with bullies.

Some students may also struggle with more serious issues, such as gangs, drugs, or violence.

There are a number of activities that can be used to help high-school students with improving their social problem-solving skills. These are as follows:

• Peer Mediation: This activity involves two or more students who are in conflict with each other. The mediator(s) helps the students to communicate with each other and find a resolution to the problem.
• Role-Playing: This is a great activity for helping high-school students to understand different perspectives. Students can take on the role of the person they are in conflict with, and then discuss how they would feel in that situation.
• Problem-Solving Groups: These groups usually consist of 4-6 students who meet to discuss a particular problem. The group leader(s) helps the students to brainstorm solutions and come up with a plan of action.
• Attending Debates: Debates can be a great way for high-school students to learn about different perspectives on social issues. Students can also practice their own argumentative and problem-solving skills by participating in debates.
• Service Learning: This is a type of community service that helps high-school students to understand and address social problems. Students typically work with organizations that focus on issues such as poverty, homelessness, or hunger.

Cultivating Resilience in Children

Developing resilience in children is a key aspect of nurturing their emotional health and equipping them to face life’s challenges head-on. It involves helping them understand that difficulties and setbacks are a normal part of life, and they can grow stronger from overcoming them.

By fostering a secure and loving environment, and by being role models of resilience ourselves, we can instill in children the ability to adapt to change and cope with stress.

One effective method to cultivate resilience in children is by encouraging them to express their feelings and thoughts openly.

Providing a safe space where they feel heard and understood helps them to understand their emotions better, which is a crucial step in resilience building. It’s important to validate their feelings, not minimize them, as it teaches them that it’s normal to experience different emotions, and it’s okay to discuss them.

Another significant way to build resilience is by teaching problem-solving skills. Guiding children through the process of identifying a problem, brainstorming possible solutions, choosing the best one, and reflecting on the outcome can equip them with valuable life skills.

As they practice, they will become more adept at facing challenges, whether big or small, and this boosts their confidence and self-efficacy. The beauty of resilience is that it isn’t an inherent trait; it’s a skill that can be learned and cultivated, one challenge at a time.

Teaching social problem-solving skills can help high-school students learn how to handle these types of situations. These skills can also help them in other areas of their lives, such as dealing with family conflict or managing their emotions.

Through these activities, high-school students can learn important problem-solving skills that will help them in their everyday lives.

There are many different activities that you can do to help your child develop problem-solving skills. Choose activities that are appropriate for your child’s age and interests.

And, most importantly, have fun!

Tips, D. (2022). Developing Problem-Solving Skills for Kids | Strategies & Tips | Kodable Blog. Retrieved 6 June 2022, from https://www.kodable.com/learn/problem-solving-skills-for-kids/

How to Teach Problem-Solving Skills to Children and Preteens. (2022). Retrieved 6 June 2022, from https://biglifejournal.com/blogs/blog/how-teach-problem-solving-strategies-kids-guide#:~:text=Allow%20your%20child%20to%20choose,the%20process%20of%20problem%2Dsolving .

Teaching Kids How to Solve Their Own Problems and Make Good Decisions. (2022). Retrieved 6 June 2022, from https://www.verywellfamily.com/teach-kids-problem-solving-skills-1095015

(2022). Retrieved 6 June 2022, from https://www.werockthespectrumkidsgym.com/social-skills-activities-that-teach-kids-problem-solving/

srivastava, m., & srivastava, m. (2022). 12 Problem-Solving Activities For Toddlers And Preschoolers. Retrieved 6 June 2022, from https://www.momjunction.com/articles/problem-solving-activities-for-toddlers_00795607/

20 Evidence-Based Social Skills Activities and Games for Kids. (2022). Retrieved 6 June 2022, from https://www.positiveaction.net/blog/social-skills-activities-and-games-for-kids

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5-step problem solving for young children.

• Solves Problems Peacefully

Even young children can be taught to solve their problems peacefully with these 5 steps: 

Step One: How do you feel? Calm down. – Often when we encounter a problem, we feel frustrated or angry. Before we can solve our problem, we need to know how we are feeling and calm down. There are different ways to calm down; we could take a break, take three deep breaths, use " milkshake breathing [ 1 ] ".

Step Two: What is the Problem? – We need to know what the problem is before we can solve it. Why do you feel angry or upset? Remember this problem belongs to you, not other people.

Step Three: Come up with Solutions – It is helpful to think of as many different solutions to the problem as possible. Not every solution will work. A solution might work one time but not another time. The more problems you solve, the easier it is to think of solutions.

Step Four: What would happen? – Think about what would happen if you chose each of the solutions you came up with. Is the solution safe? A safe solution means no one will be hurt or upset. Is the solution fair? How will everyone feel?

Step Five: Try the Solution – Choose a solution. Try your solution. Did it solve the problem? If the solution does not solve the problem, you can try one of the other solutions you came up with.

Lesson Plan: Solving Problems Peacefully

Background & learning outcomes:.

This activity  [ 2 ] is written for children ages 4-6 for a child care setting, preschool, kindergarten or in the home. It can be adapted, however for other ages. By teaching children basic problem solving steps and providing opportunities for them to practice this skill, children can become competent problem solvers.

• Large paper and marker for writing solution ideas

Teaching and Learning Activities:

Introduce the topic of "problems." Ask children to share problems they have had recently. You can add your own examples of problems you have had or problems you have observed in the classroom.

Explain to the children that they can become expert problem solvers by using five problem solving steps.

Introduce and briefly explain each of the problem-solving steps.

Pick an example of a problem the children shared. Work through the problem with the children using the five problem solving steps.

Step 1: How do you feel? Calm down.  Ask the children to identify how they felt or how they might feel if this problem happened to them. Ask them for suggestions to calm down. Practice ways to calm down, like taking three deep breaths.

Step 2: What is the Problem?  Ask children to describe what the problem is. Help children to reframe the problem so it is defined as their problem, not someone else’s problem. For example: “I want to use the red crayon,” instead of, “they won’t share the red crayon.”

Step 3: Come up with Solutions.  Encourage children think of as many solutions as possible. In the beginning, you may need to help them with solutions. Write down the possible solutions. The focus at this step is just to generate as many solutions as possible, not to evaluate solutions.

Step 4: What would happen?  Ask children to think what would happen next if they chose a solution. Is the solution safe? A safe solution means no one will get hurt. Is the solution fair? How will everyone feel? Have the children go through the solutions they generated and think about what would happen next. Role playing the solutions can help children understand the possible consequences.

Step 5: Try the Solution.  Have the children pick a solution to the problem. Will the problem be resolved? The chosen solution can also be role played.

Adaptations:

• Accompanying each step with a visual cue is helpful, particularly for children with limited verbal skills.
• Depending on the age and attention span of the children, practicing the problem-solving steps using an example problem can be split into different lessons. Start by introducing the five steps in the first lesson, then in each subsequent lesson, practice one step.
• Role play different solutions to problems with children to help them understand the consequences of solutions.

Follow-Up Activities:

Once children have been taught these five steps to problem solving, they need opportunities to practice using them. These follow-up activities reinforce the problem-solving steps and provide practice opportunities:

Post visuals of the problem-solving steps in the room where they are visible for children to refer to on an ongoing basis.

Return to the problem solving steps regularly. Have the children provide other examples of problems they have encountered or create hypothetical problems that are relevant to their lives. Work through these problems as a class, using the problem solving steps.

When problems arise in the classroom, remind children to use their problem solving steps and guide them through the process. As they become more competent problem solvers, they will require less assistance to work through the steps.

Role model effective problem solving for your child.

Select children’s books where the characters encounter a problem. Ask the children how the character in the story could solve their problem. Encourage a variety of solutions. Have the children act out the problem and possible solutions. Book examples include:

A Good Day  (2007) by Kevin Henkes.  Bird, Fox, Dog, and Squirrel are not starting their day off very well. However, with a little patience, they find that they are able to overcome minor setbacks in order to have a very good day after all. Ages 0-6.

Bobby vs. Girls (accidentally)  (2009) by Lisa Yee.  Bobby and Holly have been best friends for years, until a disagreement threatens to break them up for good. However, when their argument accidentally sparks a full-out war between the boys and girls in their fourth-grade class, they must come up with a way to return things to normal. Ages 6-12.  

• Conflict Resolution
• Self-Regulation
• Early Years
• Middle Years

Learn more about "milkshake breathing" and ways to teach children this and other important calming skills.

Adapted from: Joseph, G.E. & Strain, P.S. (2010). Teaching Young Children Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills. Young Exceptional Children, 13, 28-40.

You Can Do It: Teaching Toddlers Problem-Solving Skills

Problem-solving skills are necessary for early childhood development

Problem-solving skills build upon how toddlers sense, think, and understand the world around them, making them vital for early childhood development. By being active participants in exploration, toddlers learn to make connections they can apply to other areas of life through new experiences.

Luckily, curiosity and play-based activities come naturally to toddlers. But you can encourage them to develop problem-solving skills by showing them exercises and activities that will inspire them to think creatively and critically.

Identify the problem

Problem-solving means finding solutions to a problem. And the ability to solve problems requires mental development, which toddlers need to think, communicate, and take action.

In terms of cognitive development, problem-solving skills include the following:

• Analytical thinking, breaking down a problem into manageable parts
• Lateral thinking, solving problems creatively
• Decision-making
• Logical reasoning
• Persistence
• Communication
• Negotiation

Toddlers are like little scientists constantly experimenting with cause and effect, socially and physically. This interest is a marker for the development of problem-solving skills, so keep their natural efforts focused to encourage their problem-solving.

Determine the solution

Although as adults we are inclined to help toddlers, letting them solve problems on their own helps them learn better problem-solving skills. Independence will also encourage them to develop the confidence needed for more advanced problem-solving.

The language you use to address a toddler or answer their questions also presents an opportunity to teach problem-solving. Ask a toddler for their opinion on or interpretation of a problem, and make an effort to guide them toward their own solution. Ask questions that start with   what ,   why ,   how ,   when ,   where , and   who , and look to them for answers.

Aside from giving a toddler independence to play and learn, consider the following simple activities to promote their problem-solving:

• Working with blocks, nesting boxes, or stacking rings
• Putting together puzzles
• Playing hide-and-seek with objects
• Grouping like items together
• Engaging in imaginative play with household objects
• Playing games such as Simon Says, Tic-Tac-Toe, or spot the difference between two similar pictures
• Playing dress-up
• Drawing in their own book
• Doing simple chores such as wiping counters or sweeping
• Stringing macaroni, cereal, or chunky beads
• Building forts from boxes or sheets
• Matching animals with their sounds
• Playing memory games
• Answering story-time questions

Challenging a toddler to solve problems doesn’t need to be difficult or expensive, but you should do so while they’re still young. Investing time and effort into helping them learn these skills now will give them a foundation to overcome obstacles independently throughout life.   The VA Infant & Toddler Specialist Network helps improve the quality of care for infants and toddlers through extensive resources, services, and education for caregivers.   Learn more   about how we can help you improve the standard of care.

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