What is Problem-Solving? Why it is such a hot topic these days?

Problem-solving. You hear it everywhere these days — in job descriptions, educational settings, and even on your child’s report card. But what exactly is it, and why is it such a hot topic?

Problem-solving is the ability to identify and address challenges effectively. It’s a multi-step process that involves critical thinking, creativity, and resilience.

So whenever you hear of this term, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Let me guess! fixing a broken thing or maybe making something in a better way. Right! In our day-to-day activities, we encounter many problems, some are very minor like your Uber app not working or you lost your pen and some are major which affects the daily routine of your day. But what is the solution?

Let’s shift the focus to a 9-year-old kid going to his school daily, attending every class, doing his homework, and being a good student. One thing to ponder is:

1. Is he learning enough to develop his skills? School seems to be focused on tests or assessments, and a busy routine with school activities. Is this enough or should he include other activities in his daily routine to get this right?
2. What happens when a real challenge comes up? What he is gonna do if a real challenge comes his way? Is he well equipped to tackle it on his own or he is gonna give up or is it gonna shatter his confidence?
3. As a parent, should you fix everything for him? Should you get completely involved and solve his all problems? But is it gonna help him or stop his own decision-making ability? So how do you find the right balance between offering support and letting them learn from their mistakes?

Looking at it this way, problem-solving isn’t just a buzzword — it’s a crucial life skill! It’s about more than just finding the “right” answer — it’s about the process of critical thinking, creativity, and resilience.

Well! this is all just one part of the tip of the iceberg. But here is some good news — you can adapt certain methods or activities to promote such skills. A research paper published in the National Institutes of Health (link of research paper) even highlights the link between problem-solving skills and cognitive development in young children.

So, how can you, as a parent, shift your mindset?

1. Move beyond “finding the answer”: Keep your focus on the process as well. Don’t just focus on finding the right answer or solution but elaborate the process to your child to gain a better understanding.
2. Mistake is just an opportunity to learn: Don’t let the concept of a mistake get it to your child’s mind. As an individual anyone can make mistakes, you’re gonna make a lot of mistakes but these are just a chance to look at your process and improve it. So don’t get scared of making mistakes.
3. Acknowledge all the achievements: I have learnt that real progress is acknowledging all the small achievement which I call the “Cheese” (a concept from the book: Who Moved My Cheese?). Acknowledge the hard work your child puts into tackling a challenge, not just the final outcome.

Now let’s get practical! Here are some of the ways you can develop problem-solving skills in your kids:

1. Storytelling Techniques: Include reading habit into your daily activities. Spend maximum 10 minutes everyday or according to your schedule and read 2 or 3 pages of a book. Then, discuss the main key points and let your kid make his opinion or if reading a story ask your child questions like “What should happen next?”
2. Programming Adventure: Games like chess, Rubik’s cube, board games allows you to think in a strategic way and planning ahead, skills required for problem-solving. Introduce basic concepts of coding to help them built their skills.
3. Kitchen Empire: Turn your kitchen into a problem-solving playground! Present a challenge like building a tower out of unexpected materials (pasta, marshmallows, etc.) or creating a new snack recipe using limited ingredients. These open-ended activities encourage creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration as they experiment and find solutions.

Remember, the key is to have fun while teaching these concepts !