5 Ways to Help your Students Problem-Solve Creatively

As teachers, we all have busy lives. But I invite you take a moment right now to pause and consider these questions…and their answers.

Have you ever looked at your students and wondered what changes and challenges this next generation will face? What skills they will need to be successful in a world that is constantly changing?

We have all seen in our own lifetimes how quickly things change. My father was born in 1896 at a time when there were no cars… but by the time he passed away in his 90s, human beings had walked on the moon!

That is a great deal of change in one lifespan! So, what for the children we are teaching now?

I think the greatest gifts we can give our students are the ability to think critically and creatively and to problem-solve. Children in this ‘information generation’ no longer need to memorize everything. Instead they must be able to examine readily-available information and use it in innovative ways to solve problems.

It is essential for teachers to use open-ended activities that invite children to observe, wonder and experiment.

In light of this, here are a few suggestions for ways to inspire creative thinking and problem-solving in your own classroom!

1. Questions, questions, questions!

Young children are full of questions and sometimes the best thing you can do is to ask them what they think the answer is! Often we answer children’s questions too quickly instead of inviting them to figure out their own answer.

For example, the next time a child asks you, “where does rain come from?”, invite her to share what she thinks! Her ideas might be magical or unrealistic but they will be her very own thinking.

Then you can do some research together to find out more about the real answer!

2. Ask children to solve sharing-problems

Sharing can be difficult for young children and sharing-disagreements sometimes happen in the big open space of the playground.

When two children are fighting over a toy, hold it for them and give them a moment to calm down. Then invite each child to tell their version of the story while the other listens.

Encourage the children to suggest solutions so that they are both satisfied. Perhaps there is a similar toy inside that can be brought out, or a timer can be used to define each child’s turn.

3. Encourage mind-mapping

Mind-mapping is important because the critical thinking skills children use in the process are core ingredients to every area of curriculum and development.

No matter what experience a child meets along the way, if she has the ability to think open-endedly, flexibly, and critically she can deal with the task at hand.

Write down children’s ideas on a chart or graph. When they see their thoughts written down, children begin to make the leap from the spoken to the written word.

Bring in an item for children to mind-map its uses.  It could be something simple like a scarf or bracelet or a balloon. Of course they know what those items are…but what other ways can they be used? Then write down their ideas on a chart!

4. Create open-ended collective activities

When you provide children with opportunities to create together, you build cooperative thinking skills and community.

You can use natural and recycled materials for children to create with. Boxes are great too.
The basic question to ask is… “What can we make with all these things?” Write down children’s suggestions on a chart and then create together!

5. Make predictions and chart them

Invite children to think ahead. This builds critical and creative thinking and cooperative listening and speaking skills.

Invite children to predict what they might see on a class walk. Write it down on a chart and check the predictions when you return to the classroom. How accurate were your predictions?

The overarching message is, whenever we ask children to think and problem solve, we are preparing them for the future.

When they do this together in a group, they learn how to be a part of a thinking community, and the value of collaboration.  Best of all, we prepare this next generation for a future that is sure to be filled with change.

The photos with this article come from some of the many Kinderpillar programs in India and Nepal I have the pleasure of mentoring. They celebrate this approach that nurtures children of the next generation to become thinkers and community builders.