problem solving books for preschool

21 Good Picture Books to Teach Problem and Solution

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Read mentor text picture books to teach problem and solution text structure. Understanding the problem and solution story structures improves comprehension and helps readers make informed predictions. (As well as helping children see the creative possibilities in problem-solving!)

Of course, almost all stories have a problem and a solution –with the exception of a concept book. So really, you can search out problem and solution examples in any book, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction.

When children learn what to expect in a problem and solution story, not only will they be able to predict solutions, but they will also be better able to write their own problem-solution stories. I started teaching this early to my young kids, well before they were school-age because we want our children to become problem solvers. That is an important life skill!

While many picture books model the narrative story structure of problem and solution, these are my favorites to use with kids both at home and in the classroom.

PRINTABLE LIST

problem and solution picture books mentor texts

Mentor Text Picture Books to Teach Problem and Solution

Problem Solved! by Jan Thomas When Rabbit sees his messy room, he learns that he has HIS OWN PROBLEM SOLVING PORCUPINE! Which seems good at first. But, it turns into a disaster. Because to clean up the blocks, the porcupine flushes them down the toilet. And to clean up his shirts, he feeds them to the goldfish. How can Rabbit get rid of his not-very-helpful problem-solving porcupine?

A House in the Woods by Inga Moore Little Pig’s den becomes filled with friends, but once Moose arrives, the den collapses. Oh, no! Problem. What will they do to find a solution? Together, the animals build a new house in the woods big enough to fit all the friends.

Enigma by Graeme Base Bertie needs to find the missing magic show props that have disappeared from his grandpa’s retirement home. Each performer tells him what’s missing. Readers help find the items in the illustrations so that Bertie can find the culprit. Like all his books, Base excels in his detailed illustrations.

7 Ate 9: The Untold Story by Tara Lazar, illustrated by Ross MacDonald 6 bangs on Private I’s door for help! Because there’s a rumor that 7 is eating other numbers because apparently, 7 ate 9. YIKES! But did 7 really eat 9? Pitch perfect tongue-in-cheek number and word humor will crack you up throughout this suspenseful, funny problem and solution story. (Also on: Best Picture Book Mysteries .)

The Brownstone by Paula Scher, illustrated by Stan Mack The Bear family is ready for hibernation but first, they need to figure out what to do about the noise problem. Their solution? All the animals work together to shift apartments so that everyone finds the best apartment for their specific needs. You’ll love the message and illustrations.

Pigeon P.I. by Meg McLaren What a unique and delightful mystery story! A little canary asks Pigeon P.I. (private investigator) to help her find her missing friends. Then the canary goes missing, too. It’s up to Pigeon to solve the missing bird mystery. The author writes in the style of the old detective shows– punchy with short sentences. The illustrator captures the details, giving kids clues to notice as they read.

One Word from Sophia by Jim Averbeck, illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail This picture book is a great way to teach kids summarizing and word choice as well as a problem-solution text structure! Sophia really wants a pet giraffe for her birthday. As a result, she sets out to convince her family, starting with her mother, a judge. However, Mother says that Sophia’s argument is too verbose. As a result, Sophie tries fewer words with Father. But he says her presentation is too effusive. Sophia continues with each family member until she reaches her last-ditch attempt and says the one word that works: PLEASE.

No Boring Stories! by Julie Falatko, illustrated by Charles Santoso When a cute little bunny tries to join a group of animal storytellers (mole, weevil, crab, and babirusa), the group doesn’t want to add her to their brainstorming group. As the animals continue their story plans with relatable characters, an inciting incident, rising action, climax, and…. Only the group gets stuck with the ending. That’s when bunny reveals that she likes making up weird (not boring) stories. The group realizes that the bunny has the perfect ending idea. Reluctantly, they agree that she can be part of the group. At least until a “ bunch of adorable frogs and puppies show up next week… ” This book shows plotting as well as the creative strengths of writers working together.

That Fruit Is Mine! by Anuska Allepuz This is a charming problem and solution story about learning to share and the power of working together. You’ll crack up watching the elephants’ many failed attempts to get delicious-looking fruit off a tree while simultaneously watching a tiny group of mice work together to get the yummy fruit, too. The problem is getting the fruit but only one animal group succeeds in a solution. Who do you think it will be? Great for prediction! (Also on: Picture Books That Teach Cooperation .)

Great, Now We’ve Got Barbarians! by Jason Carter Eaton, illustrated by Mark Fearing Mom says that if the boy doesn’t clean his room, he’ll get pests . . . which the boy thinks aren’t all that bad, right? However, things go downhill when barbarian “pests” start arriving. Because they eat everything, use his toys to clean out their ears, and steal blankets and pillows. So there is only one thing to do — CLEAN up his room. It’s a predictable but funny solution with the perfect forgot-to-clean-up twist at the end.

Walrus in the Bathtub by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Matt Hunt The worst thing about this family’s new home is the walrus in the bathtub. And walrus songs are very, very loud. It’s a big problem. The family tries lots of clever things to get the walrus to leave the bathtub but with no success. So they decide to move. Again. That’s when the walrus shows them his list — “ How to Make Your New Family Feel Welcome ” — which, surprisingly, includes all the things that annoy the family. It turns out the walrus was just trying to be nice. As a result, the family stays with a few *new* rules. This story will make you want your own walrus in a bathtub.

The Thingity-Jig by Kathleen Doherty, illustrated by Kristyna Litten Wordplay, problem-solving, and persistence! One day Bear finds a Thingity-Jig (aka. a couch), which he thinks is wonderful as a sit-on-it, jump-on-it thing. He asks his friends to help him carry it home but they’re too fast asleep, so Bear figures out some ideas to do it himself. He makes a Rolly-Rumpity! Which is a pack-it-up, heap-it-up, load-it-up thing. That isn’t enough to move the Thingit-Jig so Bear makes something else — a Lifty-Uppity. And then, a Pushy-Poppity. And at daybreak, he arrives back at home where his friends are waking up, with his special Thingity-Jig. Bingity…Bing…Boing…Bear falls asleep.

Someday is Now: Clara Luper and the 1958 Oklahoma City Sit-Ins by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich Clara advocated for justice and equality during a time when Black people weren’t permitted the same rights as white people. As a teacher, she inspired her students to believe that change was possible. Clara and her students went to the Katz drugstore and asked to be served — even though the store didn’t serve black people. She and her students returned day after day despite people yelling and throwing food. Eventually, the Katz store relented and started to serve people of all races. Clara and her students finally could enjoy a Coke and a burger without trouble.

Wangari’s Trees of Peace by Jeannette Winter Based on the true story of Wangari Maathai, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, read how Wangari helped her country of Kenya whose forests were all but destroyed. She started planting trees which started a movement motivating other people to plant trees as well. This is an example of how narrative nonfiction book can also teach the plot structure of problem and solution .

Battle Bunny by Jon Scieszka and Mac Barnett, illustrated by Matt Myers When Alex gets a silly, sappy picture book called Birthday Bunny, he picks up a pencil and turns it into something he’d like to read: Battle Bunny. An adorable rabbit’s journey through the forest becomes a secret mission to unleash an evil plan–a plan that only Alex can stop. Not only does this mentor text model problem and solution, but also voice and revision.

When Pigs Fly by James Burke One day, an exuberant pig declares that he will fly. His sister observes with disbelief and horror as one attempt after another fails. The brother pig is so disappointed that he decides to give up. That’s when his sister comes up with an idea — something he hasn’t tried before that will help her brother fly — a pretend airplane. The pigs’ expressive illustrations are absolutely perfect as is the message of persistence despite failure.

Piper and Purpa Forever! by Susan Lendroth, illustrated by Olivia Feng Most stories have a problem and a solution but this story is a great example showing a little girl’s ability to creatively problem solve with a beautiful solution to her problem. Piper loves her beloved purple sweater, Purpa, and is so sad when she grows out of it. Will she be able to keep her sweater somehow?

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Melissa Taylor, MA, is the creator of Imagination Soup. She's a mother, former teacher & literacy trainer, and freelance education writer. She writes Imagination Soup and freelances for publications online and in print, including Penguin Random House's Brightly website, USA Today Health, Adobe Education, Colorado Parent, and Parenting. She is passionate about matching kids with books that they'll love.

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11 Books That Help Empower Little Kids to Solve Big Problems

by Meghan Fitzgerald

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts

Mindset: There are problems to solve all around us.

The only thing better than Beatty’s masterful rhymes are her marvelous characters. In Ada Twist, Scientist , she nails the curiosity and inquiry that drives a true problem seeker and solver. Our kids love this one, and we hope it inspires them to take on the mindset that there are problems to solve all around us. As parents, we love how this book both acknowledges some of the lumpier parts that come along with supporting genuine problem solving in our kids and reminds us that it’s so worth it in the end.

Stuck by Oliver Jeffers,

Mindset: Problem solving can be fun (or at least quite silly).

Although we would never advocate throwing objects into trees, we cannot help but love this book. This whimsical tale shows a young boy, Floyd, as he attempts to solve an all too familiar problem—his kite is stuck in a tree! Floyd’s approach makes kids of all ages smirk and squeal with delight. When we read this, we enjoy acting amazed as the situation grows more and more outrageous. The book gets our kids talking, too. Even our youngest has ideas about why Floyd’s plan is not ideal and can share how she’d go about getting that kite un-stuck.

What Do You Do With a Problem? by Kobi Yamada, illustrated by Mae Besom

Mindset: I have the resources to solve problems.

Even though our goal is for problem solving to be joyful , sometimes real problems are daunting, especially to kids who may not yet realize that they have the capacity to solve them. This beautiful follow up to Yamada and Besom's What Do You Do with an Idea helps kids see a child really wrestle with a problem and gives everyone a way to talk about the opportunity available in every problem, even the ones that seem hard.

Cat and Bunny by Mary Lundquist

Mindset: Sometimes the key to solving a problem is teamwork and inclusion.

When a new friend asks to join Cat and Bunny’s tight-knit two-friend circle, Bunny says yes, but Cat’s not so sure. The changing dynamics of friendship can be tough for kids to navigate, and flexibility solves a lot of tricky issues.

Going Places by Paul A. Reynolds, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

Mindset: Every problem has many different solutions.

Talk about thinking outside the box: Some kids love to follow directions. Others prefer to let their imaginations take them from challenge to solution. This book about a go-cart race that takes flight celebrates both sets of strategies.

Papa’s Mechanical Fish by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Boris Kulikov

Mindset: Creative thinking is at the heart of problem solving.

We love that this fanciful story about a dad inspired by his child’s question (“have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a fish?”) to invent the submarine is based on a real-life inventor! This story gets school-aged kids’ imaginations whirring.

The Boy and the Airplane by Mark Pett

Mindset: Problem solving is joyful.

A little boy’s beloved toy airplane gets stuck on a roof. Through the beautiful illustrations in this wordless book, kids can work through the problem with the protagonist, and wonder how they’d go about solving it themselves.

To the Sea by Cale Atkinson

Mindset: I have the capacity to solve any problem.

“I see you” are the magic words that kick off an epic adventure. When Tim meets a big blue whale no one else can see (no one else can see Tim, it seems to him sometimes), he’s tasked with helping his new friend find his way back to the sea. Kids will love discovering Tim’s process as he methodically sketches solutions for this massive problem. The winning strategy is a sweet surprise.

Solutions for Cold Feet (and Other Little Problems) by Carrie Sookocheff

Mindset: There are problems to solve everywhere.

Solutions abound for many of life’s little problems, as illustrated by a little girl and her dog. What if you’re caught in the rain? Faced with a boring day? Eating a fast-melting ice cream cone? Strategies range from clear to creative.

Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg

Mindset: I have experience that I can use to solve new problems.

Kids’ problem-solving comes with lots and lots of mistakes along the way, which is the most wonderful thing about the process. This interactive book celebrates mistakes as an opportunity for new discoveries. Read it together and then make “Beautiful Oops” a family catch-phrase for turning problems into launching pads for progress.

Journey by Aaron Becker

A girl yearning for adventure in this Caldecott Honor book makes it herself with a swipe of her red crayon. That single tool takes her on a magical trip and it’s what she uses to draw her way out of each dilemma.

Meghan Fitzgerald

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Teach your students how to solve problems using visual supports and techniques in your early childhood classroom. Teaching social skills (aka character education) is just as important as teaching letters.

Problem solving is challenging for young students (and many adults too)! To support my little friends, I teach them problem solving strategies that they can use when they encounter a problem. We want our students to become independent thinkers who can solve problems, control their emotions, express empathy, and help others.

I introduce the problem solving techniques a few at a time during a class meeting. Each week, I introduce three new problem solving techniques. We then end up with nine to twelve techniques total based on what my students need that year. I explain the technique to the students in concrete terms so they will understand what the technique is and what it can look/sound like.

We usually start with these four skills: “please stop”, ask, get help, and say how you feel. Many problems can be solved with those solutions, which is why I always start with those. Then, the following week, I introduce take turns, play together, trade, and share. Then, the last four solutions the next week.

Problem Solving Techniques

Teach your students problem solving skills using visual supports and techniques in your early childhood classroom. Teaching social skills (aka character education) is just as important as teaching letters.

Singing with puppets is a fun and active way to practice the problem-solving techniques . Preschoolers LOVE puppets! This technique also allows students to role play. Some students will be more verbal if they can pretend to be someone else. At the end of each verse, students act out the problem-solving technique with a buddy using the puppets!As a transition activity to lunch, students took turns sharing a way they have solved a problem. You can also play, “What would you do if….”. State a real problem that could happen and have students pick a problem-solving solution to solve the problem. Some examples would be, “What would you do if your friend took your book?”, “What would you do if you got sticky glue on your hands?”, or “What would you do if you needed the red marker and your friend was coloring with it?” Once they have learned the strategies, stand back and let students try solving their own problems independently. Just a warning: this can take some time with lots of practice and support. As long as the student isn’t frustrated, let them try before you jump in to help. You will be amazed at the problems your child can solve given the opportunity to.

At first, you will be giving students lots of support and giving them the words to use to solve a problem.

Always approach students at their level, in a calm supporting way.
Ask, “what’s the problem?” If they don’t respond, comment on what you see such as “I see you have glue all over your hands and it looks sticky.”
Restate the problem. “So the problem is ….”
Brainstorm solutions and choose one together. This is the perfect time to use problem solving card visuals! “How can we solve this problem?” Flip through the solution cards and ask “Could we ….?”
Praise and observe! Cheer on the students for solving the problem and stay close just in case they need more support.

Throughout the day, try to make EVERYTHING a problem to solve. Then model, talk through your thinking out loud, and use visuals to support students as they try to solve a problem. For example, I may put out a big ball of playdough in the center of the table as a small group activity. Students have to problem solve so each student has play dough to play with. It only takes few extra minutes to sneak in problem-solving situations throughout the day. Each time students help solve a problem or observe a friend solve a problem, they learn to self-regulate, express emotions appropriately, develop empathy, and develop problem-solving skills.

State problems for students who look stuck. If a student is just standing there, they need support, but don’t solve the problem for them! It’s so easy to do. Simply state their problem or what you see and ask a probing question. For example, if a student is standing with an empty bowl in their hand, you could say “Your snack spilled on the floor. How can you solve the problem?”

Problem-Solving Necklace or Mini Book!

I hole punched the small cards, put them on a book ring and keep them on a lanyard I wear every day. This way I can support students’ solving problems without having to go to the safe place where they are posted. I can just show the picture cards as a visual on my necklace. The mini book in the safe place works the same way.

Safe Place!

I keep my techniques posted in my circle area at the beginning of the year AND in my safe place. My safe place is a small spot in my classroom where students can go when they are upset, need to calm down, want to be alone, or have a problem.

Once I see students using the problem-solving techniques independently, I remove them from my circle area. They are posted in my safe place ALL YEAR LONG for students to use when they are struggling to solve a problem. In my safe place, you will find a mirror, feeling chart, bean bag, sensory bottles, calm down choices, a stuffed animal, problem solving mini book and problem-solving techniques chart. You can read all about how to set up a safe place in your classroom HERE . Children’s Books!

These are some of my FAVORITE children’s books to teach all about problem-solving. As we read the book, we talk about how the character is or isn’t solving the problem, how it makes the character and others feel, any natural consequences that could occur, and which one of our problem-solving strategies the character could use to solve the problem.

Do you want to use them in your classroom? You can! I did the work for you. Grab them from my TPT store HERE .

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hey, i’m jackie!

I’m Jackie, your go-to girl for early childhood inspiration and research-based curriculum.

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November 28, 2021

Teaching Problem and Solution with Picture Books

Teaching problem and solution gets a little easier with these picture books. Each book has problem and solution scenarios built into the plot, some more obvious than others. With their rich narratives and engaging illustrations, picture books offer a way to introduce and explore this concept. This blog post delves into the significance of teaching problem and solution through picture books and shares effective strategies.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase anything through them, I will get a small referral fee and you will be supporting me and my blog at no extra cost to you, so thank you! You can find more information here .

Why Use Picture Books for Teaching Problem and Solution?

Understanding problem and solution helps your students develop problem-solving and creative thinking skills. Exploring picture books with problem and solution plots helps them see a problem being introduced, how the character(s) try to solve it and how they finally resolve the issue.

In picture books with problem and solution scenarios, your students will see characters who:

use knowledge to solve problems independently
predict outcomes
think things through
make good decisions
try new ways to solve problems
make mistakes and try again
recognize breakthroughs
use trial and error to find a solution

Group of children engaging with teaching problem and solution materials on a table in a classroom setting.

Discussion Questions For Teaching Problem and Solution

Describe the different ways the characters were effective problem-solvers.
How did [character] solve the problem? What strategies did they use?
Why do you think [character] was an effective problem solver?
Why did [character’s] idea work in the end? Did they think about how their decisions would affect the outcome and other characters?
Did [character] make good decisions? Is there anything they could have done differently?
Think of possible solutions for [character’s] problem.
Did [character] work independently to solve the problem or did they work collaboratively? Was this the best strategy?
Does a thinker have to be brave, a risk-taker….?
Did their decision making surprise you? Why or why not?
Was [character] creative in their thinking? Explain your answer.
How did [character’s] way of thinking impact the outcome of the story?

Picture Books for Teaching Problem and Solution

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty

Ada Twist scientific curiosity propels her to question, hypothesize, experiment, and unravel the world’s mysteries, including one close to home.

Ada Twist, Scientist fuels discussions around curiosity, inquiry, the pursuit of knowledge, and creative thinking and is a great choice for teaching problem and solution.

Ada's Violin is a children's book that beautifully illuminates the power of recycling.

Ada's Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay by Susan Hood

Ada Río dreams of playing the violin, but her financial circumstances prevent her from pursuing this aspiration. This changes with the arrival of an innovative music teacher who creates instruments from discarded rubbish.

Paraguay’s inspiring world-renowned Recycled Orchestra highlights the power of music, ingenuity, and the human spirit.

After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again) by Dan Santat

After the Fall by Dan Santat

A fresh retelling of the classic Humpty Dumpty story told from the egg’s perspective. Humpty Dumpty bravely faces his fear of heights, teaching us about courage, overcoming adversity, and the importance of self-esteem.

After the Fall promotes discussions around character traits, perspectives, and a growth mindset. It encourages students to understand and embrace their fears, foster adaptability, and celebrate resilience.

A Bad Case of the Stripes by David Shannon

Camilla Cream loves lima beans but won’t eat them because her friends hate them. A mysterious illness causes her to become what others think she should be. Only when she embraces her true self does she recover.

A Bad Case of the Stripes serves as a reminder that individuality should be celebrated and that personal growth stems from self-acceptance and the courage to resist societal pressures.

Black Dog by Levi Pinfold

Black Dog takes us to a family home where a large black dog grows in size and menace, causing fear among the family members. Yet, the smallest one shows immense courage and open-mindedness to discover the truth about the dog.

Engage your students in discussions about overcoming fears, taking risks, and not letting fear control our perception. Encourage them to conquer their fears and take on challenges bravely.

A Chair For My Mother by Vera B. Williams

A Chair for My Mother illuminates the power of love, family, and community even in the most challenging times. Rosa, her mother, and her grandmother lose their home to a devastating fire.

The book gives us a glimpse into poverty, the importance of saving money, the impact of community kindness and generosity, and the power of perseverance, even in the face of adversity.

Chalk by Bill Thomson

Three friends find a bag of magical chalk at the park on a rainy day – whatever they draw becomes real. A sun clears clouds, butterflies fly, and dinosaurs leap from the 2D realm. When a child’s drawn dinosaur chases them, they must creatively resolve the problem.

Chalk promotes creativity, problem-solving, the power of imagination and consequences, teaching children that every action can have effects they must deal with.

Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin

When Farmer Brown’s cows stumble upon a typewriter, they start typing letters demanding electric blankets. Things escalate quickly as the cows strike, and Duck is the mediator. But the peace doesn’t last long when the ducks have their own demands!

Click, Clack, Moo story promotes dialogue about fair negotiations’ importance, communication’s power, and the essence of compromise.

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin

Dragons may love tacos but hate spicy salsa. A boy discovers this peculiarity and hosts a taco party for his dragon friends. The party takes an unexpected turn when the salsa, much to the dragons’ dismay, turns out to be spicy, leading to a chaotic and fiery mess.

Dragons Love Tacos offers opportunities to discuss the concepts of problem-solving, cause and effect, and the importance of careful planning and reading labels!

Enemy Pie by Derek Munson

When Jeremy Ross moves to town, a boy’s life changes for the worse. He is Jeremy’s enemy. Dad advises making an enemy pie, but it will only work if he spends the whole day with his enemy. They end up having so much fun the boy doesn’t need the pie. Use to discuss kindness, conflict resolution, bullying, and problem-solving.

Ernest, the Moose Who Doesn't Fit by Catherine Rayner

Ernest the moose is so LARGE he can’t fit inside the book. Determined, he shimmies, shifts, and shuffles his body but he just won’t fit. With a bit of thought his friend, chipmunk, comes up with a solution. Reinforces themes of determination, problem-solving and creative thinking.

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Fossil by Bill Thomson

This is the second of two picture books with a problem and solution by Bill Thomson. A young boy and his dog stumble upon a fossil which springs to life when touched! The boy excitedly cracks open more rocks, revealing more living fossils. But the excitement quickly turns into terror when he discovers a pterodactyl, which swoops down and flies off with his dog.

Fossil encourages discussions on curiosity, discovery, the unexpected consequences of our actions and problem and solution.

How the Ladies Stopped the Wind by Bruce McMillan

The wind in Iceland is so strong a group of women decide to fix the problem. They plant trees to limit its effects and overcome problems through problem-solving, cooperation and persistence.

Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall

Jabari resolves to jump off the diving board for the first time. Despite his determination, fear and uncertainty hold him back. But with his father’s gentle encouragement, Jabari finds the courage to make the leap.

Jabari Jumps explores a growth mindset, courage, risk-taking, determination, and overcoming fears. It is also great for your students to make connections to Jabari’s fear of trying something new.

Journey by Aaron Becker

A lonely girl discovers a magic red marker and creates a door that transports her into an enchanting world filled with wondrous landscapes and adventure. She witnesses an evil emperor capture a majestic bird. She outsmarts the emperor’s army to free the bird.

The girl’s journey inspires courage in facing challenges, persistence in pursuing goals, and thinking outside the box to overcome obstacles.

King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood

This is the first of two picture books with a problem and solution by Audrey Wood. King Bidgood enjoys having a bath so much he won’t get out. His page calls upon the court for help. Nothing works, so while everyone is despairing of what to do the page plugs the plug! Use to teach sequencing, creative thinking, problem & solution and prediction.

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes

Lilly adores her school, teacher, and purple plastic purse. Her enthusiasm for her purse leads her on an unexpected journey of self-discovery, teaching her important lessons about self-management, forgiveness, integrity, and self-reflection.

Through Lilly’s experiences, readers learn the value of controlling their impulses and honesty. Lilly’s experiences teach the importance of second chances, making amends, and learning from our actions.

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Audrey Wood

This is the second of two picture books with a problem and solution by Audrey Wood. The narrator attempts to convince a little mouse to share a recently picked succulent strawberry. Worried about a big, hungry bear, the mouse employs various strategies, including disguising and locking away the fruit, to keep it safe.

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear promotes discussions on sharing, problem-solving, creative thinking and cause and effect.

The Lumberjack’s Beard by Duncan Beedie

Jim chops down trees in the forest without considering the repercussions. His actions make many animals homeless, so Jim allows them to reside in his huge beard. He replants the trees and waits for them to grow so the animals can return to their natural habitats.

The Lumberjack’s Beard encourages discussions about environmental conservation, cause and effect, and problem-solving and highlights how people can rectify mistakes.

The Marvellous Moon Map by Teresa Heapy

Mouse wants to find the moon with his own moon map. His friend, Bear thinks it would be better to plan and organise the trip. Mouse heads off alone but ends up lost with his map that can’t help him. Luckily, Bear helps him out him and they discover something better than the moon. Reinforces themes of friendship, organisation, creative thinking and problem-solving.

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe

Mufaro’s two daughters react differently to the King’s search for a wife – one is aggressive and selfish, the other kind and dignified. The king disguises himself to learn the true nature of both girls and chooses Nyasha, the kind and generous daughter, to be the queen. This African folktale promotes themes of jealousy, vanity and kindness.

Our Little Inventor by Sher Rill Ng

Nell has an ingenious invention to solve the pollution problem in the Big City. She sets off on a journey to the city, far from where she lives. She finds the pollution is much worse than she expected. Nell is dismayed when city leaders mock her. With unexpected help and Nell’s determination, she shows her machine to the city. Promotes girls in STEM, pollution, determination, perseverance, critical thinking and problem-solving.

Outfoxed by Claudia Boldt

Harold, a fox, is challenged by his father to catch a chicken. He decides to follow his heart and helps the chicken escape. Reinforces themes of empathy, independence, problem-solving and creative thinking.

The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch

Princess Elizabeth is a resourceful young girl who must outsmart a dragon to save her prince while dressed in a humble paper bag. The Paper Bag Princess invites discussions about empowerment, courage, independence, and challenging traditional gender roles by illustrating the strength of character over appearance. It emphasises that real heroines can save the day with their wit and courage, regardless of appearance.

Phileas's Fortune: A Story about Self-Expression by Agnes de Lestrade

Large factories churn out beautiful, ugly and funny words. People purchase, then swallow the words to communicate. Not all words are equal and the cost of each word varies. Phileas catches three discarded, random words to express his love for Cybele. Reinforces themes of communication, perseverance, problem-solving, risk-taking and creative thinking.

Rainbow Weaver by Teodora del Acoris is a book about recycling.

Rainbow Weaver by Linda Elovitz Marshall

Ixchel, a young Mayan girl, is passionate about continuing her community’s weaving tradition. Unable to use traditional materials, she innovatively uses colourful plastic bags, transforming waste into a woven rainbow fabric.

Rainbow Weaver sparks discussions on sustainability and recycling, empowering indigenous female characters, persistence and creative problem-solving.

Ralf by Jean Jullien

Ralf is always getting under everyones feet no matter what hr does. One night he smells smoke and stretches his body around the house trying to wake the family. After being saved, the family accept Ralf for who he is even if he still gets in the way. Reinforces themes of acceptance, caring, courage and problem & solution.

Star in the Jar by Sam Hay

A little boy finds a star and keeps it in a jar. He makes the decision to help the sad star get home., but wonders how to do this. He makes a star shape in the garden and the stars lift their little friend home.

Stuck by Oliver Jeffers

This is the first of two picture books with a problem and solution by Oliver Jeffers. When Floyd’s kite gets stuck in a tree, he throws his shoes in an attempt to free it. However, when that doesn’t work, Floyd resorts to increasingly outrageous objects (even people!) to dislodge the kite.

Stuck ignites discussions on cause and effect, creative problem-solving strategies, persistence in the face of obstacles, resourcefulness and initiative and adaptability in new situations.

Swimmy by Leo Lionni

After almost being eaten by a big fish, Swimmy works together with a school of fish to frighten off the big tuna. Use to promote problem & solution, cooperation, courage and overcoming fear.

This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers

This is the second of two picture books with a problem and solution by Oliver Jeffers. Wilfred is an organised boy who lives his life by rules. He claims a wandering moose as his new pet and names him Marcel. The moose is not keen on Wilfred’s rules and meets an old lady who claims him as her own. Wilfred recognises Marcel’s independence and learns how to compromise.

Wangari Maathai by Franck Prevot

The late Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai sparked a revolutionary movement in Africa to challenge deforestation. In a bold move, she championed African women to plant trees, ultimately helping cultivate lush farms and thriving communities. Maathai also provided seedlings to men, school children, and even soldiers, spurring further reforestation efforts and making a lasting impact.

When the Rain Comes by Alma Fullerton

In rural Sri Lanka, Malini helps plant the rice crop for the first time. The ox-cart arrives full of seedlings and the driver asks her to care for the ox. The skies darken and the monsoon rain falls, separating Malini from everyone. Rather than running for safety, she saves all the seeds from ruin. Use to teach responsibility, courage and problem & solution.

What are your favourite picture books for teaching problem and solution in the your classroom?

2 thoughts on “Solve It With Stories: Teaching Problem & Solution with Picture Books”

As far as I might be concerned, the most awesome aspect of kids’ books is the significant statements that epitomize a whole book in a sentence or two. Nobody will at any point settle on the “best” quotes, however here are a portion of my top choices!

An amazing post with great tips as always. Anyone will find your post useful. Keep up the good work.

30 New and Notable Children’s Books About Problem Solving

October 3, 2021

Looking for the best children’s books about problem solving? These children’s books on problem solving for elementary students are engaging for primary and upper elementary kids. Books with lesson plans and activities linked. Picture books about problem solving with strategies, fiction, nonfiction, STEM and more for your kindergarten, first, second, third, fourth or fifth grade students. Your students will delight in these classic and brand new books!

If you’re a member of the Picture Book Brain Trust Community , you already have access to EVERY lesson plan and activity for these books! Just click on the Lesson Plans button in the menu!

Emmanuel’s Dream by Laurie Ann Thompson

Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah’s inspiring true story—which was turned into a film, Emmanuel’s Gift, narrated by Oprah Winfrey—is nothing short of remarkable.

Born in Ghana, West Africa, with one deformed leg, he was dismissed by most people—but not by his mother, who taught him to reach for his dreams. As a boy, Emmanuel hopped to school more than two miles each way, learned to play soccer, left home at age thirteen to provide for his family, and, eventually, became a cyclist. He rode an astonishing four hundred miles across Ghana in 2001, spreading his powerful message: disability is not inability. Today, Emmanuel continues to work on behalf of the disabled.

Get the lesson plan and activities for Emmanuel’s Dream HERE

You can try a free lesson and activities for Emmanuel’s Dream by signing up here:

So Few Of Me by Peter H. Reynolds

Leo’s list of things to do keeps growing, until one day he wishes, “If only there were two of me.” Just as the words are out of his mouth, poof! Another Leo appears! Two Leos become three, three become four, and four become more . . . but Leo can’t help but notice that he has even more to do than before. As he struggles to deal with his overcomplicated life, Leo realizes that there may be a simpler solution to his overscheduling woes.

Get the lesson plan and activities for So Few Of Me HERE

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

Her teacher smiled. “Just make a mark and see where it takes you.” Art class is over, but Vashti is sitting glued to her chair in front of a blank piece of paper. The words of her teacher are a gentle invitation to express herself. But Vashti can’t draw – she’s no artist. To prove her point, Vashti jabs at a blank sheet of paper to make an unremarkable and angry mark. “There!” she says. A book that teaches that sometimes to solve a problem, you just need to start.

Get the lesson plan and activities for The Dot HERE

The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

The girl has a wonderful idea. “She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing! She knows just how it will look, and she knows just how it will work. All she has to do is make it, and she makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!” But making her magnificent thing is anything but easy, and the girl tries and fails, repeatedly. Eventually, the girl gets really, really mad. She is so mad, in fact, that she quits. But after her dog convinces her to take a walk, she comes back to her project with renewed enthusiasm and manages to get it just right.

Get the lesson plan and activities for The Most Magnificent Thing HERE

Stuck by Oliver Jeffers

When Floyd’s kite gets stuck in a tree, he’s determined to get it out. But how? Well, by knocking it down with his shoe, of course. But strangely enough, it too gets stuck. And the only logical course of action . . . is to throw his other shoe. Only now it’s stuck! Surely there must be something he can use to get his kite unstuck. An orangutan? A boat? His front door? Yes, yes, and yes. And that’s only the beginning.

Get the lesson plan and activities for Stuck HERE

Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae

Giraffes Can’t Dance is a touching tale of Gerald the giraffe, who wants nothing more than to dance. With crooked knees and thin legs, it’s harder for a giraffe than you would think. Gerald is finally able to dance to his own tune when he gets some encouraging words from an unlikely friend.With light-footed rhymes and high-stepping illustrations, this tale is gentle inspiration for every child with dreams of greatness.

Get the lesson plan and activities for Giraffes Can’t Dance HERE

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty

Ada Twist’s head is full of questions. Like her classmates Iggy and Rosie—stars of their own New York Times bestselling picture books Iggy Peck, Architect and Rosie Revere, Engineer —Ada has always been endlessly curious. Even when her fact-finding missions and elaborate scientific experiments don’t go as planned, Ada learns the value of thinking her way through problems and continuing to stay curious.

Get the lesson plan and activities for Ada Twist Scientist HERE

Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty

Some kids sculpt sand castles. Others make mud pies. Some construct great block towers. But none are better at building than Iggy Peck, who once erected a life-size replica of the Great Sphinx on his front lawn! It’s too bad that few people appreciate Iggy’s talent—certainly not his second-grade teacher, Miss Lila Greer. It looks as if Iggy will have to trade in his T square for a box of crayons . . . until a fateful field trip proves just how useful a mast builder can be.

Get the lesson plan and activities for Iggy Peck Architect HERE

Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty

Rosie Revere dreamed of becoming a great engineer. Where some people see rubbish, Rosie sees inspiration. Alone in her room at night, shy Rosie constructs great inventions from odds and ends. Hot dog dispensers, helium pants, python-repelling cheese hats: Rosie’s gizmos would astound—if she ever let anyone see them.

Afraid of failure, she hides them away under her bed. Until a fateful visit from her great-great-aunt Rose (AKA Rosie the Riveter!), who shows her that the first flop isn’t something to fear—it’s something to celebrate. And you can only truly fail, if you quit.

Get the lesson plan and activities for Rosie Revere Engineer HERE

Sofia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty

Every morning, Abuelo walks Sofia to school . . . until one day, when Abuelo hurts his ankle at a local landfill and he can no longer do so. Sofia (aka Sofi) misses her Abuelo and wonders what she can do about the dangerous Mount Trashmore. Then she gets an idea—the town can turn the slimy mess into a park! She brainstorms and plans and finally works up the courage to go to City Hall—only to be told by a clerk that she can’t build a park because she’s just a kid! Sofia is down but not out, and she sets out to prove what one kid can do.

Get the lesson plan and activities for Sofia Valdez Future Prez HERE

Journey by Aaron Becker

A lonely girl draws a magic door on her bedroom wall and through it escapes into a world where wonder, adventure, and danger abound. Red marker in hand, she creates a boat, a balloon, and a flying carpet that carry her on a spectacular journey toward an uncertain destiny. When she is captured by a sinister emperor, only an act of tremendous courage and kindness can set her free. Can it also lead her home and to her heart’s desire? An amazing wordless picture book !

Get the lesson plan and activities for Journey HERE

What Do You Do With A Problem? by Kobi Yamada

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From the same author and illustrator as the #1 nationally best-selling What Do You Do With an Idea? comes a new book to encourage you to look closely at problems and discover the possibilities they can hold.

This is the story of a persistent problem and the child who isn’t so sure what to make of it. The longer the problem is avoided, the bigger it seems to get. But when the child finally musters up the courage to face it, the problem turns out to be something quite different than it appeared.

Get the lesson plan and activities for What Do You Do With A Problem? HERE

Flight School by Lita Judge

A persevering penguin is determined to fly in this adorably inspiring picture book from the creator of Red Hat and Red Sled .

Although little Penguin has the soul of an eagle, his body wasn’t built to soar. But Penguin has an irrepressible spirit, and he adamantly follows his dreams to flip, flap, fly! Even if he needs a little help with the technical parts, this penguin is ready to live on the wind.

Get the lesson plan and activities for Flight School HERE

Jack’s Worry by Mark Zuppardi

Jack loves playing the trumpet, and for weeks he’s been looking forward to taking part in his first concert. But on the morning of the big day, Jack finds he has a Worry. And his Worry starts to grow. Even when Jack’s mother calls him for a special breakfast, even when he hides under the bed or runs around the yard, his Worry follows him. Suddenly, when it’s almost time to leave for the concert, Jack finds it’s all too much. For anyone who’s ever been afraid of failing at something new, this book offers just what’s needed to shrink a Worry down to size.

Get the lesson plan and activities for Jack’s Worry HERE

The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry

Lynne Cherry journeyed deep into the rain forests of Brazil to write and illustrate this gorgeous picture book about a man who exhausts himself trying to chop down a giant kapok tree. While he sleeps, the forest’s residents, including a child from the Yanomamo tribe, whisper in his ear about the importance of trees and how “all living things depend on one another” . . . and it works.

Get the lesson plan and activities for The Great Kapok Tree HERE

Teach Us Your Name by Huda Essa

A girl is frustrated with her name and accepts people saying it incorrectly. A visit to her grandmother helps her think of how to solve her problem. Embracing the diversity of our names is one of the first steps we can take to show our appreciation of diversity and inclusion. Everyone has a name and every name has a story. Teach Us Your Name focuses on the many stories and ways we can all connect by helping children take pride in their many identities and to utilize the opportunity to learn from others. This book lends itself to countless invaluable discussions about cultural norms, languages, unconscious bias, and much more.

Get the lesson plan and activities for Teach Us Your Name HERE

Boxes For Katje by Candace Fleming

After World War II there is little left in Katje’s town of Olst in Holland. Her family, like most Dutch families, must patch their old worn clothing and go without everyday things like soap and milk. Then one spring morning when the tulips bloom “thick and bright,” Postman Kleinhoonte pedals his bicycle down Katje’s street to deliver a mysterious box – a box from America!

Full of soap, socks, and chocolate, the box has been sent by Rosie, an American girl from Mayfield, Indiana. Her package is part of a goodwill effort to help the people of Europe. What’s inside so delights Katje that she sends off a letter of thanks – beginning an exchange that swells with so many surprises that the girls, as well as their townspeople, will never be the same. Sometimes to solve a problem, we need help from our neighbors, even if they’re across an ocean. An amazing historical fiction picture book !

Get the lesson plan and activities for Boxes For Katje HERE

Click Clack Moo by Doreen Cronin

Farmer Brown has a problem. His cows like to type. All day long he hears click, clack, MOO. Click, clack, MOO. Clickety, clack, MOO. But Farmer Brown’s problems REALLY begin when his cows start leaving him notes….

Get the lesson plan and activities for Click Clack Moo HERE

City Green by Dyanne DiSalvo-Ryan

Right in the middle of Marcy’s city block is a vacant lot, littered and forlorn. Sometimes just looking at it makes Marcy feel sad. Then one spring, Marcy has a wonderful idea: Instead of a useless lot, why not a green and growing space for everyone to enjoy?

Get the lesson plan and activities for City Green HERE

Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes

Lilly loves all sorts of things. She loves school, she loves dressing up, she even grows to love her stinky baby brother, Julius. In fact, Lilly loves everything! But when Lilly brings her purple plastic purse to school and can’t wait until sharing time to show off the purse and her movie star sunglasses, her teacher, Mr. Slinger, has to take away her prized possessions.

Lilly’s fury leads her to draw a mean picture of her favorite teacher. It isn’t until Mr. Slinger gives her belongings back to her with a kind note and snacks that Lilly realizes she owes Mr. Slinger an apology.

Get the lesson plan and activities for Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse HERE

Mr. Peabody’s Apples by Madonna

Tommy Tittlebottom sees Mr Peabody taking an apple from Mr Funkadeli’s fruit market and is very surprised that he doesn’t pay. Then Tommy sees it happen again and decides that Mr. Peabody is a thief. Word spreads quickly around the town. When Mr Peabody arrives at the baseball ground, ready for the usual Saturday game, only Billy Little turns up and he soon explains what has happened. It is then up to Mr. Peabody to teach Tommy about the importance of truth and the power of words.

Get the lesson plan and activities for Mr. Peabody’s Apples HERE

The Three Questions by Jon Muth

Young Nikolai is searching for the answers to his three questions: When is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do? But it is his own response to a stranger’s cry for help that leads him directly to the answers he is looking for. This profound and inspiring book is about compassion and being engaged in each moment. With his stunning watercolors — and text that resounds with universal truths, Jon J Muth has transformed a story by Leo Tolstoy into a timeless fable for readers of every age!

Get the lesson plan and activities for The Three Questions HERE

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba

When fourteen-year-old William Kamkwamba’s Malawi village was hit by a drought, everyone’s crops began to fail. Without enough money for food, let alone school, William spent his days in the library . . . and figured out how to bring electricity to his village. Persevering against the odds, William built a functioning windmill out of junkyard scraps, and thus became the local hero who harnessed the wind.

Get the lesson plan and activities for The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind HERE

The Cat Man of Aleppo by Irene Latham

Alaa loves Aleppo, but when war comes his neighbors flee to safety, leaving their many pets behind. Alaa decides to stay–he can make a difference by driving an ambulance, carrying the sick and wounded to safety. One day he hears hungry cats calling out to him on his way home. They are lonely and scared, just like him. He feeds and pets them to let them know they are loved. The next day more cats come, and then even more! There are too many for Alaa to take care of on his own. Alaa has a big heart, but he will need help from others if he wants to keep all of his new friends safe.

Get the lesson plan and activities for The Cat Man of Aleppo HERE

I Dissent by Debbie Levy

Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg spent a lifetime disagreeing: disagreeing with inequality, arguing against unfair treatment, and standing up for what’s right for people everywhere. This biographical picture book about the Notorious RBG, tells the justice’s story through the lens of her many famous dissents, or disagreements.

Get the lesson plan and activities for I Dissent HERE

Mary Wears What She Wants by Keith Negley

Once upon a time (but not that long ago), girls only wore dresses. And only boys wore pants. Until one day, a young girl named Mary had an idea: She would wear whatever she wanted. And she wanted to wear pants!

Get the lesson plan and activities for Mary Wears What She Wants HERE

Biblioburro by Jeanette Winter

Luis loves to read, but soon his house in Colombia is so full of books there’s barely room for the family. What to do? Then he comes up with the perfect solution—a traveling library! He buys two donkeys—Alfa and Beto—and travels with them throughout the land, bringing books and reading to the children in faraway villages.

Get the lesson plan and activities for Biblioburro HERE

Energy Island by Allan Drummond

At a time when most countries are producing ever-increasing amounts of CO2, the rather ordinary citizens of Samsø have accomplished something extraordinary―in just ten years they have reduced their carbon emissions by 140% and become almost completely energy independent. A narrative tale and a science book in one, this inspiring true story proves that with a little hard work and a big idea, anyone can make a huge step toward energy conservation.

Get the lesson plan and activities for Energy Island HERE

Papa’s Mechanical Fish by Candace Fleming

Clink! Clankety-bang! Thump-whirr! That’s the sound of Papa at work. Although he is an inventor, he has never made anything that works perfectly, and that’s because he hasn’t yet found a truly fantastic idea. But when he takes his family fishing on Lake Michigan, his daughter Virena asks, “Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a fish?”―and Papa is off to his workshop. With a lot of persistence and a little bit of help, Papa―who is based on the real-life inventor Lodner Phillips―creates a submarine that can take his family for a trip to the bottom of Lake Michigan.

Get the lesson plan and activities for Papa’s Mechanical Fish HERE

The Boy Who Grew a Forest by Sophia Gholz

As a boy, Jadav Payeng was distressed by the destruction deforestation and erosion was causing on his island home in India’s Brahmaputra River. So he began planting trees. What began as a small thicket of bamboo, grew over the years into 1,300 acre forest filled with native plants and animals. The Boy Who Grew a Forest tells the inspiring true story of Payeng–and reminds us all of the difference a single person with a big idea can make. Sometimes to solve a problem, it takes a little bit of effort over a long period of time.

Get the lesson plan and activities for The Boy Who Grew a Forest HERE

Best Children’s Books About Problem Solving

What are some of your favorite children’s books about problem solving Are there any must read books about problem solving that I left out? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it!

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This Reading Mama

Books with a Clear Problem and Solution

By thisreadingmama 5 Comments

When teaching kids how to comprehend and/or write fiction text, often times it’s good to start with books and stories that have a clear problem and solution text structure .

This means that the story line introduces characters and a problem at the beginning –> the character(s) try to solve the problem in the middle, which rises to a climax –> and at the end, the problem is solved, with the “good” guy winning.

The determining importance post , from our Reading Comprehension Series , has a great visual to SHOW this progression in fiction text. We also have lots of free, graphic organizers for fiction text structure here .

Books that Have a Clear Problem and Solution Text Structure - This Reading Mama

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Books with a Clear Problem and Solution Structure

Today, I’m sharing 16 of our favorite books that feature a clear problem and solution structure to help kids see how fiction texts are often composed. By the way, these texts aren’t just great for comprehension, but can also be used to help kids WRITE their own fiction stories as well, an extra bonus!

Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber is about boy named Ira, who becomes anxious quite about what his friend, Reggie, will think of him if he brings his teddy bear over to spend the night. This is a GREAT book for teaching text-to-self connections as well as the problem and solution text structure.

Dog Breath by Dav Pilkey is a pun-filled book about a family pet, Hally Tosis, who has incredibly bad breath. The Tosis family tries to help Hally get rid of the bad breath to no avail. But dog breath may actually be a good thing, especially when two thieves visit the Tosis family!

Oliver Button is a Sissy by Tomie dePaola is about a little boy named Oliver who is clearly different than all the other boys at school. He’d rather paint, tap dance, and read instead of playing sports like all the other boys, which earns him the name, “Sissy.” But once he shows his dancing skills at the school talent show, he receives a new name – “Star.”

Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion features a cute little family puppy who despises his baths. So much so, that he hides his bath brush and runs away. As he is away, he gets very dirty, from a white dog with black spots to a black dog with white spots. As hunger strikes, he heads home only to find that the family doesn’t recognize him.

The Little Engine by Watty Piper is a classic book that features a clear problem and solution structure as the little engine helps the broken down engine climb over the mountain to deliver toys to all the boys and girls on the other side of the mountain.

Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina is such a fun and interactive book about a peddler who gets his caps stolen by a bunch of monkeys. He tries, in anger, to get his caps back, only to be mocked by the monkeys. What will he do to get all those caps back? Such a simple solution that kids may be able to predict as they read along.

Any of Kevin Henkes’ books are great for teaching the problem and solution text structure with fiction. One of my daughter’s favorites is Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse . Lily loves her purple plastic purse so much she brings it to school to share, but Mr. Slinger, her teacher, takes it from her. To get revenge, she draws a mean picture of her teacher only to have him see it. She begins to feel great remorse for her actions and wants to make amends. Will Mrs. Slinger forgive her?

Mo Willems is one of my kids’ favorite authors. Knuffle Bunny was probably the first book they were introduced to by him. Trixie and Daddy take a trip to the laudromat. On the way home, Trixie realizes Knuffle Bunny has been left behind. Follow the journey of Trixie and Daddy as they try to get Knuffle Bunny back. There are more Knuffle Bunny adventures including Knuffle Bunny Too , but I warn you to keep a tissue box handy when you read Knuffle Bunny Free .

Jamaica’s Find by Juanita Havill features a little girl, Jamaica, who finds a stuffed dog and hat at the park. She takes the hat to the lost and found, but decides to keep the stuffed dog for herself. She finds herself wondering if she’s done the right thing by keeping the dog. She finally decides to take it back to the lost and found and finds a friend along the way. This book is a great one to show that characters don’t always face external problems; sometimes characters have internal struggles and problems.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig is about a donkey named Sylvester who finds a magic pebble. Just then, a lion comes to attack him and he wishes to be a rock. Sylvester is changed into a rock, but he can no longer hold the magic pebble to wish himself back into his usual form. His family looks high and low for him and is eventually returned to his family. William Steig has such a way with words and his books can fit into multiple comprehension strategies, such as asking questions .

Enemy Pie by Derek Muson is such a fantastic book for many comprehension strategies. It’s been one of my favorites for a long time and I LOVE reading it to kids who have never heard the story. When a bully (Jeremy Ross) moves into the neighborhood, the young boy’s summer is ruined. That is until the young boy’s father says he can help get rid of the bully (enemy) by making him some enemy pie. The boy wonders: What is “enemy pie” and how does it work? Will it get rid of enemies? What does it taste like? Will “enemy pie” solve all his problems?

Camilla worries about what others think of her so much that on the first day of school, she wakes up with a bad case of the stripes…and much more! Her body adds on the ailments of every fear she has until a kind, old lady helps her to learn that it’s okay to just be herself. A Bad Case of the Stripes by David Shannon has an explicit external conflict, but kids have to read “in between the lines” to get the internal problem Camilla faces and eventually conquers.

The Stray Dog by Marc Simont is one of the books we used an example for our determining importance post with fiction . A family goes for a nice picnic away from the city only to meet a cute, stray dog. They leave the park without the dog, but think about him all week. The next weekend, the family returns to the park, hoping that the stray dog will show up again. He does, but now they have another obstacle to overcome. Such a cute book and one that requires kids to pay attention to the story that the pictures also tell.

If I had a dollar for every Elephant & Piggie book we’ve read {and re-read} this school year, I’d be rich! 🙂 All of his books contain a clear problem and solution format, but in such a fun and playful way that kids WANT to read these. While the words are written for the 1st grade level, older kids will enjoy them, too. Waiting is Not Easy! is one of Mo Willems’ newest Elephant & Piggie books and was also featured in our determining importance post with fiction from our Reading Comprehension Series .

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak is another classic book that features a clear problem and solution structure. Max is banished to his room without supper because of his behavior and falls asleep only to “wake up” in a world of wild things. Max begins to long for home again and wakes up to find that his mother has left his supper in his room to eat. I love how Sendak asks kids to read between the lines a bit to figure out how his supper got there and why. So adorable and such a classic!

More Book Lists You May Enjoy:

50+ Texts for Modeling Comprehension Strategies compiled This Reading Mama

50+ Books for Modeling Comprehension Strategies
Books to Help you Teach Comprehension
Letter of the Week Book Lists & Letter Packs

Books that Have a Clear Problem and Solution Text Structure complied by This Reading Mama

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April 25, 2016 at 6:38 pm

This was helpful. Thanks, I have most of these books.

November 4, 2016 at 11:22 am

Is this list available somewhere in document form?

November 4, 2016 at 11:47 pm

I don’t believe so, but that’s a GREAT idea!

December 7, 2020 at 7:51 pm

Loved the tips and advice in your article. You explained it well and I guess I am going to apply these in my future writing project. You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children. Come and visit my blog on Tips on How to Write a Story That’s Perfect for Children Hope this will help.

Thanks Attilio

January 8, 2021 at 9:19 pm

This is useful information that helps me in my future writing. Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. It is also to train your mind to imagination to think big. Keep it up!

Problem Solving Books for Kids

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An important skill I think is vital to teach to kids is problem solving. Life is full of problems that need solving, so the better we can prepare kids for this world, the better off they will be in this world.

I am trying hard to teach my kids to be leaders and problem solvers, people who are not afraid to jump in and help when they see a need and do their part. This is not always an easy skill to teach!

One way I teach problem solving is through the books we read. Books can be such a positive (or negative!) influence on how kids think. Today I have compiled a list of problem solving chapter books for kids. All of these books have themes that have kids solving a problem in creative and ingenious ways. I love having my kids read books like this because it encourages my own kids to think in creatively. Problem solving is a necessary skill for kids to start learning at a young age. People who know how to solve problems easily and in creative ways will be better leaders now and in the future.

The 39 Clues , a series by various authors tells of 2 kids who travel the world on an adventure hunting clues to that lead to the family fortune.

The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein is a library adventure lie no other! A group of kid are chosen to stay in the new fantastic library overnight and can only escape by discovering all of the clues.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

Candy Shop Wars by Brandon Mull – My son says the second one in the series is the best on this topic.

Key to the Treasure by Peggy Parish

Capture the Flag by Kate Messner (read my Review )

Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol

Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss is a story about a 12-year-old girl who joins a geocaching style game with books that lead to coded clues around the country.

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

The Genius Files by Dan Gutman

Hatchet by Gary Paulson is about a boy who learns to survive on his own in the wild.

You can find many of these on Audible!

Can you think of more Problem Solving Books for Kids?

Share them in the comments!

What do you do to encourage problem solving with your kids?

Check out more of my book lists:

Former school teacher turned homeschool mom of 4 kids. Loves creating awesome hands-on creative learning ideas to make learning engaging and memorable for all kids!

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Children’s Books To Raise Problem-Solvers

by Olivia Lesh | Jul 25, 2020 | Book Reviews

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Whether in the classroom, on the sports field, or at home, problem-solving helps kids thrive. These ten children’s books promote everyday problem-solving and resiliency, whether the issue be a missing toy or a struggling friendship.

1. STUCK By Oliver Jeffers Amazon I BookShop A funny tale about a number of large objects, including a ship and a house, that get stuck in a tree

2. WHAT DO YOU DO WITH AN IDEA? By Kobi Yamada Amazon I BookShop A sentimental narrative about the magic of having one’s own original idea, and nurturing it like a friend

3. OLIVER BUTTON IS A SISSY By Tomie dePaola Amazon I BookShop Oliver Button defies gender norms with his love of tap dancing, and struggles with teasing. He practices and follows his passions to become a star

4. THE FRUIT SALAD FRIEND By Maria Dismondy Amazon I BookShop This colorful book explores the components of a great friend that may help solve friendship problems

5. A BAD CASE OF THE STRIPES By David Shannon Amazon I BookShop Sometimes when we face a problem, it just seems to get worse and worse! When Camilla finds herself striped and able to change pattern on demand, only being her true self will prove to cure her

6. KNUFFLE BUNNY By Mo Willems Amazon I BookShop Misplacing an important object can be distressing, but searching with the help of family or friends can solve the issue! When a stuffed animal called Knuffle Bunny goes missing, a family zooms back to the laundromat to find it

7. JAMAICA’S FIND By Juanita Havill Amazon I BookShop Jamaica finds a stuffed animal at the park and turns it into the lost and found, helping its owner to find it

8. JABARI JUMPS By Gaia Cornwall Amazon I BookShop Changing one’s mindset can be an important tool for problem-solving. When Jabari struggles with his fear of jumping off the diving board, taking a deep breath and assuring himself that he’s ready helps him to view it as a surprise

9. THE BROWNSTONE By Paula Scher Amazon I BookShop This flavorful book about animals living in close proximity explores how to problem-solve and get along with neighbors

10. ONE WORD FROM SOPHIA By Jim Averbeck Amazon I BookShop This book about a birthday wish for a giraffe demonstrates varied techniques of negotiation, and which is most effective.

These ten favorites can help instill a problem-solving mindset in children. Sign up for Maria Dismondy email list to discover more character-building titles and Thank You Card template .

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Building Problem-Solving Skills for Preschoolers

Definition and significance of problem-solving skills in preschoolers, overview of typical problem-solving scenarios for preschoolers, math problem-solving activities for preschoolers, creative problem-solving games and activities, utilizing problem-solving cards for interactive learning, how to teach problem-solving to preschoolers effectively, incorporating problem-solving steps into everyday activities, role of adults in facilitating problem-solving skills, recommended problem-solving books for preschoolers, reputable online resources, using problem-solving worksheets as a learning tool, real-life problem-solving scenarios for preschoolers to navigate.

Preschool teacher and children engaging with geometric blocks to build problem-solving skills

In the early years of childhood development, problem-solving skills are foundational to cognitive growth and practical learning. This article explores engaging activities, scenarios, and resources designed to foster these critical skills in young learners. Through a variety of methods, including interactive games, math activities, and educational books, preschoolers can develop the ability to navigate challenges, leading to enhanced learning experiences and a solid foundation for future academic success.

To cultivate these essential skills in your preschooler and lay a strong foundation for their future, explore the wealth of problem-solving activities, games, and resources available. Embrace the joy of learning together and watch as your child’s problem-solving abilities flourish. Begin this exciting journey now and open a world of possibilities for your little learner!

Understanding Problem-Solving for Preschoolers

Problem-solving skills in preschoolers refer to their ability to understand a problem, think through solutions, and execute a plan to overcome it. This capability is vital for their cognitive development and helps in navigating daily challenges. Preschoolers encounter problem-solving scenarios in various forms, such as puzzles, social interactions, and play activities, where they learn to make decisions, analyze outcomes, and adapt to new situations. Engaging them in targeted problem-solving activities and games can significantly enhance these skills, preparing them for future more complex tasks and decision-making processes.

Preschoolers encounter various problem-solving scenarios daily, which are crucial for their cognitive, social, and emotional development. These scenarios typically involve challenges or situations that require them to analyze, make decisions, and find solutions. Here’s an overview of common types of problem-solving situations preschoolers might face:

Social Interactions: Learning to share toys, taking turns, and resolving conflicts with peers are common problems requiring negotiation and empathy.
Self-care Tasks: Dressing themselves, tying shoelaces, or managing basic hygiene tasks demand practical problem-solving skills and fine motor coordination.
Academic Challenges: Simple puzzles, building blocks, and age-appropriate educational games encourage critical thinking, pattern recognition, and logical reasoning.
Emotional Regulation: Identifying and managing their feelings, like frustration or sadness, when things don’t go as planned, teaching them to find constructive solutions.
Environmental Navigation: Overcoming physical obstacles, like reaching a high shelf or navigating a new play area, requires spatial awareness and physical judgment.

Problem-Solving Activities for Preschoolers

Proud preschool boy holding up a worksheet on the number three, showcasing early math skills

Math problem-solving activities for preschoolers should be engaging and hands-on, helping them understand basic mathematical concepts through play and exploration. Here’s a list of activities designed to enhance their math problem-solving skills:

Sorting and Categorizing: Children sort objects by color, size, shape, or type, which develops their ability to recognize patterns and categories.
Counting Games: Using toys, beads, or blocks to count aloud helps preschoolers understand numbers and quantity.
Simple Puzzles: Completing puzzles with different shapes and sizes teaches spatial awareness and geometric concepts.
Matching Activities: Pairing matching items or numbers with corresponding groups of objects enhances number recognition and counting skills.
Shape Hunts: Finding objects of specific shapes in their environment helps children identify and classify geometric shapes.
Measurement Activities: Using rulers, measuring tapes, or comparing objects directly teaches basic measurement and comparison skills.
Number Stories: Creating simple stories that involve addition or subtraction helps in understanding basic arithmetic operations.
Pattern Making: Using colored blocks or beads to create and extend patterns teaches sequencing and predictive logic.

Creative problem-solving activities encourage thinking outside the box and foster innovation. Here are some games and activities that can help develop these skills:

Story Building: Participants add to a story one sentence at a time, promoting creative thinking and collaborative storytelling.
Invention Scramble: Children use random objects to create a new invention, encouraging imaginative thinking and resourcefulness.
Obstacle Course: Setting up an obstacle course with specific challenges requires planning and strategy to navigate.
Riddle Solving: Engaging in riddles and brain teasers enhances critical thinking and comprehension skills.
Building Challenges: Using blocks or LEGO, children are tasked with constructing a structure based on a theme or specific requirements.
Role-Playing Games: Children take on different roles and scenarios, promoting empathy and creative problem-solving in social situations.
Art Projects: Encouraging free-form art or specific thematic projects helps in exploring creativity and expressing ideas visually.
Treasure Hunts: Organizing a treasure hunt with clues and challenges promotes logical reasoning and teamwork.

Problem-solving cards are a versatile tool that can be used to promote interactive learning. They typically feature scenarios, questions, or challenges that prompt learners to think critically and develop solutions. Here’s how they can be used effectively:

Scenario-Based Learning: Cards can present real-life situations that require learners to apply knowledge and critical thinking to solve problems.
Group Discussions: Using cards to initiate group discussions encourages collaboration and the sharing of diverse perspectives.
Role-Playing Activities : Cards can set up role-playing exercises where learners must navigate and resolve conflicts or challenges.
Game-Based Learning: Incorporating cards into games can make learning fun and competitive, motivating learners to engage more deeply with the content.
Skill Development Workshops: Cards can be used in workshops to practice specific skills, such as negotiation, decision-making, or creative thinking.

List of Necessary Elements for Utilizing Problem-Solving Cards

To effectively use problem-solving cards in interactive learning, certain elements are necessary:

Varied and Relevant Content: Cards should cover various topics and scenarios relevant to the learners’ experiences and learning objectives.
Clear and Concise Instructions: Each card should have clear, concise instructions to ensure learners understand the problem or task.
Adaptability: Cards should be versatile enough to be used in different teaching methods and learning environments, whether in-person or online.
Interactive Design: Engaging visuals and interactive elements on the cards can enhance the learning experience.
Feedback Mechanism: Incorporating a way to provide feedback on the solutions or discussions generated from the cards helps in assessing understanding and progress.
Scalability: The difficulty level of the cards should be scalable to cater to different skill levels and learning stages.
Cultural Sensitivity: Content on the cards should be culturally sensitive and inclusive, reflecting diverse perspectives and experiences.
Supplementary Materials: Providing additional resources or information related to the scenarios on the cards can deepen understanding and extend learning.

Preschool children and teacher conducting a color mixing experiment, learning problem-solving

Teaching Strategies

Teaching problem-solving to preschoolers is about guiding them to think independently, make decisions, and learn from outcomes. Here’s how educators and parents can effectively teach problem-solving skills to preschoolers:

Model Problem-Solving Behavior: Demonstrate how to approach problems calmly and thoughtfully, talking through the process out loud.
Create a Safe Learning Environment: Ensure that the environment is supportive and non-judgmental, allowing children to explore solutions without fear of failure.
Encourage Exploration and Play: Through play, children can experiment with different solutions and learn from trial and error.
Ask Open-Ended Questions: Encourage thinking by asking questions that have no single right answer, prompting children to explore various possibilities.
Facilitate, Don’t Solve: Guide children through the problem-solving process, helping them think of solutions, rather than providing answers.
Use Storytelling: Stories can introduce problems in a relatable context, encouraging children to come up with creative solutions.
Encourage Teamwork: Group activities can teach children how to collaborate, share ideas, and solve problems together.
Teach Emotional Regulation: Help children recognize and manage their emotions, which is a critical part of solving problems effectively.

List of Necessary Elements for Teaching Problem-Solving to Preschoolers

To teach problem-solving effectively to preschoolers, certain elements are necessary:

Patience and Time: Problem-solving skills develop over time, requiring patience and practice.
Age-Appropriate Challenges: Problems should be relevant and challenging but achievable for their developmental stage.
Variety of Materials: Provide diverse materials and resources to stimulate creative thinking and problem-solving.
Positive Reinforcement: Celebrate successes and encourage perseverance, reinforcing the value of effort and learning from mistakes.
Consistent Opportunities: Regularly integrate problem-solving activities into daily routines and learning experiences.
Clear Guidance and Support: Offer clear instructions and support to help children understand the problem-solving process.
Reflective Practice: Encourage children to reflect on the problem-solving process and outcomes to enhance learning.
Cultural and Contextual Relevance: Ensure problems and scenarios are culturally relevant and relatable to the children’s experiences.

Incorporating problem-solving steps into everyday activities offers a practical and seamless way to enhance critical thinking skills. This approach involves identifying daily tasks or challenges and using them as opportunities to practice problem-solving.

For instance, during meal preparation, children can be involved in deciding what to cook, which ingredients are needed, and how to follow the recipe. This engages them in decision-making, sequencing, and logical thinking.

Similarly, when faced with conflicts or decisions, guiding children through identifying the issue, brainstorming possible solutions, evaluating these options, and then implementing and reflecting on the outcome can be very effective. This method makes problem-solving a natural part of daily life and helps children learn to apply these skills autonomously, preparing them for more complex challenges as they grow.

Preschool teacher and children sorting and stringing beads, engaging in problem-solving play

Adults play a crucial role in facilitating problem-solving skills among children by acting as guides, models, and supporters. They set the stage for learning by providing appropriate challenges and resources that encourage critical thinking and experimentation.

Through modeling problem-solving behavior—like verbalizing thought processes, showing how to evaluate options, and demonstrating persistence in the face of difficulties—adults provide a blueprint for children to follow. They also create a safe environment where children feel free to explore solutions without fear of judgment, offering guidance and encouragement rather than solutions, which promotes independence and confidence.

Additionally, by asking open-ended questions, adults can stimulate children’s thought processes and encourage them to see problems from different angles, further developing their critical thinking and decision-making skills. Adults are vital in nurturing an atmosphere where problem-solving can thrive, guiding children to become proficient problem-solvers.

Two preschoolers reading colorful storybooks on a classroom floor, engaging in early literacy activities

Educational Resources

Books can be a fantastic resource for developing problem-solving skills in preschoolers. Here are some highly recommended titles that engage young readers in the art of problem-solving:

“Rosie Revere, Engineer” by Andrea Beaty: This book encourages innovation and perseverance, showing that failure is just a step towards success.
“Curious George” series by H.A. Rey: The adventures of Curious George teach problem-solving and curiosity, as the little monkey often finds himself in tricky situations that require clever solutions.
“The Most Magnificent Thing” by Ashley Spires: This story is about a girl who learns about frustration and perseverance while trying to create something magnificent.
“Ish” by Peter H. Reynolds: Reynolds’ book teaches children that thinking “ish-ly” is more important than perfection, encouraging creative problem-solving.
“Not a Box” by Antoinette Portis: This book stimulates imagination and creativity, showing how a simple box can be much more through innovative thinking.
“The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds: Another book by Reynolds, it inspires children to start small and see where their imagination and problem-solving can take them.
“What Do You Do With a Problem?” by Kobi Yamada: This book personifies problems as opportunities to learn and grow, teaching children to face challenges head-on.
“Beautiful Oops!” by Barney Saltzberg: Saltzberg’s book encourages finding beauty in mistakes and learning from them, promoting a positive attitude towards problem-solving.

Here’s a list of reputable online resources that provide valuable content on teaching problem-solving skills to preschoolers, including activities, strategies, and educational insights:

NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) : Offers a wealth of resources on early childhood development, including articles and tips on promoting problem-solving skills.
Teaching Strategies : Offers innovative, research-based teaching methods and resources for early childhood educators to enhance problem-solving skills in preschoolers.
Education.com : Contains a wide range of problem-solving activities, worksheets, and games tailored for preschool-aged children.

These websites are well-regarded in the field of early childhood education and provide a range of tools and insights for effectively teaching problem-solving skills to preschoolers.

Problem-solving worksheets are an effective learning tool for developing critical thinking and analytical skills. They provide structured opportunities for students to practice and refine their approach to solving various types of problems.

List of Necessary Elements for Problem-Solving Worksheets

For problem-solving worksheets to be an effective learning tool, they should include:

Clear Instructions: Directions should be concise and easy to understand, ensuring students know what is expected.
Relevant Content: Problems should be age-appropriate and connected to real-world situations to enhance relevance and engagement.
Structured Approach: Worksheets should guide students through the problem-solving process, possibly outlining steps like understanding the problem, devising a plan, carrying out the plan, and reviewing the solution.
Variety in Problem Types: Including different types of problems, such as puzzles, logic problems, and word problems, can cater to various learning styles and interests.
Space for Workings: Providing ample space for students to write down their thought processes and calculations is important for developing their ability to solve problems systematically.
Engaging Design: Visually appealing worksheets with illustrations or graphics can motivate students and enhance their learning experience.

Enthusiastic preschool girl giving a thumbs up in a vibrant classroom setting

Practical Application

Preschoolers can learn valuable problem-solving skills through real-life scenarios they can relate to and navigate. Here’s a list of scenarios that can help preschoolers develop and practice these skills:

Sharing Toys: Navigating how to share toys with siblings or friends, deciding who plays with what, and for how long.
Dressing for the Weather: Choosing appropriate clothing for the day based on the weather conditions, like selecting a raincoat on a rainy day or a sunhat when it’s sunny.
Meal Choices: Making decisions about what to eat for snacks or meals, balancing between healthy options and favorite treats.
Cleaning Up: Figuring out how to organize and clean up toys and supplies efficiently after playtime.
Lost Items: Developing strategies to find a lost toy or belonging, retracing steps, and thinking of places where it could be.
Turn-taking Games: Learning to wait for a turn and cope with the delay in gratification during group games or activities.
Building Structures: Deciding how to build a stable structure using blocks or other materials, which involves planning and adjusting techniques.
Resolving Conflicts : Finding peaceful solutions to disputes with peers, like taking turns, sharing, or finding a compromise.
Planning a Playdate: Participating in planning activities, considering what games to play and what snacks to have.
Handling Emotions: Identifying and managing emotions when things don’t go as planned, such as calming down after a disappointment.

Nurturing problem-solving skills from a young age is beneficial and crucial for children’s cognitive and emotional development. As detailed in this article, integrating problem-solving activities into the daily routines of preschoolers can significantly enhance their ability to navigate and overcome challenges, fostering independence, creativity, and resilience.

Therefore, parents, educators, and caregivers must incorporate a variety of problem-solving activities into their interactions with young learners. From math games to social scenarios and creative play, every moment can be an opportunity to develop these vital skills. Let’s embrace the joy and responsibility of guiding our preschoolers through their problem-solving journey, equipping them with the tools they need to thrive in an ever-changing world. Encourage, facilitate, and revel in the process of discovery, and watch as the seeds of today’s problem-solving activities blossom into the critical thinking abilities of tomorrow.

Empower your little scholar with the gift of problem-solving! Join us at Little Scholars Daycare, where we turn everyday moments into exciting learning opportunities. Enroll your child today and watch them grow into confident, creative problem-solvers ready to take on the world!

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Ten Best Activity Books for Preschool Kids

February 17, 2022 by Evan-Moor | 0 comments

The workbooks in this list are the best for providing preschoolers with hours of fun activities that teach early learners valuable foundational skills. Preschoolers benefit from quality educational workbooks by practicing fine-motor skills, learning beginning alphabet letters and sounds, practicing beginning numbers, and developing problem solving!

Give your child some screen-free learning fun and help your preschooler get ready for kindergarten and/or transitional kindergarten with the best workbooks for preschool.

Best-Value Jumbo Workbooks

Top Student activity books won the 2020 Parents’ Picks Award for Best Educational Products for Preschool and Elementary Kids.

Beginning Reading and Math Starters

Fun with Science, STEM, STEAM, and Coding

Download free sample activities from Smart Start STEM here .

Skill Sharpeners STEAM activity books won the 2021 Parents’ Picks Award for Best Educational Products for Preschool and Elementary Kids.

Download free sample activities from Skill Sharpeners STEAM here .

Globe-trotter Delight

Download free sample activities from Skill Sharpeners Geography here .

Summer Learning to Transition from PreK to K

Daily Summer Activities activity books won the 2020 Parents’ Picks Award for Best Educational Products for Preschool and Elementary Kids.

Download free sample activities from Daily Summer Activities here .

Life Skills

For more learning ideas for PreK–1 check out:

Problem Solving Picture Books for Math

Problem-solving picture books can boost your children’s understanding of how to solve math problems and enhance general problem-solving skills.

Both types of problem-solving involve deep thinking to recognize an issue and think through possible solutions to get to a resolution. We tend to call general problem-solving “logical thinking”. If you’re looking for information about that type of problem-solving, click here .

Mathematical Problem-Solving

In this post, we will focus on mathematical problem-solving. In math, you might need to literally solve a problem (or an equation) and need to figure out how to do that. Or, you might be faced with a mathematical question that isn’t so cut and dry as an equation. Sometimes, these are word problems, and other times they are intellectual challenges similar to the following:

“A farmer has pigs and chickens. In total, he owns 20 animals. If there are 54 legs, how many of each animal live on the farm?” (P.S. The answer is 7 pigs and 13 chickens.)

Luckily, there are some general strategies that tend to work well to get to any math solution before a child has the handy-dandy tool of algebra to help. They include:

Examining the question to find key ideas.
Choosing an appropriate strategy. (See below.)
Doing the math.
Rechecking to see if it worked.

There are a variety of wonderful strategies that can help depending on the problem at hand and the preferred learning style of a student. They include:

Making a list.
Drawing a picture.
Acting it out.
Making a model.
Making a table.
Identifying a pattern.
Writing a number sequence.
Solving a simpler, related problem.
Working backward.
Guessing and checking.

Picture books are a great way to illustrate problem solving!

This post contains affiliate links.

Lucky for us, there are plenty of problem-solving picture books that demonstrate the processes of problem-solving in a variety of ways through engaging stories and real-life examples. They can help a student who struggles with thinking beyond basic math equations to learn a new way of thinking on a deeper level!

Problem-Solving Picture Books

Alice in Pastaland: A Math Adventure (Charlesbridge Math Adventures)

Alice in Pastaland by Alexandra Wright
The Boy Who Loved Math by Deborah Heiligman
Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
Counting on Frank by Rod Clement
Equal Shmequal by Virginia Kroll
Jim and the Beanstalk by Raymond Briggs
The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Audrey Wood
Math Curse by Jon Scieszka
Once Upon a Dime by Nancy Kelly Allen
The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch
The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey
Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty
Sold! by Nathan Zimelman
Spaghetti and Meatballs For All! by Marilyn Burns
The Sundae Scoop by Stuart Murphy

The Sir Cumference Series for Problem Solving

The entire Sir Cumference series is excellent for demonstrating how to think outside of the normal equation to reach important mathematical answers!

Sir Cumference and All the King's Tens: A Math Adventure

Sir Cumference and All the King’s Tens by Cindy Neuschwander
Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi by Cindy Neuschwander
Sir Cumference and the First Round Table by Cindy Neuschwander
Sir Cumference and the Fraction Faire by Cindy Neuschwander
Sir Cumference Gets Decima’s Point by Cindy Neuschwander
Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland by Cindy Neuschwander
Sir Cumference and the Isle of Immeter by Cindy Neuschwander
Sir Cumference and the Off-the-Charts Dessert by Cindy Neuschwander
Sir Cumference and the Roundabout Battle by Cindy Neuschwander
Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone by Cindy Neuschwander
Sir Cumference and the Viking’s Map by Cindy Neuschwander

The Warlord’s Series for Problem Solving

I love the Warlord’s series for the same reason as the Sir Cumference series. In the same way, they are adventurous and engaging, too!

The Warlord's Alarm, A Mathematical Adventure

The Warlord’s Alarm by Virginia Pilegard
The Warlord’s Beads by Virginia Pilegard
The Warlord’s Fish by Virginia Pilegard
The Warlord’s Kites by Virginia Pilegard
The Warlord’s Messengers by Virginia Pilegard
The Warlord’s Puppeteers by Virginia Pilegard
The Warlord’s Puzzle by Virginia Pilegard

Any of these books, along with teaching the specific problem-solving strategies listed earlier in the article, can be incredibly helpful to show children how to think mathematically and logically to solve intricate problems. If you have a favorite book to help with the concept of problem-solving, feel free to add it to the comment section!

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$Chalkboard with math problems written and protractor, ruler, pencils, sharpeners, and other math supplies laying below it. Used as the cover for the Living Math masterclass.$

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21 Good Picture Books to Teach Problem and Solution

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10 Simple Activities to Teach Your Preschooler Problem Solving

By: Author Tanja McIlroy

Posted on Last updated: 9 May 2024

Categories Activities for Preschoolers & Kindergarteners

During the first years of a child’s life, an important set of cognitive skills known as problem-solving abilities are developed. These skills are used throughout childhood and into adulthood.

Find out what problem solving is, why it’s important and how you can develop these skills with 10 problem-solving games and activities.

What is Problem Solving in Early Childhood?

So, what exactly is problem solving? Quite simply, it refers to the process of finding a solution to a problem .

A person uses their own knowledge and experience, as well as the information at hand to try and reach a solution. Problem solving is therefore about the thought processes involved in finding a solution.

This could be as complex as an adult working out how to get out of a financial crisis or as simple as a child working out how two blocks fit together.

Problem Solving Skills for Kids

Problem-solving skills refer to the specific thinking skills a person uses when faced with a challenge. Some problems require the use of many skills, while others are simple and may only require one or two skills.

These are some examples of problem-solving skills for preschoolers , as listed by kent.ac.uk .

Lateral thinking
Analytical thinking
Decision-making skills
Logical reasoning
Persistence
Communication skills
Negotiation skills

The Importance of Developing Problem-Solving Skills in Early Childhood

Problem solving is a skill that would be difficult to suddenly develop as an adult. While you can still improve a skill at any age, the majority of learning occurs during the early years.

Preschool is the best time for a child to learn to problem solve in a fun way. The benefits of learning early will last a lifetime and the beauty of learning anything at a young age is that it is effortless .

It is like learning to play an instrument or picking up a new language – it’s just much easier and more natural at an early age.

Of all the many things preschoolers need to learn , what makes problem solving so important?

There aren’t many situations in life, at work or at school that don’t require some level of problem resolution.

Child’s play itself is filled with opportunity upon opportunity to solve all kinds of tricky situations and come up with solutions to challenges.

Problem Solving in Preschool

During the foundational years, children are constantly solving problems as they play .

Here are just a few examples of problem solving in early childhood :

Resolving a fight over the same toy
Reaching a ball that’s stuck in the tree
Forming a circle while holding hands
Making a bridge to connect two block towers
Tying or untying a shoe
Making up rules for a new game
Trying to get the consistency of a mud cake right so it stops falling over

The more creative play opportunities and challenges children are given, the more they get to exercise their problem-solving muscles.

During free play , there are non-stop experiences for this, and parents and teachers can also encourage specific problem-solving skills through guided activities .

Problem Solving for Older Children

During the grades, children experience problems in many forms, some of which may be related to their academic, social and emotional well-being at school. Problems may come in the form of dealing with life issues, such as:

Problems with friendships
Struggling to understand something during a lesson
Learning to balance the demands of sport and homework
Finding the best way to study for a test
Asking a teacher for help when needed

Problems will also form a large part of academic life as teachers will be actively developing this skill through various activities, for example:

Solving a riddle or understanding a work of literature
Working on projects with a friend
Finding solutions during science experiments
Solving mathematical problems
Solving hypothetical problems during lessons
Answering questions and completing exam papers

Children who have had practice during preschool will be a lot more capable when facing these challenges.

Solving Problems in Mathematics

Mathematics needs to be mentioned separately as although it is part of schooling, it is such a huge part and it depends heavily on a child’s ability to solve problems.

The entire subject of mathematics is based on solving problems. Whether you are adding 2 and 3, working out how many eggs will fit into each basket, or solving an algebraic expression, there is a problem in every question.

Mathematics is just a series of problems that need to be solved.

What we refer to as problem solving in Maths is usually answering word problems .

The reason many children find these so difficult to answer is that the question is presented as a problem through a story, rather than just numbers with symbols telling you what operation to use (addition, division, etc.)

This means a child is forced to think carefully, understand the problem and determine the best way to solve it.

These problems can involve various units (e.g. mass, capacity or currency) as well as fractions, decimals, equations and angles, to name a few. Problems tend to become more and more complex over the years.

My experience in the classroom has shown that many, many children struggle with solving word problems, from the early grades right into the senior years.

They struggle to analyze the question, understand it, determine what information they’ve been given, and what exactly they are required to solve.

The good news is that exposing a child to regular problem-solving activities and games in preschool can greatly help him to solve word problems later on in school.

If you need one good reason to do these kinds of activities, let it be for a smoother experience in mathematics – a subject so many children unnecessarily fear.

Problem Solving in the Workplace

Adults in the workplace seldom thrive without problem-solving skills. They are required to regularly solve problems .

As adults, employees are expected to independently deal with the frequent challenges, setbacks and problems that are a big part of every working environment.

Those who can face and solve their own problems will go further and cope better than those who seek constant help from others or cannot show initiative.

Some career websites even refer to problem solving as a universal job skill. They also mention that many employees are not good at it.

Again, although it may seem far removed, learning this skill at a young age will help a child cope right into adulthood and in the working world.

Pinterest image - 10 simple activities to teach problem solving.

How to Teach Children Problem-Solving Skills

If early childhood is the best time to grow these skills in your young children, then how does one go about teaching them to toddlers, preschoolers and kindergarteners?

Problem solving can be taught in such a way that you expose your child to various opportunities where they will be faced with challenges.

You would not necessarily sit your 3-year-old down and tell or “teach” him all about fixing problems. Instead, you want to create opportunities for your child to grow this skill .

Using the brain to think and find solutions is a bit like working a muscle over time. Eventually, your muscle gets stronger and can handle more “ weight. ” Your child will learn to problem solve in two ways:

Incidentally – through free play
Through guided opportunities provided by a parent or teacher

If you make a point of encouraging thinking through games and activities, your child will develop stronger skills than if you let it all happen incidentally.

Problem-Solving Strategies and Steps

If we take a look at the steps involved in solving a problem, we can see that there are many layers involved and different types of skills. Here are the problem-solving steps according to the University of Ken.

Step 1: Identify the problem

Step 2: Define the problem

Step 3: Examine the options

Step 4: Act on a plan

Step 5: Look at the consequences

Therefore, activities at a preschool level need not present complicated high-level problems.

A simple activity such as identifying differences in a picture can work on the first skill needed – identifying a problem.
Playing with construction toys can develop a child’s ability to try various solutions and examine the options when faced with a problem such as trying to find the best way to build something.
Playing Tic-Tac-Toe would make a child predict the consequences of placing their mark in a particular square.

The most basic of activities can work on all these skills and make children competent solution finders.

How to Teach Problem Solving with Questions

The language you use around your child and your questioning technique will also greatly affect their understanding of a problem or challenge as merely something waiting for a solution to be found .

While your child is playing or when she comes to you with a problem, ask open-ended questions that will guide her in finding a potential answer independently. Use the steps listed above to formulate your questions.

Here are some examples of questions:

What do you think made the tower of blocks fall down?
If we build it again, how can we change the structure so that it won’t fall down next time?
Is there a better way we can do it? If you think of a different way, we can both try it and see which works better.
Did that work? The tower fell again so let’s try another solution.

Resist the temptation to fix every one of your child’s problems, including conflict with friends or siblings. These are important opportunities for children to learn how to resolve things by negotiating, thinking and reasoning.

With time, your child will get used to seeing a problem, understanding it, weighing up the options, taking action and evaluating the consequences.

Problems will be seen as challenges to be faced logically and not “problems.”

This post contains affiliate links for educational products that I personally recommend. If you purchase through one of them, I earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Read the terms and conditions for more details.

10 Problem-Solving Activities for Preschoolers

Here are 10 simple, easy games and problem solving activities for kids at home or at school. Many of them are the kinds of activities children should have daily exposure to.

Puzzles are one of the best thinking activities out there. Each puzzle is basically one big set of muddled-up things to be sorted out and put back together again. Find out why puzzles are important for development .

Children should have regular exposure to puzzles. They are great for developing thinking skills.

Four wooden jigsaw puzzles: a fish, a dog, a cat, and a bird
12-piece puzzles

2. Memory games

Memory games will develop your child’s memory and attention to detail.

Use pairs of matching pictures and turn them all face down, shuffled, on a table. Take turns choosing any two cards and turning them face up on the table. If you turn over a matching pair you keep the cards and if the pair doesn’t match, turn the cards back over until it is your turn to try again.

Encourage your child to concentrate and pay attention to where the pictures are and try to find a matching pair on each turn.

(Get your own set of printable memory card games here!)

3. Building with Construction Toys

Construction toys such as engineering blocks, a proper set of wooden blocks or Legos (shown below) should be a daily staple in your home.

Everything your child builds is a challenge because it requires thinking about what to build and how to put the pieces together to get a design that works and is functional.

Leave your child to construct freely and occasionally set a challenge and ask him to build a specific structure, with conditions. For example:

Make two towers with a bridge joining them together
Build a creature that stands on its own and has 3 arms.

Then watch your child wracking his brain until he finds a way to make his structure work.

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4. Activity Books

These activity books are really fun and develop a child’s ability to identify problems and search for information.

Pomaska, Anna (Author)
English (Publication Language)

Handford, Martin (Author)

Help! My Dinosaurs are Lost in the City!: A Fun Spotting Book for 2-4 Year Olds (Help!...

Books, Webber (Author)

5. Following Patterns

This simple activity can be played with a set of coloured blocks, shapes or counters.

Simply make a pattern with the blocks and ask your child to continue it. Vary the pattern by changing the colours, shapes or sizes.

This activity will train your child to analyse the given information, make sense of it, recognise the pattern and re-create it.

6. Story Time Questions

Get into the habit of asking questions during your daily story time that develop higher-order thinking skills . Instead of just reading and your child passively listening, ask questions throughout, concentrating on solving problems.

Here are some examples:

Why do you think the bear did that?
Do you think his friend will be happy? Why?
What would you do if you were the monkey?
How do you think Peter can make things better with his friend?
If the crocodile had decided not to eat the rabbit, how could the story have ended?

7. Board Games

Board games are an excellent way to develop problem-solving skills.

Start off with simple games like Ludo and Snakes and Ladders to teach the skill of following rules and moving in a logical sequence.

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Double-Header: Enjoy two classic games in Ludo and Snakes and Ladders on this double-faced game board
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Card games like Go Fish are also great for teaching young children to think ahead and solve problems.

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KIDS CARD GAMES: Unleash ultimate fun with our Hoyle 6-in-1 Kids Playing Cards Multi Game Pack. Each set...
GROWTH THROUGH PLAY: Help your children blossom with our social skills games for kids. Each of our games...

8. Tic-Tac-Toe

This is a perfect game to teach decision-making skills , thinking before acting and weighing up the possible consequences.

Use a Tic Tac Toe Board or d raw a simple table like the one above on paper or a chalkboard.

Melissa & Doug Wooden Tic-Tac-Toe Board Game with 10 Self-Storing Wooden Game Pieces...

Wooden tic-tac-toe game board with eye-catching red, orange, blue, and green color pattern
Includes white-framed wooden board with indented squares for mess-free play, 10 colored x and O game tiles,...

Take turns to add a nought or a cross to the table and see who can make a row of three first.

Your child will probably catch on in no time and start thinking carefully before placing their symbol. This game can also be played with coloured counters or different objects.

9. Classifying and Grouping Activities

This activity can be done with a tin of buttons or beads or even by unpacking the dishwasher. The idea is to teach the skill of classifying and categorizing information by learning with physical objects. Here are some other ideas for categorizing:

Separate the washing – mom’s clothes, dad’s clothes, etc; or socks, tops, shorts, etc.
Empty out the cutlery drawer for cleaning, mix all the utensils up and then sort into knives, tablespoons, teaspoons, etc.
Classify and sort out the toys in your child’s bedroom together – all books, construction toys, soft toys, etc.
Play category games .

Here are more button activities for kids .

10. Building a Maze

This activity is lots of fun and suitable for any age. It is also going to be way more fun than doing a maze in an activity book, especially for younger children.

Draw a big maze on the paving with sidewalk chalk . Make passages, including one or two that end in a dead-end. Teach your child to find her way out .

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As your child gets better at figuring out a route and finding the way out, make the maze more complex and add more dead-end passages.

Are you a preschool teacher or working in Early Childhood Education? Would you like to receive regular emails with useful tips and play-based activity ideas to try with your children? Sign up for the newsletter!

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Friday 3rd of June 2022

hi maam , This Is Uma from India,Can i get this in pdf format or a book. Thank You

Tanja Mcilroy

Monday 6th of June 2022

Hi Uma, thanks for your message. These articles are not available in PDF, but you are welcome to copy and paste them from the website, as long as you add the reference: https://empoweredparents.co/problem-solving-activities-preschoolers/ Thanks for reading!

Wednesday 20th of May 2020

Very very useful content. Good work. Thank you.

Friday 22nd of May 2020

Thanks Ann.

Tuesday 19th of May 2020

Would like to download the free activity pack please.

Hi Kelly, Please download the activity pack on this page: www.empoweredparents.co

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.

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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

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Sorting Books to Teach Preschool Math Concepts

Do you need age-appropriate sorting books to help teach your little learners how to sort? Finding those “just right” books to teach important math concepts in your early childhood classroom can be difficult. That’s why I put together this list of my favorite books about sorting just for you!

Sorting Book List to Teach Preschool Math Concepts

There are so many math skills to teach and so little time, am I right? It’s no secret that young children have short attention spans, and we know that reading picture books aloud is one way to reach them. So when it comes to teaching preschool math skills, why not read picture books that reinforce math concepts?

One way you can do this it to read a picture book about sorting aloud to your class to introduce the idea of sorting. Then, you can follow the read aloud with a sorting activity that will allow your students hands-on practice with this new concept.

Sorting Books for Preschool

Of course, just reading one picture book about sorting to your kids isn’t going to be enough, math concepts develop over time and each child will learn them at their own pace. This means you will need to read several books about sorting to your students over an extended period of time.

Sort it Out! by Barbara Mariconda — Packy the Packrat’s mother has had enough! It’s time that he sorts through his ever-growing collection of trinkets and puts them away.

Sorting at the Market , by Tracey Steffora — This title uses simple text and vivid photos to introduce readers to different ways objects can be sorted.

Sorting , by Henry Pluckrose — The illustrations will spark discussions and encourage further investigation. The book also contains helpful notes for teachers and parents.

The Button Box , by Margarette S. Reid — An imaginative little boy explores the many treasures that can be found in–and made from–his grandmother’s button box.

The Best Books to Teach Sorting in Preschool

A House for Birdie , by Stuart J. Murphy — Poor little Birdie doesn’t have a house. But Birdie does have friends. Birdie’s friends want to help him find a house of his own. Will they find a house that’s just right before the rain falls and the wind blows?

The Crayola Sorting Book , by Jodie Shepherd — Did you know there are many different ways to group similar things together? Try sorting by color, shape, or size. The bright and colorful photographs will encourage your little learners to think about how they can sort objects in their world.

Books About Sorting for Kids

Sorting Through Spring , by Lizann Flatt — The gorgeous cut-paper collages along with the lyrical, rhythmic text in this book will captivate your kids. The perfect seasonal read-aloud you can use to reinforce sorting and problem-solving skills.

The Animals Would Not Sleep! by Sara Levine — A diverse picture book that also teaches important early math concepts? Yes, please! It’s bedtime, but Marco’s stuffed animals have other ideas. When he tries to put them away, the animals fly, swim, and slither right out of the bins! A playful exploration of sorting and classifying with bright, vivid illustrations and easy to understand text told through storytelling.

Sam Sorts , by Marthe Jocelyn — Sam is trying to organize his things, but he’s having some trouble figuring out the best way to do so. Does the penguin belong with the things with wings pile, the black pile, or the white pile? How will he ever sort all his things?

All Sorts , by Pippa Goodhart — Frankie loves to organize! She can sort flowers and classify the contents of the fridge – but the one thing Frankie can’t seem to sort is herself!

Sorting Activities

Books about sorting are certainly helpful, but you’ll also need to provide your preschool or pre-k students with lots of hands-on sorting practice throughout the school year. Your kids will learn and understand how to sort with the fun, hands-on activities provided in the Sorting and Graphing Activity bundle .

More Math Ideas

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Preschool Problem-Solving

Discover five ways parents can help preschoolers develop problem-solving abilities..

Three-year-old Sarah tries to display the leaves she has collected on a sheet of paper, but they keep falling off. She remembers seeing her teacher use the glue in a plastic bottle to stick a picture onto the paper. Fascinated with exploring new materials, Sarah decides to try to solve her problem by using the glue. Sarah squeezes streams of glue into a pile on her paper and then pushes the leaves on top. Like most three-year-olds, she's solving a problem through trial and error, relying primarily on her senses rather than reasoning. So it may take several experiments before she understands that the leaves won't stick readily to the big pile of glue.

Focused but Frustrated Threes enjoy using their imagination to solve problems as they arise. Wanting a construction worker's hard hat for his dramatic play, Max enthusiastically decides to use an upsidedown plastic bowl. Delighted, he then repeatedly demonstrates how to use the pretend supervisor's walkie-talkie he creatively made from a juice box. At this age, children can sometimes become frustrated in their problem-solving attempts because they can see only one possible solution — which may not be workable. For example, when Tommy's jacket zipper is stuck, he keeps pulling it up, convinced that this is the only available approach.

If at First ... Adventuresome four-year-olds frequently charge ahead in their quest to solve problems. While they may need some help in focusing on the actual problem, they are more patient than three-year-olds and can try out different solutions.

For example, several four-year-olds struggle to get their wagon out of the mud on the playground. First they try pushing it. Then they attempt to pull it. When these methods fail to budge the wagon, they decide to take the heavy rocks out and then try again. Typical of this age, the children then boast about how strong and what good thinkers they are!

Team Efforts Using their larger vocabularies, four-year-olds are ready to negotiate with one another. Their developing language skills help them as they work together and engage in group decision-making. With practice, they learn to choose from among several different solutions. For instance, a few of the children decide to build a house. They gather a variety of materials — colored foil, corrugated cardboard, twigs, dandelions, tree bark — and then work together to decide which ones to use. They discuss their predictions about which of the materials might work and how best to use them.

What You Can Do Preschoolers learn best when they're given frequent opportunities to solve problems that are meaningful to them — those that arise in their day-to-day life.

Provide opportunities for hands-on investgations. Offer children interesting items to explore, such as magnets, found objects, and broken (but safe) appliances. Rotate your materials to keep them fresh and thought-provoking.
Foster creative- and critical-thinking skills by inviting children to use items in new and diverse ways. Strings of colored beads, for example, can become reins for a racehorse, hair for a doll, links for measuring, or tools to press into clay to make designs.
Encourage children's suggestions and solutions. Promote brainstorming by asking openended questions: "What can you do with a...?" "How many ways can you...?" Listen carefully to children's ideas.
Allow children to find their own solutions. Offer help when they become frustrated, but don't solve their problems for them.
Use literature as a springboard. Share books that show how characters solve problems, such as King of the Playground by Phyllis Naylor and Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina.

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DK Workbooks: Problem Solving, Kindergarten: Learn and Explore Paperback – February 16, 2016

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Perfect for kindergarteners, this workbook introduces children ages 5–6 to solving simple math problems. Specific topics covered include working with numbers up to 20, 2D and 3D shapes, addition and subtraction, comparing sizes, and picture graphs. Developed in consultation with leading educational experts to support curriculum learning, DK Workbooks: Problem Solving is an innovative series of home-learning math workbooks that is closely linked to school curriculum and helps make learning easy and fun. Each title is packed with exercises and activities to strengthen what children learn in school. With clear questions and supportive illustrations to help children understand each topic, the books provide practice to reinforce learning and understanding of key concepts, such as fractions, times tables, and shapes. A parents' section contains answers, tips, and guidance to provide support, and a certificate of achievement will reinforce confidence in kids by rewarding their accomplishments.

Book 1 of 3 DK Workbooks: Problem Solving
Print length 60 pages
Language English
Grade level Preschool - 1
Dimensions 8.5 x 0.25 x 11.25 inches
Publisher DK Children
Publication date February 16, 2016
ISBN-10 1465444580
ISBN-13 978-1465444585
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Publisher ‏ : ‎ DK Children; Workbook edition (February 16, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 60 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1465444580
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1465444585
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 3 - 5 years, from customers
Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - 1
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 0.25 x 11.25 inches
#359 in Children's General Study Aid Books
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#7,318 in Children's Activity Books (Books)

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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 with Little Learners (preschool, pre-k, and
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21 Good Picture Books to Teach Problem and Solution
One Word from Sophia by Jim Averbeck, illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail. This picture book is a great way to teach kids summarizing and word choice as well as a problem-solution text structure! Sophia really wants a pet giraffe for her birthday. As a result, she sets out to convince her family, starting with her mother, a judge.
Books That Help Teach Kids Problem Solving
One of the most helpful and easy ways to do this is to read, fall in love with and make sense of books that help support problem-solving. Here are a few of our favorites along with why we love them and how they each support children in developing their problem-solving skills. Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts.
Problem Solving with Little Learners (preschool, pre-k, and
Cheer on the students for solving the problem and stay close just in case they need more support. Throughout the day, try to make EVERYTHING a problem to solve. Then model, talk through your thinking out loud, and use visuals to support students as they try to solve a problem. For example, I may put out a big ball of playdough in the center of ...
15 Picture Books to Teach Problem Solving To Kids
The following books are a fun introduction to problem solving for preschoolers. In each of these stories, a character has a specific problem they are trying to solve. Reading about how the characters in stories solve their problems is a great way to help your little one learn how to deal with real problems in their own life.
The 100 Best Problem Solving Kids Books
Because problem solving is important in all of life's stages, this list includes board, picture and chapter books. Board books are best for infants and toddlers. Picture books are excellent for toddlers and also include stories for kindergarten and early elementary students (although we think picture books are great for all ages!).
Teaching Problem and Solution with Picture Books
The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Audrey Wood. This is the second of two picture books with a problem and solution by Audrey Wood. The narrator attempts to convince a little mouse to share a recently picked succulent strawberry. Worried about a big, hungry bear, the mouse employs various strategies, including ...
30 New and Notable Children's Books About Problem Solving
These children's books on problem solving for elementary students are engaging for primary and upper elementary kids. Books with lesson plans and activities linked. Picture books about problem solving with strategies, fiction, nonfiction, STEM and more for your kindergarten, first, second, third, fourth or fifth grade students.
Books with a Clear Problem and Solution
Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber is about boy named Ira, who becomes anxious quite about what his friend, Reggie, will think of him if he brings his teddy bear over to spend the night. This is a GREAT book for teaching text-to-self connections as well as the problem and solution text structure. Dog Breath by Dav Pilkey is a pun-filled book ...
I Want It (Children's Problem Solving Series)
Help your child along the road to effective and compassionate social interaction with the help of the Children's Problem Solving Books. ... Preschool - 3. Dimensions. 7 x 0.1 x 8.5 inches. Publisher. Parenting Press. Publication date. January 1, 1996. ISBN-10. 9781884734144. ISBN-13. 978-1884734144. See all details.
Problem Solving Books for Kids
Problem Solving Books for Kids. The 39 Clues, a series by various authors tells of 2 kids who travel the world on an adventure hunting clues to that lead to the family fortune. The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein is a library adventure lie no other!
10+ STEM Picture Books For Preschoolers
STEM Picture Books for Kids. These STEM books for kids will help encourage your preschoolers to engage in STEM skills, encourage creativity, and problem solving. Changes, Changes by Pat Hutchins. This picture book shows creativity when a wooden couple turns their house into a fire engine after it caught fire. Demolition by Sally Sutton, Brian ...
Children's Books To Raise Problem-Solvers
These ten children's books promote everyday problem-solving and resiliency, whether the issue be a missing toy or a struggling friendship. 1. STUCK. By Oliver Jeffers. Amazon I BookShop. A funny tale about a number of large objects, including a ship and a house, that get stuck in a tree. 2.
Building Problem-Solving Skills for Preschoolers
Books can be a fantastic resource for developing problem-solving skills in preschoolers. Here are some highly recommended titles that engage young readers in the art of problem-solving: "Rosie Revere, Engineer" by Andrea Beaty: This book encourages innovation and perseverance, showing that failure is just a step towards success.
Ten Best Activity Books for Preschool Kids
The real-world topics in these STEAM workbooks relate learning to the environment, earth, people, and cultures, and inspire children to solve real problems such as sun safety, germs, trash, and more! Skill Sharpeners STEAM activity books won the 2021 Parents' Picks Award for Best Educational Products for Preschool and Elementary Kids.
Problem Solving Picture Books for Math
Problem-solving picture books can boost your children's understanding of how to solve math problems and enhance general problem-solving skills. Both types of problem-solving involve deep thinking to recognize an issue and think through possible solutions to get to a resolution. We tend to call general problem-solving "logical thinking ...
21 Good Picture Books to Teach Problem and Solution
One Word from Sophia by Jim Averbeck, illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail. This picture book is a great way to teach kids summarizing and word choice as well as a problem-solution text structure! Sophia really wants a pet giraffe for her birthday. As a result, she sets out to convince her family, starting with her mother, a judge.
10 Simple Activities to Teach Your Preschooler Problem Solving
Some problems require the use of many skills, while others are simple and may only require one or two skills. These are some examples of problem-solving skills for preschoolers, as listed by kent.ac.uk. Lateral thinking. Creativity. Analytical thinking. Decision-making skills. Initiative.
Kids Problem Solving Books
Want to Read. Rate this book. 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars. Books shelved as kids-problem-solving: The Pups Save Christmas! by Nickelodeon Publishing, Can I Play Too? by Mo Willems, The Best Nest by P.D. Eastman, ...
15 Powerful Problem Solving Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Puzzles. 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 ...
Sorting Books to Teach Preschool Math Concepts
Books About Sorting for Kids. Sorting Through Spring, by Lizann Flatt — The gorgeous cut-paper collages along with the lyrical, rhythmic text in this book will captivate your kids. The perfect seasonal read-aloud you can use to reinforce sorting and problem-solving skills. The Animals Would Not Sleep! by Sara Levine — A diverse picture book ...
Preschool Problem-Solving
Preschoolers learn best when they're given frequent opportunities to solve problems that are meaningful to them — those that arise in their day-to-day life. Provide opportunities for hands-on investgations. Offer children interesting items to explore, such as magnets, found objects, and broken (but safe) appliances.
DK Workbooks: Problem Solving, Kindergarten: Learn and Explore
Paperback - February 16, 2016. Perfect for kindergarteners, this workbook introduces children ages 5-6 to solving simple math problems. Specific topics covered include working with numbers up to 20, 2D and 3D shapes, addition and subtraction, comparing sizes, and picture graphs. Developed in consultation with leading educational experts to ...
Problem Solving Activities for Preschoolers
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 ...

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Teaching Problem and Solution with Picture Books

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Picture Books for Teaching Problem and Solution

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty

Ada's Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay by Susan Hood

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Black Dog by Levi Pinfold

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The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Audrey Wood

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The Marvellous Moon Map by Teresa Heapy

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe

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The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch

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Stuck by Oliver Jeffers

Swimmy by Leo Lionni

This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers

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