Lets say they need to build something, and they do not know how much wood to cut. They could figure it out and work it into their design. It helps them not only solve problems in textbooks, but problems they would experience in real life, which are 10 times more important.

It is not very important at the age they are at right now, but it is one of the vital skills that everyone should posses, so it is definitely worth developing. It is good that they are trying to incorporate the skill in schools at such an early age.

I hope this information is helpful, and good luck on your studies!

Problem solving for 3 year olds takes the form of things like this:

I’m trying to build a tower with some blocks. I notice (perhaps with guidance fro teacher) that if I put the small ones at the bottom and the big ones at the top, the tower falls over before I’ve used all the blocks. How to solve this problem? Put the larger blocks on the bottom to build a base and the smallest blocks at the top of the tower.

I’m trying to fill a jug with water. The other items in the water tray are a sponge, a small cup, a sieve, and a plastic whale. Which of those items can help me move water over to the jug and fill it?

Lots of times when I put on my shoes, someone tells me they’re on the wrong feet. How can I know which shoe goes on which foot (it often seems random to a young child). Previously, parents / teachers would have simply put the shoes on the child until the child was “of an age” to know the right way. Nowdays in early learning settings, teachers help the child “solve” this problem. The child might come up with an idea to always place the shoes in a particular way, or might come up with the idea to mark one of the shoes, etc.

Hope this helps get you started…