20 Tips for Helping Children Become Good

Problem Solvers
Solving problems, especially word problems, are always a challenge. To become a good problem solver
you need to have a plan or method which is easy to follow to determine what needs to be solved. Then the
plan is carried out to solve the problem. The key is to have a plan which works in any math problem
solving situation. For students having problems with problem solving, the following 20 tips are provided
for helping children become good problem solvers.
Tip 1 !hen given a problem to solve look for clues to determine what math operation is needed to solve
the problem, for e"ample addition, subtraction, etc.
Tip 2 #ead the problem carefully as you look for clues and important information. !rite down the clues,
underline, or highlight the clues.
Tip $ %ook for key words like sum, difference, product, perimeter, area, etc. They will lead you to what
operation you need to use. #ewrite the problem if necessary.
Tip & %ook for what you need to find out, for e"ample how many will you have left, the total will be,
everyone gets red, everyone gets one of each, etc. They will also lead you to the type of operation needed
to solve the problem.
Tip ' (se variable symbols, such as )*) for missing information.
Tip + ,liminate all non-essential information by drawing a line through this distracting information.
Tip . /ddition problems use words like sum, total, in all, and perimeter.
Tip 0 Subtraction problems use words like difference, how much more, and e"ceeds.
Tip 1 2ultiplication problems use words like product, total, area, and times.
Tip 10 3ivision problems use words like share, distribute, 4uotient, and average.
Tip 11 3raw sketches, drawings, and models to see the problem.
Tip 12 (se guess and check techni4ues to see if you are on the right track.
Tip 1$ /sk yourself if you have ever seen a problem like this before, if so how did you solve it.
Tip 1& (se a formula for solving the problem, for e"ample for finding the area of a circle.
Tip 1' 3evelop a plan based on the information that you have determined to be important to solving the
problem.
Tip 1+ 5arry out the plan using the math operations you determined would find the answer.
Tip 1. See if the answer seems reasonable, if does then you are probably ok - if not then check your
work.
Tip 10 !ork the problem in reverse or backwards starting with the answer to see if you wind up with
your original problem.
Tip 11 3o not forget about units of measure as you work the problem, such as inches, pounds, ounces,
feet, yard, meter, etc. 6ot using units of measure may result in the wrong answer.
Tip 20 /sk yourself did you answer the problem7 /re you sure7 8ow do you know you are sure7
These are all good tips for developing a plan of attack in math problem solving. 9f you use these 20 tips as
basis for developing your own problem solving techni4ue you will be successful. 2ost students use the
tips described above, use them for a few problems, and then adapt them to fit their style of learning and
problem solving. This is perfectly fine, because these 20 tips are only meant as a starting point for
learning how to solve problems.
:ne tip that is not mentioned above is that as you develop a strategy for solving math problems, then this
strategy will become your strategy for solving problems in other sub;ects and dealing with life<s problems
you will encounter as you continue to grow.