What’s with kids these days? (She says with the disdain of a boomer) Am I right? Gen Z’s? They float around swiping on their phones. Stuck in the endless scroll of instafame, yet not being able to set an alarm clock. For all the claims that this generation is so tech savvy, they are severely lacking in problem solving skills. My kids lack of how-to regularly reminds me that my generation could be the last to have truly had to figure things out – out of necessity. I try, oh do I try to wrangle some form of exploratory desire to problem solve for themselves, but I cannot count the number of times I have had to say “Try to figure it out for yourself”. Even the simplest thing – like Gen Z necessities such as accessing their phone settings, turning on or off your data – they ask me how to do. Like, come on, you grew up with this technology and you have google for that. We didn’t have Google. We had to figure this shit out for ourselves.
When it comes to problem solving, I’ll admit I list it as one of my top skills. Give me ikea furniture any day of the week. It’s my thing. it’s my belief that problem solving is an acquired skill, something you can work on. Regardless of their natural ability for it, I wish that kids would at least try to figure things out for themselves, and have more patience and desire to have a go. We need to practice this skill, connect some dots. I’ve occasionally thrown my kids some real world 80’s challenges to test their abilities (think: how to open a cassette tape case) just to see what would happen. It’s usually pretty funny. When I phrase things as a challenge they usually take the bait and when they figure out how-to, it’s really satisfying for them. So, are kids worse than we were at their age in regards to problem solving and tenacity. I think they are. But why? Here is my very brief take from my limited world view on why kids just cant/wont problem solve.
Firstly, kids aren’t living in a world where they need to practice problem solving. They live in a world of instant gratification. The answers are an alexa or a google away and even that is too far. Even I, a Gen X/Y had at least 3 steps to finding an answer growing up. Step 1. Hope the answer was in the Encyclopedia Britannica. Find it’s not. Step 2. Search related topics, even use the Dewey decimal system, maybe find your answer by skimming. Step 3. Ask an adult. Questions would go unanswered. Now kids spend 1 minute searching on Google, don’t find the answer and just give up. They even have the option to ctrl F. The insta world has set up an expectation that things happen now or I’ll just move on to other things. Take Crosswords – The first 3 questions on a crossword puzzle are too tough. Let’s stop now, not knowing that the process of a crossword puzzle is that you might be able to figure out those answers later and that is how crosswords work. It’s not instantly gratifying. But it’s so much more satisfying when you finish.
A fear of failure. The process of learning requires errors. If you haven’t made an error, a mistake, have you truly learnt. I’ve seen it a few too many times, not trying for fear of failure. We need to rework this word and the feelings surrounding it. Did you try? No? then you have failed. Fear of failure is a self fulfilling prophecy. I’ve seen kids not spell a word for fear of getting it wrong. It’s fine to get it wrong, thats how you learn. If you don’t try you don’t learn, If you don’t learn, how can you develop and progress as a human. No matter the task, do it! Once again you don’t need to be a natural the first time you do something. And understand that you don’t need to be the best at something to enjoy it. Case in point, I never win at scrabble, but I play it anyway. What can we do encourage kids to understand this. We can’t solve a problem if we’re too afraid to engage with it.
To my next point – We’re not activating our brains capabilities. Through the availability of information we just don’t need to retain information anymore. We don’t need to memorise much at all. I existed in my teens in a time without IMDB, so yeah we had to actually remember who ‘that’ person who was in ‘that’ movie. Even if it took 2 days for our memory banks whirling away to retrieve it from the depths, we would get there. We don’t need that part of our brain now and it knows it. How often do we try to retain something or practise retaining information. We don’t, even we adults. We also don’t engage our brains for problem solving like we have in the past. The common adage that you don’t use algebra/probability/physics once you leave school, should not be lauded as a truth. I use it all the time, and I’m no Scientist or Mathematician. We should be figuring things out, problem solving. Use it or lose it, thats what they say about our brain power, and even simple childhood games engage our brains in beneficial ways.
We don’t play like we used to, get the same challenges we used to. Last year when it was time for the Christmas tree I said the only way it was going up was if they (the kids – 12 and 14) did it. Within half an hour there’d been a meltdown from each of them, and the tree wasn’t even half assembled. I rephrased the request and challenged them to succeed. 30 minutes later… tree assembled, baubels and lights on. Changing the scenario from a drama/trauma to a challenge brought out some determination. Where before they had been frustrated that this wasn’t as simple a task as they first thought (in the age of instant), now they applied themselves to the challenge.
Yesterday, I had three teens over to ‘play’. These teens seemed at a loss as to what they might do. I wasn’t going to put a movie on or turn on the xbox for them, so i suggested Pictionary. I grew up playing this game, but it was only while watching these kids engage with it for the first time that I saw how it helps the mind develop. Number one, it improves the vocabulary. Number 2. It teaches you that you don’t need to be an artist to communicate, three: it gets the brain into that connection space and sparks a string of possible answers. I saw them go from barely guessing what was being drawn, to developing the string of thoughts that is needed to do well in the game. It was satisfying to see.
So what can we do? We can reduce the insta experience where we can. Reduce screen time, create more opportunities for slow play and projects. Think puzzles, crosswords, brain teasers, more discussions. Think long term goals like story writing, drawing, painting, building. Rephrase failure, and encourage skill development. Have them engage in real world activities: cooking, cleaning, gardening (where problems need to be solved and processes are important).
Who knows, maybe at some point in the future my concerns will be proven wrong. And they’ve become thinkers and problem solvers in spite of this insta world. For my family, I just want to encourage some tenacity, drive and thought in everyday life. To enjoy the fact that problems can be fun to be solved, that new and difficult moments don’t need to be met with fear. That sometimes the greatest rewards come through perseverance, not ease.