ABSTRACT
This is a report on a project aimed at understanding and ultimately improving the problem-solving abilities of young children. There are both practical and theoretical grounds for such an effort. The practical justification comes from the observation that problem-solving abilities are implicitly assumed in early school activities: for example, in the puzzles and games used to teach and test fundamentals of reading and arithmetic. Not only are rudimentary problem-solving skills assumed in the early curricula, but also advanced and general problem-solving skills are an explicit goal of subsequent instruction. We have all heard the claim that training in mathematics or reading (or your favorite subject) enhances the ability of students to think logically. It is somewhat curious, then, that for all the implicit and explicit emphasis on problem-solving skills, they are rarely taught directly to young children. One long-range goal of this project, then, is to instruct preschool children on general problem-solving methods.
