Teaching a child the skills for solving problems is pretty straightforward. It involves helping your child define the problem, come up with possible solutions, weigh the consequences, and pick a plan of action. After this is done, the child is encouraged to re-evaluate his choice of action to see if it was appropriate. If not, he is to pick another solution and try again.

How It Works

Here's an example of how problem-solving works for kids without depression. Savanah is eight years old and a notoriously disorganized little girl, especially in the mornings. She gets up late and often forgets to brush her teeth or make her bed because she is in such a hurry to get dressed and ready for school. Then she misses breakfast because she couldn't pick out what to wear. Her mother yells constantly from the time she is up until the second she is dropped off at school. This makes Savanah feel guilty and stressed.

Generating Options

Her mother decides that it's time to resolve this problem. She and Savanah sit down together. Her mother asks her what she could do differently to make mornings less chaotic. Together they generate several options and make a list. Savanah suggests that her mom not make her brush her teeth or make the bed. Okay, it's not a good option, but her mother puts it on the list anyway. Her mother asks how Savanah might choose her clothing more quickly. Savanah says her mother could just tell her what to wear. About breakfast, Savanah thinks going to McDonalds every day would be a good choice.

Savanah's mother reminds her that Savanah rarely likes what her mother picks out for her to wear. Savanah remembers that her friend puts her clothes out the night before and tells her mother this might work. When asked to think about eating breakfast at McDonalds, she agrees with her mother that it would take time to make the extra stop and that wouldn't be a good choice. Her mother also thinks Savanah needs to get up fifteen minutes earlier, and of course, Savanah disagrees with this.

Making a Decision

Together they make the decision to try the following. Savanah will put her clothes out every night before she goes to bed. Rather than sitting down to breakfast each day, her mother will provide her with a muffin or something else to eat in the car. Her mother would refrain from yelling, which only caused Savanah to be more anxious. A week later, they sit down to evaluate how their solutions were working.

Even though making these changes worked, Savanah was still running behind three mornings out of five. It turns out she moves slow in the mornings and trying to rush her does not work. Her mother said that perhaps she should get up earlier. Again, the child didn't like it but agreed to give it a try.

One week later, Savanah's morning schedule was running very smoothly and she was arriving at school unstressed and happy. And her mother had quit yelling!

Once children learn that there are alternatives to thinking negatively about one's self, their feelings, and their actions, the depression that has been looming can lift. Again, these skills can be a powerful preventative for depression, so it's never too early to begin teaching them.