Most of us were never taught how to solve problems. We were taught how to find the right answer. That is a different thing entirely, and the gap between them is where most kids get stuck.
When a problem shows up in real life, there is no answer key. There is no worked example to follow. There is just the problem, and the question of where to even start. For a kid who has only ever practiced matching their thinking to someone else's solution, that moment of uncertainty can feel like a wall. And a lot of kids, understandably, just stop there.
The SOLVED method exists to close that gap.
It is a six-step problem solving process for kids built on the same root cause analysis framework that engineers, quality professionals, and problem-solvers use in the real world. The steps are not complicated. What they do is give kids a place to start, every time, regardless of what the problem actually is.
The Six Steps:
The S stands for State the problem right.
Not "I'm failing math" or "my friend was mean to me," but what exactly is happening, when, and how often. Getting the problem stated accurately is harder than it sounds, and it is also the step that everything else depends on.
The O is for Observe: get the facts.
What do you actually know, as opposed to what you assume? Kids are quick to jump from a problem to a cause without stopping to look at what the situation is actually showing them. This step slows that down.
The L is for Locate the root cause.
Not just the surface issue, but the actual reason the problem keeps happening. This is where the real thinking occurs, and where most kids stop too early.
The V is for Vanquish it.
Once you know the real cause, you address it directly. Not a workaround, not a temporary fix, but a solution aimed at what you actually found.
The E is for Evaluate: did it work?
This is not a formality. Going back to check whether the problem is actually gone is what separates a real solution from wishful thinking.
The D is for Defend the win.
What will you do to make sure the problem does not come back? This step turns a one-time fix into a lasting change.
Repeatable on Anything
Six steps. A few minutes each. Repeatable on anything from a broken friendship to a failing grade to a recurring argument at home. The power of the method is not in any single step. It is in having a sequence to return to, so that the first reaction to a hard problem is not panic or avoidance but curiosity about where to start.
That shift does not happen overnight. But it does happen, and it happens faster than most parents expect once a child has a real framework to practice with.
Try It Before You Decide Anything
Before you buy anything, try it. The free chapter and worksheet will walk your child through the full process on a real problem from their own life. That is the best way to see whether this is something that clicks for them.
If it does, the rest of the book is there. If it does not, you have lost nothing and gained a conversation with your kid about how they think through hard things.
That conversation alone is worth the download.