Problem Solving Worksheets — Multiple-Choice Scenarios
The game won’t start, the tape won’t hold, the bracelet string just snapped.
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About this resource
The game won’t start, the tape won’t hold, the bracelet string just snapped. These problem solving worksheets give Grades 2–5 small, fixable problems to work through: read the scenario, choose A, B or C, and write why that fix makes sense. Almost all of the 180 problems are practical ones (something lost, broken, stuck or not working) — hands-on Responsible Decision-Making for your SEL block.
What students practice
- Stopping to name the problem before acting
- Thinking of more than one possible fix
- Weighing what might happen with each idea
- Trying a fix and checking whether it worked
- Switching to a new idea when the first one fails
What’s inside
- 30 printable worksheets, one everyday setting each, from At a Friend’s Home to With Siblings
- 180 multiple choice scenarios, 6 per page, every one with a “Why did you choose this option?” line
- Scenarios spread across six steps, from naming the problem to trying another fix
- 4 teacher pages: welcome, how to use, running a scenario discussion and differentiation
- 35 pages
A look inside
- At a Friend’s Home: “The game at Ava’s friend’s home won’t start. Before doing anything, Ava should:” (A) Press each button on the remote one at a time. (B) Look at the plug and the power switch first. (C) Say the game is broken and refuse to play.
- Visiting Family Members: Grandma’s Wi-Fi won’t connect for Mina, even after she retypes the password.
- Checking the fix: Zoe’s strongest next step is to “Sit down gently and see if it still wobbles.”
How to use these problem solving worksheets
- Morning meeting: read Ava’s scenario and ask what she should check first, before anyone touches the remote
- Small groups: compare the A, B and C fixes, then talk through what would happen after each one
- Match a setting to your week, like In the Classroom (Marco’s jammed pencil sharpener)
Grade fit
Each problem is a sentence or two (a blanket fort, a leaking water bottle, a kite caught on a fence), and every option fits on one line. Grade 2 can work a page aloud; Grades 4–5 write fuller reasons, or their own problem solving scenarios, as the differentiation page suggests.
Digital version
The interactive digital version shares as one link: students pick A, B or C and type their reason, or just pick if you choose the choices-only format, on any device with no student logins. At the end they download an answer sheet to hand in.
Good to know
The scoring note on the discussion page: asking someone to help fix the problem together is a strong step, but handing the whole job to someone else is weaker.
Pairs well with
For more practice with the same steps, try the Problem Solving What Would You Do? Cards or the Problem Solving Task Cards.
Questions teachers ask
Are any of the problems arguments between kids?
No. The problems are practical ones, like a lost item, a spill, a broken toy or a game that won’t start. Students focus on the fix, not on who is to blame.
Is there an answer key?
No. The discussion page gives a short scoring note on stronger and weaker choices, and the written reasons are what you talk about.
Do students need accounts for the digital version?
No. You share one link, and students open it on any device without logging in.
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