Learning how to problem solve is one of the key developmental milestones in early childhood. Children's problem-solving skills represent a key feature in the development of social competence. Problem solving allows children to stay calm during difficult situations, repair social relations quickly, and get their needs met in ways that are safe and fair. This article presents a set of empirically derived strategies for teaching basic problem-solving steps in a routine activities in preschool classrooms and for providing ongoing support for children as they encounter situations that set the occasion for problem solving. From the available outcomes research, one can predict that the investment in teaching problem solving will result in improvements in children's friendships, decreasing and preventing problem behaviors, and launching children toward social competence. (Contains 3 tables and 3 figures.)