Parents can play an important role in helping their children succeed in school. This ERIC Digest presents the Big Six Skills problem-solving method as an effective approach for parents. The Big Six Skills apply to any problem or activity that requires a solution or result based on information. The Big Six can help parents effectively deal with the abundance of information available from many sources to guide their children through school assignments. The Big Six consists of: task definition, information seeking strategies, location and access, use of information, synthesis, and evaluation. In this approach, the parent assumes the role of a "coach" while the child assumes the role of a "thinker and doer." The parent guides the student through all steps it takes to complete the assignment, while the child thinks about what he or she needs to do at each step and then finds appropriate ways to do it. The Big Six approach recognizes the benefits of technology such as computers, e-mail, and the Internet for organizing information and for access to non-traditional sources of information. The Big Six approach can help parents effectively guide their children through assignments and at the same time help their children become independent learners and users of information. (Contains 10 references.) (Author/SWC)