The ability to think logically is one of the most important skills that today’s youth will use in the future. Children in today’s fast-paced world must be critical thinkers who can assess, compare, contrast, make conclusions, and develop higher-order thinking skills, in addition to memorizing a list of facts.
BUILDING YOUR CHILD’S CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS
Building critical thinking skills happens through day-to-day interactions as you converse with your child, allowing your child to experiment and solve difficulties by asking open-ended questions.
Here are some suggestions and ideas to assist youngsters to develop critical thinking skills:
Ø Provide opportunities for play.
Children’s critical thinking skills can be developed through the building with blocks, acting out roles with friends, or playing board games.
Ø Pause and wait.
It’s vital to give your youngster enough time to consider, try a task, or come up with an answer. Rather than answering with their first gut reaction, this allows your child to deliberate on her response and possibly refine it.
Ø Don’t intervene immediately.
Kids need challenges to grow. Wait and watch before you jump in to solve a problem.
Ø Ask open-ended questions.
Ø Instead of merely supplying answers to your child’s inquiries, encourage them to think critically by asking them questions like these: “What are your recommendations? What do you think is going on here, and what do you think is going to happen next?” You should respect them regardless of whether you believe their comments are correct. As an example, “That is incredible. Please provide evidence for your claim.”
Ø Help children develop hypotheses.
Taking a few moments during play to construct hypotheses is a critical thinking exercise that can help you improve your skills. “What do you think will happen if we do this?” ask your child. or “Let’s make a prediction about what will happen next.”
Ø Encourage thinking in new and different ways.
You’re helping children develop their creative problem-solving skills by allowing them to think differently. “What other ideas could we try?” is a good question to ask. “Let’s think of all the different answers,” you can say to encourage your child to develop ideas.
Of course, as a parent, there are occasions when you must intervene. At these times, it’s a good idea to emulate your own critical thinking. Make a mental note of what is really going on in your thoughts while you make a decision. Children can pick up a lot from how you think. Allowing your child to work through problems is essential for their long-term process of learning.
