This is a collaborative post
Becoming a critical thinker is a very important part of development. Whilst critical thinking is a skill that comes to us all naturally through our life experience, there are a few ways in which you can help your child develop their critical thinking skills at an early age.
Don’t solve all of their problems for them
Children are naturally curious and from an early age will generally ask a lot of questions about life and the world around them. Smaller children explore physically and attempt all sorts of things independently and they do this with absolutely no encouragement.
If you see your child struggling to achieve a physical goal, by all means, cheer them on but try to step back and let them find the solution themselves. This is vital for their critical thinking skills and they will be more likely to have confidence in their own process once they succeed.
As your child plays, ask them open-ended questions – questions which force them to think outside the box are good because they can then use reason and intellect to consider the questions in-depth. This also allows them to feel respected as an individual. Knowing you’re interested in their ideas and opinions helps children to continue growing and developing critical thinking skills.
Encourage play
Playing games of any kind is good for a child’s development. Small children play naturally but older children may need more encouragement. Whether it’s board games, role-playing with their friends, puzzles or playing with toys, games can improve different areas of a child’s thinking.
Family games night can be a great way to involve older children in some fun and quality time but also to work on their critical thinking skills. Discovering more about the world around them through play is important, so try to expose your child to as many different play opportunities as possible. Pupils at this boys’ school in Surrey are afforded many learning opportunities which strengthen their critical thinking skills through play.
