Critical thinking skill is the skill needed to analyse, problem-solve and evaluate information by considering different perspectives. It can help your child to make better life decisions and equip them to be a powerful leader one day. A private school in Beaconsfield has shared an excellent set of tips on how to help your child develop their critical thinking skills.
Challenge Your Child to Think Differently
Getting your child to look at problems from a different perspective can help them to improve on their problem-solving skills by allowing them to come up with imaginative solutions. You can encourage your child to do the same with their solutions to help them to think critically about the pros and cons of each. This will help them with their evaluation and allow them to make the most appropriate decision. You can do this by posing questions differently to reframe their thinking and offer them hints.
Give Your Child the Time to Answer
Pausing to give your child time to think can help them to feel less pressured. It allows them to think critically about their answers as opposed to offering the first answer that pops up in their head, allowing them to produce better answers.
Brainstorming Games
Critical thinking is a skill that requires creativity to create logical and innovative solutions. Something that you can exercise with your child by playing games that involve brainstorming. Examples of games that you can play include scrabble, bingo and word association.
Experimentation and Creating Theories
Experimentation can help your child to think critically by getting them to think about the outcome of their actions. When playing with building blocks, you might ask your child about what might happen if you move a large piece from the bottom.
Spur Their Curiosity
Asking your child questions will help them to think more critically about the world and see it in a different light. Something that you can do by talking about unconventional beliefs and opinions that exist. You can also introduce topics of debate to see where they stand on them. This could be on issues of morality, whether or not it’s ever okay to lie.
Get Talking About World Affairs
Getting your child clued up on global issues such as climate change can help them to become passionate about them and get them to think critically. You can encourage them to think about what they would do differently if they were the ones in power. Who knows, you might even encourage them to run for mayor one day or to become a powerful activist.