*This is a collaborative post
Critical thinking skills are an important aspect of a child’s educational development. They are essentially what allow us to analyse and compare our existing knowledge with new information to form a logical conclusion. So, critical thinking skills help us make decisions, come up with a line of argument and resolve conflict. With this in mind, you may be wondering how you can help your child develop their critical thinking skills. Here are some tips from a senior school in Northwood.
Ask Open-Ended Questions
Critical thinking involves considering things on a deeper level, so allow your child to practise by asking open-ended questions such as “why do you think that is?”, “what other ideas could we try?”, or “where do you think that came from?”. This will show your child that their opinion is respected while also helping to open up their mind to new concepts.
Encourage Free Play and Exploration
Structured play is great, but sometimes you need to let your child explore and have fun without too much uniformity. Free play will allow them to uncover new information as they will test how things work and become better problem solvers.
Change the Routine
Sometimes you need to branch away from your regular routine in order to expose your child to new ideas. For instance, you could try a new route to school and ask your child to consider which route is better – which one is quicker? Which one is safer? The trick is to get your child to step out of their comfort zone and make logical decisions. It’s practically impossible for them to make up their mind about things or think critically if the only have a linear understanding.
Encourage Socialisation
When socialising with different types of people, young or old, male or female, black or white etc, your child will start to understand different viewpoints. As a result, they will be forced to think critically about various situations in order to form views of their own.
