4 Effective Ways To Teach Your Kids Critical Thinking Skills
Every parent wants to know: When should I introduce my kids to critical thinking? The answer is: The earlier the better! Critical thinking skills is important for kids to learn at a young age, so they can start solving real world problems and be analytical about everything they see. Don’t know where to begin? Here are four effective tips to start teaching your kids to develop critical thinking skills that will help them in the future!
Ask open-ended questions
Start off by asking your kids questions that do not have one right answer. For example, once you’ve finished reading a story to your child ask questions such as: Can you describe what happened? What’s the moral of the story? Encouraging free thinking encourages children to respond creatively without being afraid of giving the wrong answer.
Compare & Contrast
The next time you go out for a walk with your kids, ask them to compare and contrast a tree from a flower. Ask them: tell me how these things are different. How are they the same? Comparing and contrasting is a fun game that can be played any time and anywhere with your kids. You can even compare and contrast ice cream sundaes with ice cream cones.
Make Decisions
The next time you ask your kids what they want to do on the weekend, help them weigh out the pros and cons. Remember there are no right or wrong answers, the point is you want them to make decisions! Ask your child: How do you feel about your decision? Do you like the decision you’ve made? By forming different opinions about the things they like and dislike, they’ll be able to sort out their preferences and be able to make better decisions.
Summarise
Summarising can help kids improve critical thinking practice because they have to think outside of the box before they express their thoughts and opinions. For example, get your child to summarise their favourite movie, cartoon, or script that they have seen or read. It will broaden their imagination and get their critical thinking caps on!
Let ICAN Education Help Your Child Develop Critical Thinking Skills!
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