In everyday life, critical thinking abilities are employed to assist us in solving problems, making sound decisions, and comprehending the repercussions of our actions. These abilities are critical because they lead to the development of other crucial life skills such as communication, connection-making, and perspective-taking. We’ll go over the four questions you should ask your child to help him or her develop critical thinking skills.

The importance of critical thinking skills in children

Critical thinking is a necessary skill for success in both language and literacy. As children’s sentence patterns evolve to encompass increasingly complex sentences, they use their language skills. Children must be able to read between the lines to figure out what is not directly stated in order to really comprehend the meaning of a narrative.

If we examine our children closely, we will see that they are all born with an innate curiosity for the world around them. This inquisitiveness sets the groundwork for critical thinking to emerge. When we use critical thinking, we participate in a lot of active engagement: we absorb information, analyze it, and make decisions based on what we learn.

Such active participation necessitates the use of imagination and inquisitiveness, both of which children excel at. They construct a library in their brain when they engage in critical thinking. This is where they keep track of new information and assess how it fits into their existing knowledge.

Children begin to learn this talent at an early age, according to research. So, how can we assist young children to acquire critical thinking skills?

Here are some ideas for how you may help your kids develop critical thinking skills at home.

Questions to ask to help youngsters develop critical thinking skills

1. “What do you think…”

Testing how things operate is an important part of critical thinking development. Children learn about cause and effect during the play session. Use this time to think about what kinds of questions you could ask your child, such as “What do you think will happen if the egg falls to the floor?” “Do you think it’s possible to reassemble the egg-like Humpty Dumpty did?”

By doing so, you’re giving your child the freedom to investigate the premise of your inquiries and come to his or her own conclusions.

 

2. “Perhaps you can try this again…”

Parents are often too quick to rush to their children’s aid and assist them in resolving their problems. We give kids the opportunity to think, try a task, and develop a response if we pause and wait. Even if their attempt fails, they can learn from their mistakes and try again.

Ask higher-order thinking questions to older kids to get them thinking without giving away the answer. This will help to alleviate any difficulties they may be experiencing as a result of their efforts, as well as urge them in the correct direction.

 

3. “Tell me why you think that…”

When compared to closed-ended “yes/no” questions, open-ended questions inspire thought. By allowing your child to think for himself or herself, you must also embrace the possibility that his or her hypothesis will be inaccurate. Getting the correct response isn’t critical at this time. What matters is that you comprehend your child’s cognitive process that led to his or her hypothesis.

Asking questions such as, “If we do this, what do you think will happen next?” can help you direct your child. Probing your child further without providing a response may promote his or her thinking process, leading to a solution to the problem.

 

4. “What other ideas can we try?”

When their hypothesis is erroneous, another technique to foster critical thinking is to consider different possibilities. A problem can be solved in a variety of ways. It is critical to introduce youngsters to this concept so that they can think outside the box and use a variety of approaches to arrive at a solution.

This also aids in the development of your child’s resilience and encourages him or her to develop inner strength and confidence to try again without giving up too soon.

 

Critical Thinking Skills In Real Life

Critical thinking abilities are incredibly vital in today’s world of modern technology, even if they are not used for scholastic objectives. Children should be taught how to evaluate the material they get on the internet in order to identify if it comes from a reliable source. They will be less vulnerable when their critical thinking skills are used, given the frequency of online scams, grooming, and fake news.