Learning to think critically is an important skill that your child will need to grow and achieve success in her life. It helps children to dig deeper and find meanings in things using a high-level thought process. Kids having critical thinking traits are more likely to solve problems better, going a step ahead of generic responses.
Parents should try to infuse the art of critical thinking right from early childhood. Does your child believe everything she watches on television? What sort of thinker she is? Does she ask questions? Is she able to figure out ways to get what she wants? You can help your child develop critical thinking skills by following a few vital tips. The best school in Gurgaon also plays an integral role in inculcating rational thinking in a child.
Exercises to Build Critical Thinking Skills in Your Child
1. Encourage Them to Ask Questions and Provide Explanations
Children are born inquirers. They put their critical thinking skills into practice, asking questions related to everything they see and hear. Asking questions and getting satisfactory answers is their way of growing a sense of information, analyzing, making inferences, comparing and generating problem-solving skills.
Never discourage your child from asking questions. Rather provide reasonable explanations for things that are happening around her. This is a good step to help her think critically in the later stages of life.
2. Ask Back Questions
While explaining answers to your kid’s questions is a good way to develop critical thinking skills in them, make sure you do that only after asking them questions in return. Whenever they raise a question or do not, ask them back: “What do you think is happening?” “What are your ideas regarding this?” “How would you solve the problem?”
Respect their responses whether they are right or not and show your interest in knowing more from them.
3. Provide Hands-On Experiences
To provide an informal and playful environment for your child to test and analyse how different things work is important to build rational thinking traits. It is while playing and doing the same thing differently that she explores the cause and effects. “How can I balance this piece of the block on top of the tower?” “What will happen if I roll two balls down a chute simultaneously?” Providing open-ended play opportunities for your kid to do something and see the reaction is vital.
This also motivates them to try doing the same thing in a different manner to get a different reaction. These experiences are useful in developing abstract thinking.
4. Seek Advice from the Child’s School
Your child’s school is another good place from where she can learn a lot about rational thinking. The best school in Gurgaon makes special initiatives in everyday learning to boost a child’s problem-solving and assertive thinking features. Make sure you seek expert advice from your kid’s school.
5. Encourage Your Child to Take a Side
If your child agrees or disagrees to something and is able to say why then it is a sign that she is thinking critically. Make it playful – give her examples or situations and ask “Do you agree?” If she answers yes or no, ask why she says so. Her ability to answer this is a step to develop her skills.