Getting your children to think critically is probably one of the most effective skills that will determine their success in the future. In today’s ever-evolving world, children need to gain skills that go beyond memorizing and repeating facts. They need to think critically to get out of a situation adeptly. Children with good critical thinking skills have the aptitude to make sense of the information presented to them. They dissect this information, analyse it, compare and contrast it, draw inferences, and produce higher-order thinking skills.
As kids, we, too, used to ask numerous questions – as every mind is inherently curious. Whatever happens around us is bound to create curiosity in our minds. Critical thinking is the desire to visualise, analyse and assess the information using observation and real-life experiences. Every child needs to develop this essential skill to be able to deal with complex situations that life presents them with. This is why you need to put them in a school that focuses on the same; don’t go only by the Singapore school fees; see the overall holistic development environment it offers your child.
Thinking logically will give children the necessary edge to make the right decision. Here are a few tips to boost critical thinking skills in your children:
Encourage your children to develop reading habits.
Reading is one of the ideal ways to boost critical thinking skills. Schools and parents should inculcate this great habit at a very young age. Reading cambridge igcse programme is probably the best way for your child to connect with themselves and the world. They say a book can take you to unimaginative places the body cannot. Thus, the more children read, the more aware they become of characters, situations, new vocabulary, stories and emotions. When a child reads books, the brain captures and processes information, and this is known as learning. At the end of the book,
a kid ponders over what they have just read, tries and establish what was right and wrong and apply it to their real life.
Ask your child to ask questions.
Asking questions is the first step towards becoming a critical thinker. The fact that your child has seen something and wants to question its existence, reason of being or purpose means their inquisitiveness is coming to light. If your child likes to ask questions, you need to encourage it. They should not feel ashamed or embarrassed to question. Every question they ask is a new opportunity to learn and apply the learnings.
Don’t give the answers straight away.
Encourage your child to question, but don’t just answer; allow them to think for themselves. Counter-question the child and ask them to try and reach a logical solution. Just giving the answer to the question is not enough. Ask your child their views about the topic and focus on ‘How’ and ‘Why’ rather than just the “what” and “when”.
Motivate children to solve problems
Depending on the child’s aptitude and ability, give them problems to solve and understand how they reach a conclusion. Please don’t focus on whether the answer is right or wrong; see how they apply themselves to reach a solution. Develop confidence in your child and make them believe they can solve a problem. This helps you get an insight into your child’s mind. You can better understand how they are thinking, processing information, reacting and solving a problem. Acknowledge their questions and doubts and work with them to find a solution to those. The initiation needs to come from the child.
Give your child some responsibility.
Children develop critical thinking skills when they are made to work outside of their comfort zones from a very early age. Give them responsibilities and see how they find solutions. Make them responsible for your pet’s evening walks, ask them to pack their school bags, fold their clothes, lay the table, look after their younger sibling while you are away etc. When they are in such a position, they will take full accountability for their actions and thus figure out the best way to perform the task at hand.
Playtime is the best form of learning.
Often parents deprive children of playtime in an attempt to ground or punish children. However, playtime is critical to a child’s mental and physical development. Playing teaches them qualities like responsibility, teamwork, sportsmanship, creativity, leadership, etc., and thus it must be encouraged. Playtime encompasses everything from playing games with friends. Riddles and puzzles to board games, role plays, building blocks etc. While playing, children hone and discover critical thinking skill sets that may be impossible to imitate in theory.
Ask open-ended questions
Rather than automatically answering the queries your child raises, empower them by cross-questioning or answering a question with a question. When you ask them questions like ‘What do you think is happening here?” or “What ideas do you have?” they start to think critically to find the responses. Do not correct them, but probe why they think the way they do.
Focusing on critical thinking when children are young will help them grow into bright, independent, and broad-minded individuals
