For children to thrive in today’s world, they must be equipped with reasoning and critical thinking skills. Teaching children at an early age to ask questions leads to a natural development of critical thinking skills. It can be tiring, constantly answering your young child’s “whys,” but knowing why is the first step in critical thinking. Here are four easy ways to help develop critical thinking at a young age.
Equip your kids.
Asking your child to follow rules and obey is part of growing up. Teaching your kids the reasons why rules exist is just as important as teaching them how to obey rules. It is tempting to respond with “because I said so,” but this does not foster critical thinking skills. Make the time to explain to your child the reason behind the rule. Ask your child to think of possible consequences if the rule is not followed. This will foster language and thinking skills and also provide your child with tools to understand directions.
Supplement education with examples in everyday life.
At school, children are taught to memorize through drills and homework. While this is an important part of learning, it doesn’t allow children to think for themselves. Critical thinking skills can be taught outside the classroom by asking your child “why” and “how” questions. Take the school subject and dig deeper into conversations. Go beyond asking “what” something is or isn’t and encourage them to explore the topic. For example, in addition to asking “What is the cause of pollution?” Ask your child: “How does driving a car cause pollution?”
Encourage open-mindedness.
Teaching young children different ways to solve problems and different points of view is important to developing critical thinking skills. Allow your child to experiment and solve their own problems. Yes, this does involve patience. Remember to pause before giving an answer or try responding with a question. For example, “If you do X, what do you think will happen?”
Read with your child.
Critical thinking skills are used for reading also. Language skills are expanded as the child uses more complex words and different verb tenses. Your child uses critical thinking skills to figure things out that may not be directly stated in the text. When reading, problem-solving and explaining skills are used in addition to just recognizing letters and words. Critical thinking is important and directly linked to language development and literacy.
As soon as your child is able to speak in sentences, you can start helping them to develop critical thinking skills. When a child draws on their existing knowledge and experience to think of solutions, they are using critical thinking skills. Being able to explain why things happen or predict what will happen in the future are important skills for communicating effectively. We must all be able to problem-solve.
How Unlimited Teletherapy Can Help
With a team of highly qualified practitioners, Unlimited Therapy can help your child develop critical thinking skills and create a workable plan for in-between teletherapy sessions. We are dedicated to creating connections that foster confidence and achieve success.
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