Helping Your Child With Their Critical Thinking Skills

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Critical thinking is an important life skill that children will often begin to pick up from an early age. When we’re toddlers we learn to think critically through the toys we play, the things we hold and when we’re eating to name just a few ways. When we grow older and learn to think for ourselves, critical thinking encompasses a lot of decisions in school, being able to solve problems and choosing the right decision at the right time and choices we make as adults. 

In this guide from a boys prep school in London, we look at the ways we can help our children with their critical thinking skills, and how they define a person as they grow older.

Make time for creative play each week

There are a few things that you can do during play time to let them boost their critical thinking skills. Give them a range of different toys that have changing textures or puzzle-based toys to give them a chance to work out how to handle these toys and what they should do with each. Creative play gives kids the chance to play with a range of toys with friends or siblings and can be a great way to test their problem solving skills.

Speak to your child with open-ended questions

Part of learning and getting your child to think independently can be done through regular conversations with your child. Keep your questions open-ended so that they have the chance to think about what they’ve been asked in a number of different ways. Perhaps they come up with a solution you hadn’t heard of before - it’s all about getting your child to think for themselves.

Be patient with your child

You can’t expect your child to be a whizz at critical thinking overnight. If they drop something or spill something, wait a moment and see if they react in the right way. Instinctively, over time, they’ll be able to understand that something must be picked up or they need to clear away their mess. Critical thinking is something that is always evolving and changing within us and therefore it is something that is learnt over time and constantly evolving.

Encourage your child to think in different ways

There may be a time where your child has a clear and defined position as to why they think a certain way. Open their minds by offering other viewpoints. Things are never really black and white, so it’s important your child understands this by offering them multiple different outcomes. This also helps them learn how each solution to a problem can mean different outcomes - you can display this by listing pros and cons of each viewpoint.

Are there any ways that you have found that have really helped your child to develop their critical thinking skills? I would love to hear them in the comments below. 

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**This is a collaborative post.**