Why Think Critically?

Critical Thinking – a concept of thought that now is clouded by the increasing advancement in technology. What does this mean for my child’s thinking skills?

The online dictionary coins the definition of critical thinking as: the mental process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusion.

These days, when a child has a question without an answer, before even attempting to thoughtfully consider a potential idea, an Internet search has already started. While the Internet provides a wealth of information, research, and content, we need to remind our children the importance of working through a problem by creating their own mode of thinking. Children are quickly losing the value of critical thinking skills because it takes too long to think about an answer than it is to find the answer.

The issue is that our children are required to think critically in our current educational system. With the implementations to the Common Core curriculum, children are now being asked to conceptualize an idea and coherently create an opinion of their own, thus drawing their own conclusions.

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As parents, how can we encourage our children to develop critical thinking skills?

Here are 5 ways to motivate your children to think before asking Google.

1. Discuss a current event.

During the weekend when the weekly pace of life slows down for just a bit, select a mealtime when the family is gathered around the table. Discuss one current event that is affecting the U.S. or discuss a current topic that is relevant to your child’s current grade level. Give your children an opportunity to come up with their own answer to the problem or thoughts about the situation. Remember, finding the correct answer to the response is not the purpose. What is important is the discussion that stems from the current event. Engaging in this conversation will teach children to craft their own opinion.

2. Share a learning moment.

Ask your children to share something new they learned this week at school and ask them to give you details about what they learned and how they can apply this learning moment to their life.

3. Discover a new place to visit.

Explore your city and its local surroundings by going to the museum or taking a hike. Once you discover this new place, ask your children to share what they see, what they like about this new exploration, and if discovering this new place peaks an interest in finding out more information.

4. Work on an anagram.

An anagram is a word that is made by rearranging the letters of another word. This is a fun family activity on a weekend where together; you try to find as many possible anagram arrangements. For example, from the word POST, you can create: stop / tops / pots / spot. You can find many anagram problems and worksheets online.

5. Talk about different life scenarios.

At a young age, parents can encourage children to think without even realizing critical skills are being developed. Asking your children to consider how they would deal with different life scenarios is a great way to encourage problem solving. Weighing the pros and cons to scenarios adds to their ability to evaluate a circumstance.

Critical thinking skills are crucial to your child’s ability to succeed in life. Creating a balance between the use of technology and thought process will ultimately enrich the well being of your child.