Search

Tips On How To Teach Your Child To Be A Critical Thinker

Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinkers are very important in today’s day and world. It is almost becoming a prerequisite to being a critical thinker.

More so in dynamic and diverse environments where nothing is constant, but change is the only constant.

Hence, it becomes important to develop critical thinking skills in children from a young age.

Best Singapore Preschool understand the importance of critical thinking and ensure it is imparted to children through a well-designed hands-on curriculum.

At What Age Should Critical Thinking Be Taught?

Critical thinking skills are mostly about having the ability to analyze, imagine and evaluate data, information to understand its correlations, integrity, how to apply it across sections and knowledge, and understand its validity.

Seeing it as a life skill, to understand what is factual and what is bogus helps humans make relationships, apply varied knowledge to different disciplines and benefit from the same.

The age-appropriate to help your child think out of the box, be critical is very young.

It is also possible that an infant is able to process information that is perceived by them through interactions with elders.

However, to inculcate critical thinking skills for preschoolers, it’s important to start as early as kindergarten in one of the best schools in Singapore.

What Are The 5 Critical Thinking Skills?

1. Identification

Identification is the first step to critical thinking. One must be able to identify the problem or equation to come to a further process.

Identification also involves understanding different aspects, situations, and citations. It also applies to identifying when there is no problem, the benefits, what is working, and why.

● Who is doing what?

● What is the causation of the given aspect or problem?

● What are the final results or predictable results and what can change them?

2. Curiosity

Curiosity is important to build even if all are not born curious. It is a skill that can be worked upon and learned over a period of time.

Just start asking questions and wonder why something is a certain way and what can be alternate scenarios.

Once you start asking open-ended questions you will be able to instill curiosity and make it a motor, reflex moment of truth.

3. Research

Research is an important concept when trying to persuade a client or even being curious about something.

Research helps to develop a thinking mind using both the right and left parts of the brain. With adequate research, one can persuade, understand facts and figures and get an unbiased answer.

To improve your research skills use your mind to crack situations through finding, reading, comparing etc.

4. Considering Biases

As human beings we are surrounded by biases, biases about our favorite food, biases about our political schemes, agendas, biases that come into play in every segment of society.

It is  important to understand that biases exist and what position do we play, also look at our own biases and unlearning, relearning constantly.

● Who does this help?

● Does the basis of this data appear to have a plan?

● Is the source dismissing, flouting or vacuuming out information that doesn’t support its convictions or claims?

● Is this conception using unnecessary vocabulary to persuade an audience’s perception of actuality?

5. Relevance Determining

Even with the best tools, you may end up thinking critically about a chunk of data that is irrelevant to your position, thus it is important to understand the relevance of what is required, why it is required and who is the audience.

If one is able to establish context and then extract and make use of information as knowledge, then the relevance determining has been successfully done.

To better test this, put your skills of critical thinking at use in different situations and see what context you form and if it is correct.

Which Is The First Step In Critical Thinking?

The first step in critical thinking for a child is to know everything and be provided with that information they are curious about apart from being able to provide the information they are not particularly looking at.

Children by nature are mostly curious as they are trying to make sense of the world.

When they ask questions, do not shun them out, but find answers that help them make sense of the world as is. Try to be truthful in a way that they understand what you are implying.

What Are The 3 Stages Of Critical Thinking?

Stage-1: Comprehension

Comprehension is the first stage of a good critical thinker.

He/ She/ They must be able to comprehend things in their own way but correctly and uniformly. This means they will have to make sense of a chunk of data, choose what is necessary and work with that.

Comprehension is similar to identification such that once you identify, you can comprehend the data or project or material of information that is raw to become a critical thinker.

Stage-2: Analysis

Every critical thinker has to analyze raw data to make sense of it, draw parallels, intersect it and understand it from a varied lens.

It is important that if your child is becoming a critical thinker, they are allowed to and encouraged to analyze data and visualize it in their own time, space and understanding.

Do not force expectations or results on them as this hampers the analysis part.

Stage-3: Evaluation

Evaluation finally becomes the step after processing the information where one critical thinker evaluates and juggles, and reaches a conclusion of a particular situation.

The evaluation process also involves checking all the facts and figures, re-evaluating and understanding the process, figuring out gaps and interlocking disciplines to come to a favorable or unfavorable end to a particular topic.

What Are The 7 Principles Of Critical Thinking?

1. Encourage Children To Ask Questions

Because children are usually unbiased, they are curious to know what is happening around them, making this a form of understanding in an environment where they are free to ask questions without any fear or obstruction.

Open communication is important to develop a critical thinker and it is a great way to improve critical thinking skills in children.

2. Do Not Expect Children To Follow Blindly

When children are finding their own paths and exploring, they are bound to tumble, at this stage do not expect them to follow your traditions, values, understandings and teachings blindly.

They will often stray to find a path of their own.

3. Play With Your Child

There is nothing better than playtime to inculcate critical thinking in your child.

During play, present the child with problems that they can then struggle with and come to conclusions, crosswords, outdoor interaction are all important parts of critical thinking.

4. Encourage Thinking In New And Different Ways

Often because we are stuck in a thinking pattern, we expect the same out of our child.

But the more divergent and open-minded we are, the more a child will learn from new and different ways to excel in a similar situation.

5. Ask Open-Ended Questions If You Want Your Child To Become A Critical Thinker

Asking objective questions is often helpful but moot when trying to help your child become a critical thinker.

Open-ended questions have a more expanded playing field and are open to interpretation and ideas that help a child build critical thinking skills.

6. Help Your Child Reach A Hypothesis

Asking questions like how will this affect the outcome or how do you think can we solve this or what do you think is the situation here are some great ways to help your child build a hypothesis.

7. Don’t Intervene At Every EBB And Flow

Children are bound to come across problems and hurdles. As parents, it is instinctive to become the rescuer.

But, at times let your child grapple with the situation and stand up for themselves assuming responsibility and accountability.

What Are Some Critical Thinking Activities?

To sum it up, inculcate habits like reading, interacting socially, finding solutions as well as problems and being curious.

Play games to improve critical thinking in kids which will help boost the child’s confidence while helping them become critical thinkers.

It is important you make your child understand the importance of diversity, divergence and out of the box ideas all helpful to become critical thinkers.

Industries like User Experience Research and Design are thriving on critical thinking.

Schools that follow Curricula like the IBDP Diploma, IGCSE and CBSE have well-curated programs that aim at critical thinking development as one of the key skills that a student should acquire.

Featured Blogs

IGCSE Results

GIIS Singapore students excel in 2024 IGCSE exams

The results for the IGCSE 2024 exams have been announced and our students at GIIS have made us proud. With the school’s commitment to academic excellence, our Cambridge curriculum students have once again demonstrated th

Learning School

10 effective positive reinforcement strategies for the classroom

In modern day classrooms, the primary focus is on engaging students and nurturing a love for learning. An interactive classroom environment, driven by discussions and active student participation creates a strong foundation for success. Positive reinforcement plays a significant role in shaping this atmosphere.

IB Early Years

Play-based Learning in IB Early Years: Fostering curiosity and lifelong learning

The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) is a future-focused curriculum that promotes inquiry-based learning,

Learning

Applying for top universities: What GIIS does to support secondary students

Getting into top universities, including Oxbridge or Ivy-league universities, requires a solid learning foundation and preparation for college admissions.

Top Scholarships

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Global Skills Scholarship

Eligibility:

Talent Based - Technology

More from same author
Trending Blogs

IGCSE Results

GIIS Singapore students excel in 2024 IGCSE exams

The results for the IGCSE 2024 exams have been announced and our students at GIIS have made us proud. With the school’s commitment to academic excellence, our Cambridge curriculum students have once again demonstrated th

Learning School

10 effective positive reinforcement strategies for the classroom

In modern day classrooms, the primary focus is on engaging students and nurturing a love for learning. An interactive classroom environment, driven by discussions and active student participation creates a strong foundation for success. Positive reinforcement plays a significant role in shaping this atmosphere.

IB Early Years

Play-based Learning in IB Early Years: Fostering curiosity and lifelong learning

The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) is a future-focused curriculum that promotes inquiry-based learning,

Learning

Applying for top universities: What GIIS does to support secondary students

Getting into top universities, including Oxbridge or Ivy-league universities, requires a solid learning foundation and preparation for college admissions.

Learning

Study tips from GIIS high achievers: Proven strategies for excelling in IBDP and CBSE exams

Uncover the secrets to academic success from GIIS high achievers across different curricula – International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), and CBSE curriculum.

Cambridge Curriculum

Cambridge IGCSE: A comprehensive guide for parents

The Cambridge Assessment International Education, recognised by top universities across the globe, offers students a diverse range of learning options.

Alumni Testimonial

From GIIS to Oxford: Achieving success with the IBDP Programme

Shraddha Gautam, an outstanding student from GIIS SMART Campus, has achieved an impressive 44 out of 45 in the 2024 IBDP exams.

Alumni Testimonial

‘Shoot for the moon!’: GIIS IBDP 2024 Near-Perfect Scorer set to start at dream university

GIIS SMART Campus 2024 graduate, Jaishita Mohta, scored 44 out of 45 at the recently announced IB Diploma Programme results. Jaishita, who joined GIIS in Grade 2, has been a recipient of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Global Skills

Search

Vision, Mission & Core Values

Our vision is to become a global role model for teaching and learning.

History & Milestones

Since its inception in 2002, GIIS has continued to spread quality education over 10 countries in the continent.

East Coast Campus

A green, tech-enabled campus with extensive sports facilities that enables a holistic education

SMART Campus

A green, tech-enabled campus with extensive sports facilities that enables a holistic education

Kindergarten

We offer the best practices of modern pre-school education.

Primary School

A quick glance at our primary school programme and facilities

Secondary School

Focuses on the all round development of 11 to 14 year-olds.

High School

We provide children with the skills and knowledge to thrive in a 21st-century society.

Facilities which are collaborative, creative and adaptable to individual needs.

Award-winning framework for all-round student development

Extra-curricular activities are those activities, often sports-based, that take place outside of the GIIS classroom

Talent shows, performances, competitions, clubs and additional classroom work.

Admission Process

Get an overview of the admissions process

Book Campus Tour

Register for a tour of the campus to learn more about the school first hand

Book A Meeting

You can talk to our Admissions Counsellor online or in-person, as per your convenience.

Admission Form

Find all forms related to admissions procedure here

Fees

Get information on our fee structure for different grades

Admission

Thank you for considering GIIS as a prospective school for your child. Our goal is to make the admissions.