Though critical thinking may be interpreted as finding faults and thinking about the negative aspects of a situation, it is a vital skill. The world is full of false or misleading information, and you can make the best decisions only when you can make fair comparisons between right and wrong. The same stands true for your children, as they should learn to make decisions right from their school time.
Moreover, critical learning skill helps children get a scholarship for school or college. Out of all the options, they can fairly decide which one is right for them and prepare accordingly. So, whether you have just enrolled your child in school or opted for class 5 admission, you should ensure that your child develops necessary life skills, like critical thinking.
Strategies For Improving Critical Thinking Abilities
Know that it is the collective effort of educators and parents that can help develop efficient critical thinking abilities. Let us discuss some of the strategies you can use to improve critical thinking abilities in your child.
Teach Observation
You can teach your child to stay observant of the situation and try to understand the scenarios involved. They should be mindful of the potential consequences of a decision as this vision will help them. So, whether choosing between people or situations, they should spend their time and energy on being observant and then taking sides.
Ask Queries
When you observe things, plenty of questions will come to your mind, the answers to which directly impact decision-making. For example, if you want to choose the appropriate scholarship for school or college, you would have queries related to funds, usage, and likewise. It is fruitful to ask all these questions and get clarity before choosing sides.
Be Fair
Teach your child to be fair and not make decisions under any influence. Even if they have a preferred option, they should fairly check the other and make the right decision. Teach them to give equal chances to every choice, as they never know what works out for them! Not giving attention to an option might actually make them lose out on the best choices.
Think about Perspectives
Another productive strategy is to give equal respect to all perspectives. It helps when you have to make a judgement about right and wrong. Teach your child to understand and emphasise different perspectives and not discard any option only because it doesn’t comply with their vision or perception.
Acknowledge Right Decisions
Educators and parents should learn to acknowledge all the decisions made by a child. Praise the effort they put into thinking about different aspects and reaching a solution they feel is right. This way, they will get the motivation to put much more effort into making a decision based on critical thinking. When you praise them, you will see them working even better while making the decisions the very next time.
Discuss or Brainstorm
A crucial tip every parent can give their child is to discuss or brainstorm ideas. It is better to discuss the essential aspects with the people they feel comfortable with, and it will provide them with various perspectives. Based on that, they can make fair decisions, and most of the time, the conclusions of these brainstorming sessions are towards the productive side.
With these simple strategies, you can teach critical thinking skills to your children. Contact the school’s educators where your child studies to ensure they also make efforts to infuse this skill. Moreover, parents should keep an eye on the behaviour and attitude of their children to be sure that they can make wise decisions after critically analysing all the factors.