4 Ways you can raise your child to become a critical thinker

Now more than ever children are growing up seeing all kinds of problems that we face in the world.  Children are asking us, the grownups, what they need to do or how they can be part of the solution.  It is very easy for us to just want to give our kids the answers and solve all the problems in the world for them. The goal of that is to ensure that they grow up in a safe environment and live a carefree life, but, the fact of the matter is that  we need them to start solving their own problems and come up with solutions to the world’s problems themselves. 

That is why teaching your child how to think critically is now more important than ever.  We want them to be curious, to ask questions, and to evaluate the opinions they see and hear.

Critical thinking skills are really the groundwork for so much of life, let alone an essential part of many careers. Whether kids want to be entrepreneurs, technologists, social change agents, or just better citizens of the world, it all requires good critical thinking skills.

So how can we teach our kids to become the critical thinkers that the world needs so desperately?

Invite your child to express their opinions by creating an environment of trust.

Invite your child to take part in family discussions and contribute to family decisions.  This way you are teaching them how to be respectful of others opinions and how to listen and engage with those in authority.  Encourage them to ask questions on what is being discussed and remind them that there is no such thing as a ‘silly’ question.  Compliment them on their curiosity and show them your appreciation in their engagement.

Give your child the opportunity to navigate complicated concepts on their own.

Sometimes, your child might benefit from answering their question with a question to help them further explore how they can find the answer for themselves.  Challenge your child to answer their own question but also support them to figure it out as the conversation continues.  Through doing this, you are teaching your child how to find the answer for themselves and figuring out their own opinion about the questions they might have.

Create and expose your child to new and unexpected experiences.

Try to model critical thinking by walking your child through some of your own decision-making, without overcomplicating things or talking for so long that your child gets distracted and stops listening.

Try not to ‘shush’ your child when they bring up difficult conversation topics but use the opportunity to engage with them and nurture their critical thinking skills.

Support your child's intellectual and emotional growth from a critical thinking perspective.

As mentioned, it's important to ask your children good questions and for them to try and find their own answers, but sometimes they are too tired or overwhelmed to do so. We can observe children, respond to their feelings, and sometimes help them find a solution that works for now. When intellectually complex but emotionally challenging topics emerge, we can help them identify the emotions that emerge. We can also model our emotional observations and perceptions as parents.

We need our children to be the scholars who are ready to take on the world! We need them to ask questions that even the teacher can`t find an answer to and provide you with new approaches of decoding even the most typical theoretical concepts.