Why Critical Thinking Is Important, And How To Inculcate It In Your Child

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” – Albert Einstein

One of the traits of great thinkers of all times is curiosity. Their minds explore possibilities and probabilities. This is also a defining trait of highly effective leaders. If I have to personalize things, I am what I am, and I will be all that I will be because I am constantly asking these two questions: WHY and WHY NOT?

Every step of our lives deals with decision-making. And it is not always about Yes or No. There are Maybes, Ifs, and Buts. If we have options, our minds need to be trained to think critically and choose the best one.

During their learning phase, your child is equipped with different life skills, which will help them to grow as an individual, not just academically but also socially and often professionally.

Our approach to life has changed dynamically, and the younger generation needs to be equipped with more life-ready skills. Critical thinking is one such skill that must be inculcated into our progressive curriculum to encourage young minds to apply it in the right way.

From managing time and preparing for exams to understanding concepts and making decisions, everything has an element of critical thinking in it. Not everything can be learned and imbibed from textbooks. As parents are a constant source of learning for children, they need to make a conscious effort to help their children develop critical thinking skills.

What is critical thinking, and what are its benefits?

Critical thinking deals with assessing all the aspects and prospects of a situation and making informed decisions. It is very important to inculcate this essential life skill in children at an early age. Critical thinking needs to be incorporated into the educational system and children’s daily routines in some way or the other. Rather than being occasional, this skill can be made habitual.

I will come to the how, but many curious minds will ask why.

Well, here is why critical thinking is important:

• Helps in better decision-making and problem-solving
• Enhances creativity and innovation
• Helps children to become active listeners
• Ramps up their research skills and domain knowledge expertise
• Stimulates curiosity
• Improves presentation and language skills
• Fosters life skills through reasoning

How to develop critical thinking in children

Our aim should be to teach our children how to think, not what to think. And simply put, critical thinking is all about that. One of the biggest indicators of critical thinking is the ability to think independently. As the American author Napoleon Hill rightly said, “You have a brain and mind of your own. Use it, and reach your own decisions.”

As parents, let’s find out how we can build critical thinking skills in our children through our daily interactions:

Urge them to ask questions: Whenever I interact with students, the first thing I tell them is, “This is a safe space. You won’t be judged for asking questions. For being wrong. For expressing even the most bizarre of views.” This helps them feel at ease in an otherwise judgmental world where each of us feels inhibited to be ourselves. Ask thought-provoking questions when you interact with your child, at home or anywhere, and encourage them to ask as well.

Probe with questions like: 

• What options can we try?
• Which one do you think is a better option?
• Why do you think this is not a good option?

Incorporate different viewpoints: Working with different viewpoints on the same topic gives children the flexibility to explore, listen and express. When children actively listen to others’ ideas, they start understanding that there can be multiple solutions and that they must choose the optimum one. If your child wants to avoid a particular school event, ask them why they don’t want to participate in it. What are the challenges they face? Listen to your child’s views and tell them why you think participating in the event can be beneficial for them. Explore the probable solutions together.

At home, listen to your child’s viewpoints and encourage them to listen to yours by sometimes letting them take part in household discussions.

Connect the dots: Connecting the dots and coming up with new ideas will help children hone their critical thinking skills. If you are reading a story to your child, you can ask them how it is related to an incident that happened recently. When your child makes a connection, gently ask them to explain their reasoning. This allows them to critically analyze the story and the incident and use their knowledge and creativity to come up with new connections that were not obvious earlier.

Encourage them to make decisions: One of the best ways to nurture critical thinking in children is to help them make decisions. For example, when you give your child pocket money, ask them how they would like to spend it. Do they want to buy a board game for themselves, or do they want to buy their friend a birthday gift? This will encourage your child to think critically about their choices, and they will learn that many factors have to be considered before making decisions.

Nurture their creativity: Finally comes one of the most important aspects of critical thinking: Creativity and innovation. Give your child the time and opportunity to explore on their own. Their independence will lead to amazing innovations. Give them ample time to think and respond; don’t jump to help them immediately.

For example, if your child’s teacher has asked them to draw a tree as homework, do not show your child that it can be done in a simple way. If you do the thinking for them, your child will never get the chance to show their creativity.

Play group games: Often, children learn more effectively through playing and having fun. Spend some quality family time with your child by playing games that require critical thinking. You can play with your child classic games such as Scrabble, card games, Monopoly, Cluedo, and Scotland Yard, to name a few. Make sure the games are age-appropriate and interesting to your child.

With traditional concepts of education giving way to modern methods of learning, it is time to forget rote learning and encourage critical thinking. The tips I have shared will not just help create good professionals out of our kids but also create critical thinkers who can excel in any field with determination. I believe critical thinking must not be left to chance—rather, a conscious effort must be made by parents (and educators) to instill this skill in children gradually as they grow and develop. Think about this critically, and tell me if you agree!