Creating Thinkers

In the Primary school years of education, where curiosity knows no bounds and imagination is without limits, lies a golden opportunity. Nurturing children’s ability to think critically will provide them with a foundation that they can continue to apply throughout their educational journey and beyond. Today, we will dive into the exciting world of critical thinking and explore things that we can all do to help children’s minds flourish.

Encourage Debate

As all parents know, it does not take much to get your children to share their opinions. Getting them to argue for or against something simple can lead to a vibrant back and forth in conversation and familiarize children with the notion of having their opinions and thinking challenged. Talking through questions like these is a great way to build those skills:

• How many cheerios will fit in the breakfast bowl?

Put Your Child in the Question

Having children imagine themselves in a situation or a problem allows them to express their own viewpoints and can foster deeper thinking. This style of promoting a conversation encourages children to justify their opinions and creates a greater mental space for them to explore the topic being discussed. You can work on this quickly and easily at home, and questions like the following are a great way to spark a conversation around the dinner table:

• Which would you rather have, giant muscles or incredible speed? Why?

• What’s the most delicious thing you have ever tasted? If that taste was a color, what would it be?

• What would happen if you never ate a fruit or vegetable ever again?

Get Children to Argue For a Point of View

Analyzing a topic or idea from another person’s point of view is an incredibly powerful thinking tool. It is always more straightforward to argue for something we know and understand, but having to do so on a concept with which we are less familiar is considerably more difficult. This encourages children to become more familiar with being out of their comfort zone and to think on their feet when discussing a topic. For example, you could give a child one of the following prompts and one minute to think it through before having to argue, almost unprepared, in it’s favor.

• We should invent broccoli flavored ice cream so that children can get a sweet treat and healthy vegetables at the same time.

In a world where the landscape of knowledge and information is constantly shifting, the value of critical thinking cannot be overstated. By nurturing inquisitiveness, encouraging the exploration of ideas, and fostering the courage to question, we equip children with the tools not just to accept the world as it is but to engage with it, shape it, and forge their own unique path through it. This is why, at BISC-LP, we are nurturing a generation of thinkers, creators, and future-makers.

Matt Gregory

Assistant Head – Community & Well-Being