Critical Thinking Exercises For Kids

Education is not an end for development.  It is a means that plays a critical part in a person’s cognitive milestone.  Critical thinking means deviating from the normal notions encountered in daily life.  When one thinks critically, he embraces in-depth  assessment  and perception of things around and in himself with an open mind.  In the fulfillment of the progressive goal of development at the onset, children may start critical thinking in the form of games.  Online, various resources are dedicated to critical thinking exercises for kids.  Different forms are offered and methods have been laid out to achieve this goal.  The following options below are general categories that deal with critical thinking exercises for kids.

Puzzles.  Puzzles are a form of the critical thinking exercises for kids.  Apart from critical thinking, it also encourages a grasping exercise especially for toddlers.  Finding where an object fits familiarizes their thinking on patterns.  Being able to complete one whole and realizing what the pieces make up gives them a sense of accomplishment.

Board games.  Chess and scrabble are some of the things considered as critical thinking exercises for kids.  They foster logical thinking, imagination, attribution of cause and effect, and the consequent academic application of these things.

Building games.  A child goes around especially when they begin to walk.  For those that are a bit grown, they find themselves full of curiosity.  Building games are critical thinking exercises for kids.  Similar to the puzzle, it helps them build reason on who to organize things to form a structure and enter the concept of manipulation.  One classic and popular example is the Lego system.

Outdoor games.  Treasure hunting, group dynamic games, and a trip to the museum or the zoo are some of the outdoor mechanisms that fall under the critical thinking exercises for kids. Group dynamic activities foster strategic thinking, teamwork, and a sense of collective accomplishment.  It is also a means to reinforce interpersonal values when synthesizing their experiences are done.

Reading.  Parents often read to their kids as is.  Asking them what they think will happen or what they imagine something looks like make up a part of the critical thinking exercises for kids when it comes to books.  Asking those morals from stories and making them decide their preferred endings are also forms of critical thinking exercises for kids.

Matching and coloring games.  Things in life are assigned definite colors.  Kids’ perceptions may vary but coloring activities can lead them to match proper colors and to identify them.  Activities that permit imagination and expression through colors are still considered critical thinking exercises for kids.  It may lead them to pursue arts in the future.

Propositions.  Considered academic in nature, a lot of critical thinking exercises for kids are done in the confines of the classroom.  These are often combination of those cited above.  Debates, essay writing, story-telling, and even answering an open-ended question falls under this category.  It is a higher form of learning but continues on to explore the potentials of the mind.