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There are lots of ways that parents can help their children develop their critical thinking skills, which will allow them to make more informed decisions and form well-thought-out opinions. Read on for some advice from a private school in Hampstead.
Ask Open Ended Questions
Try and find ways to encourage your child to think about things below the surface. Open ended questions are great for this because they require more than a yes or no answer, which means your child will have to think about things on a deeper level. If they voice an idea or an opinion, ask them why they feel that way.
Encourage Discussions
Discussions and debates are an important way to help a child develop their critical thinking skills because they encourage them to think about things from another perspective and compare it with the information they already have. Essentially, their own views will be challenged which will force them to increase their knowledge and expand their point of view. They will also learn how to challenge other people, while remaining respectful. Perhaps your child could join a debate club, if this isn’t something you feel comfortable encouraging at home.
Promote Independence
If you’re always there to step in and solve problems for your child or save the day when things aren’t going their way, they will struggle to learn how to think critically and form their own ideas and opinions. So, try and give them some space to deal with challenges independently, because this will help with their confidence. They might make mistakes sometimes, but trial and error is an important element of critical thinking.
Be a Good Role Model
One of the best ways to teach your child a new skill is to show them how it’s done. If you do things like research information to get your facts straight or challenge statements that are unfair, you will show them how to think critically.
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