What is critical thinking?

Critical thinking, a multifaceted cognitive process, is more crucial than ever in the digital age. It involves listening, comprehension, understanding information from multiple viewpoints, comparing the information to what you know and looking at new information to find out how accurate (or fake) the information might be. Thinking critically helps us ‘not to’ accept information at face value; instead, we analyse concepts and experiences in several ways before making informed judgments. Learning not to believe everything you hear without seeking more information is a critical life skill for all age groups. For young children growing up in a rapidly growing digital world where information is just a Google search away, it is even more crucial that we teach children how to filter information.

Although critical thinking is proposed as a 21st-century skill that should be taught at all levels of education, the research investigating critical thinking in the early years is limited (O’Reilly et al., 2022; O’Reilly, 2024). However, as a parent, you can develop critical thinking skills in your children today with a couple of simple steps. The steps involve (1) telling a story, (2) asking a question and (3) waiting silently for your child’s response, (4) allowing enough time for your child to think. One challenge for many parents is waiting long enough after asking a child a question without stepping in and answering the question ourselves. Thus, in teaching our children new skills, we also teach ourselves to become better listeners and learners.

To nurture children’s imagination, creativity and critical thinking, we need to find time and space to share a story from beginning to end without being disturbed. Therefore, pick a time in the day when everyone has up to 20 minutes to relax and share a story. The goal for the parent is not to get a correct answer. Instead, it provides the space for the child to think about the question. This process of allowing time to think nurtures imagination and creativity and facilitates the development of critical thinking skills over time.

Steps to nurture imagination, creativity and critical thinking

• Select a story. Tell a story orally (without a book) – select a tale you know well that your child will enjoy. Tip: If the child is not interested in a story at a particular moment, leave it for another time.
• Perform a story. Have a beginning (Once upon a time), middle (but then… something dramatic happened) and ending (…and in the end…). The parts in between you can change each time you tell the story. Be expressive in telling the story, using different tones to express the characters’ emotions.
• Participation. Pause at appropriate times and ask, ‘What do you think happens next?’ Allow the child/children to interact and guess how the story might evolve. Facilitate spontaneous interaction; if you wait until the story is over to let the child say something, they may have forgotten what they were going to share.
• Questioning is a powerful tool. If children make suggestions, ask, ‘Why do you think that?’ Encouraging children to explain their thoughts is crucial in nurturing their critical thinking. It also helps children feel insightful and effective in their thinking process.
• After the story ends, Ask your child, ‘Would you like to draw a picture of what happens the next day?’ The stories end, but the characters do not disappear, right? So, ask your child to draw a picture of what happens the next day. Think of it like the next chapter of a book. This activity nurtures imagination and creativity, and with interaction from an adult who can ask questions, it fosters critical thinking.

Tip: You can also read a story; however, if you tell the story orally, you can change how the story might develop and give the children something extra to think about. In addition, in oral storytelling, the children are not guided by pictures; therefore, they imagine the characters in their heads. consequently, each child will have a different idea of the character’s appearance. It can be interesting to observe children’s perspectives when they draw their story pictures.