Reading Together to Build Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinking is one of the most important skills that children should develop. It helps them draw on their current knowledge and builds their problem-solving skills.

There are a number of strategies to enhance your child’s critical thinking skills. Reading is one of the best ways to meet this goal.

Follow along as we explain what critical thinking is, and how reading with your child can develop it.

What is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking is the ability to engage in rational and independent thinking. With this skill, you’re able to make logical connections between different ideas. Critical thinking is all about being an active learner and questioning ideas and information. Rather than always accepting information without questioning it, a critical thinker is determined to find out if those ideas are accurate or not. This skill helps us make informed decisions and solve problems independently.

Since critical thinking is an essential life skill, it’s important for children to develop it. This skill helps your child fully understand the information that they take in and ensures they have the ability to contrast and reason on their own.
While some people think that it’s best to learn critical thinking in high school or college, parents should actually help develop their child’s critical thinking skills when they’re young. Kids should be encouraged to think critically and independently at an early age. This essential skill will set them up for success in the future, regardless of the career path they choose. There are many strategies that parents can try to help their child enhance this skill.

Reading Builds Critical Thinking Skills

Reading is one of the best ways to help develop your child’s brain development and imagination. It’s also great at strengthening their critical thinking skills.

Reading together strengthens your child’s ability to focus, concentrate, and communicate.  Reading aloud to them allows them to learn new words, sounds, and gain an appreciation for stories in general.

Kids’ activity books are ideal reading options to develop critical thinking skills. Activity books for kids can suit children aged two to 12 years old. These types of books teach your child about the world around them and enhance their literacy skills at the same time.

They’re also beneficial in several other aspects. Kids’ activity books are entertaining, which helps your child stay focused and complete the activities. Children also gain a sense of accomplishment when they finish activities on their own. With this confidence, they’re more likely to succeed in other areas of their lives as they grow up.

Now that we know how important reading is, make an effort to encourage your child to read more. To ensure that you and your child read together often, set a routine. Try to read a book together every day in a space where you’re both comfortable. It could be in a cozy reading nook or in bed. Take turns on who the designated reader is – one day, you could be the reader, and the next day you could let your child take the lead.

Making the Most of Reading Time

When you read together, you can have a dialogue with your child about the story. This back-and-forth develops their critical thinking because they have to recall the details about what happened.

As you read and work on kids’ activity books together, ask them to make connections to their own experience. For example, ask them about the similarities or differences between themselves and the main character of the story.

Ask open-ended questions. These types of questions encourage your child to think on their own and respond creatively. Remind them that there is no right or wrong answer so that they’re comfortable with sharing their thoughts.
Being able to explain why something happened and comparing and contrasting are some of the key elements of critical thinking. When you ask your child questions about a particular plot twist or event that occurred, it strengthens these areas.

Set aside some time to have this exchange, either during your reading session or at the end of it.

Set Them Up For Success

It’s important that children build strong critical thinking skills at a young age. It sets a strong foundation for them to become independent thinkers and succeed in the future.

Visit Kidsbooks.com to check out their extensive collection of great books.