Critical Thinking Skills
The ability to analyse information, evaluate evidence, and think logically.
Here’s a set of practical activities to support the development of critical thinking for home educated children. These activities help children learn to question, reason, evaluate, and make decisions based on evidence and logic.
🧠 What Is Critical Thinking?
Critical thinking involves:
Asking thoughtful questions
Evaluating information and ideas
Solving problems logically
Making reasoned decisions
🔍 Inquiry & Problem-Solving Activities
1. What Would You Do? Scenarios
Present age-appropriate dilemmas:“What would you do if you found a lost puppy?”
“How would you solve a disagreement with a friend?”
Encourage children to explain their reasoning and consider consequences.
2. Mystery Bag Challenge
Fill a bag with random objects.
Ask: “What could these be used for?” or “What do they have in common?”
Promotes analysis and creative reasoning.
3. Design a Solution
Present a problem (e.g., “How can we keep our books dry in the rain?”).
Children brainstorm and build a solution using household items.
Encourages innovation and logical thinking.
📚 Literacy-Based Activities
4. Fact vs. Opinion Sorting
Read short passages or statements.
Children decide which are facts and which are opinions.
Builds evaluation and reasoning skills.
5. Predict the Ending
Read part of a story and ask children to predict what will happen next.
Discuss clues and reasoning behind their predictions.
6. Compare Two Stories
Read two books with similar themes.
Ask: “How are the characters different?” “Which story had a better solution?”
Encourages analysis and comparison.
🎲 Game-Based Learning
7. Logic Puzzles & Riddles
Use age-appropriate puzzles, Sudoku, or brain teasers.
Develops reasoning and pattern recognition.
8. Board Games That Require Strategy
Games like chess, checkers, or simple strategy card games.
Encourage planning, predicting, and decision-making.
9. Would You Rather?
Pose questions like:“Would you rather live in space or underwater?”
“Would you rather have wings or wheels?”
Ask children to explain their choice and reasoning.
🎨 Creative Thinking Activities
10. Invent a New Rule
Ask children to invent a rule for a game or household activity.
Discuss how it would work and what problems it might solve or create.
11. Reverse Thinking
Ask: “What if we did everything backwards today?”
Encourage children to think about consequences and logic.
12. Create a New Use
Give a common object (e.g., spoon, sock, box).
Ask: “What else could this be used for?”
Combines creativity with reasoning.
🧺 Everyday Critical Thinking Boosters
13. Plan a Day Out
Let children plan a pretend or real outing.
Consider budget, time, transport, and activities.
Encourages decision-making and planning.
14. Cooking with Choices
Present a recipe and ask: “What could we change?” “What happens if we leave out an ingredient?”
Builds cause-and-effect understanding.
15. News Discussion (Age-Appropriate)
Read or watch a child-friendly news story.
Ask questions like: “Why do you think this happened?” “What could be done differently?”