critical thinking questions for 4 year olds

85 Fun Critical Thinking Questions for Kids & Teens

Have you ever thought about using fun questions to practice critical thinking?

Students may need a little guidance to think their way through questions that lack straightforward answers.

But it is that process that is important!

How the Right Questions Encourage Critical Thinking

Every parent knows how natural it is for children to ask questions. 

It should be encouraged. After all, asking questions helps with critical thinking.

As they grow older, however, training them to answer questions can be equally beneficial.

Posing questions that encourage kids to analyze, compare, and evaluate information can help them develop their ability to think critically about tough topics in the future. 

Of course, critical thinking questions for kids need to be age-appropriate—even better if you can mix a little fun into it!

That’s what I hope to help you with today. I’ve organized the questions below into three different ages groups:

• Upper elementary
• Middle school
• High school 

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Introduce critical thinking gently & easily with thought-provoking exercises.

Upper Elementary

Students in upper elementary grades can be reluctant to put themselves out there, especially with answers that seem weird. 

In some cases, such hesitancy is actually fear of differing from their peers (and a barrier to critical thinking ). 

But that’s exactly why it’s important to practice answering ambiguous questions. 

We want our children to stand firm for their beliefs—not cave to peer pressure. 

Additionally, students may feel uneasy about answering serious questions, uncertain of tackling “big” problems. 

However, with careful use of creative questions for kids, it’s possible to engage even the most reluctant children in this age group. 

The idea is to simply get them interested in the conversation and questions asked.

If you have an especially reserved student, try starting with the funny critical thinking questions. 

Humor is a natural icebreaker that can make critical thinking questions more lighthearted and enjoyable. 

Of course, most younger kids just like to be silly, so playing upon that can keep them active and engaged.

With that said, here are some great questions to get you started:

1. Someone gives you a penguin. You can’t sell it or give it away. What do you do with it?

2. What would it be like if people could fly?

3. If animals could talk, what question would you ask? 

4. If you were ice cream, what kind would you be and why?

5. Do you want to travel back in time? If yes, how far back would you go? If no, why not?

6. What could you invent that would help your family? 

7. If you could stay up all night, what would you do?

8. What does the man on the moon do during the day?

9. What makes something weird or normal? 

10. Can you describe the tastes “salty” and “sweet” without using those words?

11. What does it feel like to ride a rollercoaster?

12. What makes a joke funny?

13. What two items would you take if you knew you would be stranded on an island and why?

14. Do you have a favorite way of laughing?

15. What noise makes you cringe and cover your ears? Why?

16. If you could be the parent for the day, what would you do?

17. If you could jump into your favorite movie and change the outcome, which one would you pick and why?

18. If you could be invisible for a day, what would you do?

19. What makes a day “perfect”?

20. If you owned a store, what kind of products would you sell?

21. If your parents were your age, would you be friends with them?

22. Would you still like your favorite food if it tasted the same as always, but now had an awful smell?

23. What would you do if you forgot to put your shoes on before leaving home?

24. Who would you be if you were a cartoon character?

25. How many hot dogs do you think you could eat in one sitting?

26. If you could breathe under water, what would you explore?

27. At what age do you think you stop being a kid?

28. If you had springs in your legs, what would you be able to do?

29. Can you describe the color blue to someone if they’re blind?

Middle School

At this point, students start to acquire more complex skills and are able to form their own conclusions based on the information they’re given. 

However, we can’t expect deep philosophical debates with 12 and 13 year olds. 

That said, as parent-teachers, we can certainly begin using more challenging questions to help them examine and rationalize their thought processes. 

Browse the fun critical thinking questions below for students in this age range. 

You might be surprised to see how receptive middle school kids can be to such thought-provoking (yet still fun) questions .

30. What would happen if it really did rain cats and dogs?

31. What does it mean to be lucky?

32. If you woke up in the middle of a dream, where would you be?

33. Is it ever okay to lie? Why or why not?

34. If you were solely responsible for creating laws, what one law would you make?

35. What makes a person a good friend?

36. What do you think is the most important skill you can take into adulthood?

37. If you had to give up lunch or dinner, which would you choose? Why?

38. How much money would you need to be considered rich?

39. If you knew you wouldn’t get caught, would you cheat on a test?

40. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?

41. What is your greatest strength? How is that an asset?

42. If you had an opportunity to visit the International Space Station, would you do it?

43. Is it better to keep the peace or speak your mind?

44. Imagine yourself as your favorite animal. How would you spend your day?

45. Would you be friends with someone who didn’t have the same values as you?

46. How much screen time do you think is too much?

47. Can you describe your favorite color without naming it?

48. If you suddenly became blind, would you see things differently?

49. Would you ever go skydiving?

50. Describe the time you were the happiest in your life. Why did this make you happy?

51. If you had a million dollars, what would you do?

52. If you had to move to a new city, would you change how you present yourself to others?

53. What do you need to do in order to be famous?

54. If you could rewrite the ending of your favorite book or movie, what changes would you make?

55. How would you tackle a huge goal?

56. How would you sell ice to an eskimo in Alaska successfully?

57. What makes you unique?

High School

Critical thinking takes on an entirely different role once students reach high school. 

At this age, they have a greater sense of right and wrong (and what makes things so) as well as a better understanding of the world’s challenges.

Guiding teens to delve deeper and contemplate such things is an important part of developing their reasoning and critical thinking skills. 

Whether it’s fun questions about hypothetical superpowers or tough critical thinking questions about life, older teens typically have what it takes to think their way to a logical conclusion . 

Of course, use your discernment as you choose discussion topics, but here are some questions to help get you started:

58. How can you avoid [common problem] in the future?

59. Do you think it’s okay to take a life in order to save 5, 10, 20 or more people?

60. If you could go back and give your younger self advice, what would it be?

61. Is it better to give or receive a gift?

62. How important is it to be financially secure? Why?

63. If it was up to you, what one rule would you change in your family?

64. What would you do if a group of friends wanted to do something that you thought was a bad idea?

65. How do you know that something is a fact rather than an opinion?

66. What would it take to get you to change your mind?

67. What’s the most important thing in your life?

68. If money were of no concern, what job would you choose and why?

69. How do you know if you’re happy?

70. Do you think euthanasia is moral?

71. What is something you can do today that you weren’t able to do a year ago?

72. Is social media a good thing or not?

73. Is it right to keep animals in a zoo?

74. How does your attitude affect your abilities?

75. What would you do if you found out a friend was doing something dangerous?

76. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Why?

77. What will life on Earth look like in 50 years?

78. Which is more important, ending world hunger or global warming?

79. Is it a good idea to lower the voting age to 16? Why or why not?

80. If the electrical power went out today, how would you cook if using wood wasn’t an option?

81. If you could magically transport yourself to any other place, where would that be and why?

82. When should teenagers be able to stay out all night?

83. Does the number zero actually exist?

84. What defines a generous person?

85. Does an influential person influence everyone?

Feel free to print out these fun critical thinking questions and incorporate them into your homeschool week!

will your children recognize truth?

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Conversations with Children! Asking Questions That Stretch Children’s Thinking

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When we ask children questions—especially big, open-ended questions—we support their language development and critical thinking. We can encourage them to tell us about themselves and talk about the materials they are using, their ideas, and their reflections.

This is the fifth and final article in this TYC series about asking questions that support rich conversations. During the past year, Conversations with Children! has documented and analyzed the many different types of questions teachers ask and the rich discussions with children that flowed from those questions. The series has explored children’s interests, considered their developmental needs, respected their cultural perspectives, and highlighted their language development and thinking.

Using an adaptation of Bloom’s Taxonomy to think about the types of questions teachers ask children, this article focuses on intentionally using questions that challenge children to analyze, evaluate, and create. This can increase the back-and-forth dialogues teachers have with children—stretching children’s thinking!

For this article, I spent the morning in a classroom of 3- and 4-year-olds, located in a large, urban elementary school in Passaic, New Jersey. All 15 children spoke both Spanish and English (with varying levels of English proficiency), as did their teacher and assistant teacher. The teachers in this classroom stretch their conversations with children, having extended exchanges in both languages by listening to and building on children’s answers.

Understanding Different Types of Questions

Bloom’s Taxonomy has long been used as a way to think about the types of questions we ask students. We have adapted it for young children. Although Remember has mostly right or wrong one-word answers and Create invites use of the imagination and answers that are complex and unique to each child, these levels are just guides. It is up to you to consider which types of questions are appropriate for each child you work with. The lower levels form the foundation for the higher ones.

identify, name, count, repeat, recall

describe, discuss, explain, summarize​

explain why, dramatize, identify with/relate to

recognize change, experiment, infer, compare, contrast

express opinion, judge, defend/criticize

make, construct, design, author

A conversation about building with cups in the makerspace

A conversation between the teacher and two children began during planning time and continued as the children built in the makerspace.

During planning time

Teacher : I am excited to see how you will build with the cups. Do you have any idea how you will build with them? ( Analyze )

Child 1 : I will show you what I can do. ( He draws his plan on a piece of paper .)

Child 2 : I want to work with the cups too.

Teacher : Maybe you can collaborate and share ideas.

Child 2 : Yeah, we can work together.

Child 1 : We can build a tower.

Teacher : I wonder how tall it will be. I am very curious. I wonder, what will you do with the cups? ( Create ) I can’t wait to see!

Later, as the first child is building

Teacher : Can you describe what you did? ( Understand )

Child : I put these two and put these one at a time and then these two.

Teacher : How did you stack these differently? ( Analyze ) (The child doesn’t respond.)

Teacher : I noticed you stacked this one and this one in a diff erent way. How did you stack them differently? ( Analyze )

Child : (He becomes excited, pointing.) I show you!

Teacher : Please demonstrate!

Child : I knew what my idea was. (He shows the teacher how he stacked the cups.)

Teacher : Can you describe what parts of the cups were touching? ( Understand )

Child : The white part. Teacher: Oh, that is called the rim of the cup. How did you stack this one? ( Apply )

Child : I was trying and trying and trying!

Teacher : So you are stacking the rims together. And how is this stack different? ( Analyze )

Child : This one is the right way and this one is down.

Teacher : Oh, this one is right side up and this one is upside down!

A conversation about creating a zoo in the block area

The children were preparing for a visit to a local zoo. After listening to the teacher read several books about zoos, one child worked on building structures in the block area to house giraff es and elephants.

Teacher : I am excited to see how you are building the enclosures.

Child : It fell down and I’m making it different.

Teacher : So it fell down and now you’re thinking about building it a different way. Architects do that; they talk about the stability of the structure. How can you make it sturdier so it doesn’t fall? ( Evaluate )

Child : I’m trying to make a watering place for the elephant to drink water. I have to make it strong so he can drink and the water doesn’t go out.

Teacher : Maybe you can be the architect and draw the plans and your friend can be the engineer and build it. How do you feel about that? ( Evaluate )

Child : I’m gonna ask him.

A conversation about coding with robots

The children had been using the Ozobot Bit, a small robot that introduces children to coding, for many months. Because these robots are programmed to follow lines and respond to specific  color patterns (e.g., coloring small segments of the line blue, red, and green will make the robot turn right), preschoolers engage in a basic form of coding just by drawing lines. In this conversation, the teacher helps a child develop his own code.

Teacher : So tell me: what do we have to do first? ( Understand )

Child : (He draws as he speaks.) You have to keep going.

Teacher : Why do we have to do it that way first? ( Apply )

Child : Because have to draw it ’fore it can go. And you don’t draw it, it don’t go nowhere. Wanna see?

Teacher : So if it’s not on the line, it won’t go anywhere. It only goes on the line.

Child : Yeah.

Teacher : Okay. So are there any rules you have to follow? What rules do I need to know? ( Apply , Analyze , Evaluate )

Child : You can’t stop it with your hand. . . . And if you want to make another one, first you have to turn it off and then you make another one. (He demonstrates with four markers how to code on the paper and then puts the robot on the line.) Now it going backwards.

Teacher : So how could you fix it so it continues? ( Analyze , Evaluate , Create )

Child : (He makes the black line on the paper thicker and retries the Ozobot, but it still stops and turns around.)

Teacher : How can you fix it? Try something else to solve the problem. What should we try next? ( Analyze , Evaluate , Create )

Child : I gonna do the whole thing again. (The child starts drawing the code.)

A conversation to stretch dramatic play

A child held a baby doll and a girl doll as the teacher entered the dramatic play area.

Teacher : Tell me about the baby. ( Apply )

Child : This girl has a baby. We going to the doctor because we all sick.

Teacher : How do you think the doctor will help you get better? ( Evaluate )

Child : The doctor has to check my heart and then he gonna check my mouth.

Teacher : So what can you do to help your friends get better after the doctor checks your mouth and heart? How will you take care of them and yourself? ( Apply , Analyze , Evaluate )

Child : They go to bed back home and go to sleep.

Teacher : And what will you do? Tell me more about that. ( Apply , Analyze , Evaluate )

Child : I’m going read them a book.

Teacher : Oh, that is such a good idea! Do you have a special book in mind? ( Understand , Apply )

Child : (She nods her head in affirmation and smiles broadly.) I have a special book. (She holds up My House: A Book in Two Languages/Mi Casa: Un Libro en Dos Lenguas , by Rebecca Emberley.)

Teacher : Will you read the book to me? I’ll pretend that I am sick and I am in the bed and you can read the book to me. (The child gives the teacher a small blanket.) You are giving me my blankie. You read and I’ll listen. ( Apply , Create ) (The child invents her own story as she turns the pages.)

As the teacher, it’s up to you, the one who knows your students best in an educational setting, to decide which questions are appropriate for which children during a particular interaction. It can be challenging to develop and ask questions that engage children in analyzing, evaluating, and creating, such as, “If you could come to school any way you wanted, how would you get here? Why?” But questions that each child will answer in her own way are well worth the effort!

Note : Thank you, Megan (teacher), Ms. Perez (assistant teacher), and all of the wonderful students who taught me so much about coding! In addition to being the teacher, Megan King is the author of the chapter “A Makerspace in the Science Area” in the book Big Questions for Young Minds: Extending Children’s Thinking . And a great big final thank-you to the five preschool classrooms that invited me into their worlds, sharing their questions and conversations with TYC readers.

Suggestions for Intentionally Stretching Conversations with Young Children Ÿ

• Make sure to allow plenty of wait time for children to process what you are saying, think about it, and answer. Give them at least a few seconds, but vary this according to the children’s needs. Ÿ  
• Listen to the children’s responses. Use active listening strategies: make eye contact, encourage children to share their ideas, and restate or summarize what they say. Ÿ  
• Ask another quesiton or make a comment after the child answers. If you aren’t sure how to respond, you can almost always say, “What else can we add to that?” or “Tell me more about that.”

More high-level questions to spark conversations

In the makerspace: Ÿ

• Which material worked better in this experiment? Why? ( Analyze ) Ÿ  
• What are some reasons your machine worked/didn’t work? How will you change it now? ( Evaluate ) Ÿ  
• What will you be constructing today? Can you draw your plans? ( Create )

In the block area: Ÿ

• How is the house you built different from/the same as your home? ( Analyze ) Ÿ  
• What do you think would happen if we removed this block to make a doorway or window? ( Evaluate ) Ÿ  
• How will you create on paper the house you want to build? What details will you write or draw so you can remember what you want to build in case you don’t have time to finish today? ( Create )

With robots: Ÿ

• Why do you think the robot got stuck? ( Evaluate ) Ÿ  
• Why didn’t the code work this time? ( Evaluate ) Ÿ  
• How will you design a game for the robots to play? ( Create )

During dramatic play:

• Ÿ How could you turn this piece of fabric into part of your costume? ( Analyze ) Ÿ  
• How could we change the house area to make it cozier for the babies? ( Evaluate ) Ÿ  
• I wrote down the story you told your patient when she said she was afraid of the dentist. Can you illustrate the story to make a picture book? ( Create )

Photographs: Courtesy of the author

Janis Strasser,  EdD, is a teacher educator and coordinator of the MEd in Curriculum and Learning Early Childhood concentration at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey. She has worked in the field of early childhood for more than 40 years.

Vol. 12, No. 3

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101 Questions for Kids to Get Them Thinking and Talking [all open-ended]

How can you have more meaningful conversations with your kids? How can you use these conversations to also build up their skills to prepare them for their future? What questions are quick and fun to ask but also get them thinking critically, logically and laterally?

We have done the hard work so you don't have to! Here are 101 questions for kids that will get them "thinking and talking" - helping you get to know your child with more meaningful conversations, and at the same time building the skills they need to thrive in tomorrow's world (e.g. critical thinking, communication, creativity etc).

It's perfect for 6-12 year olds and can be done whenever you have a few minutes. Parents we work with tend to have these chats in the car, or after school or at the dinner table.

‍ See the KidCoachApp that thousands of other parents have been using to have all this and more in the palm of your hand, but in the meantime enjoy the list below.

Critical thinking questions

1.  How many iPads do you think there are in the world?

2.  How many grains of sand do you think there are on a typical beach?

3.  What would you do with a million dollars?

4.  If you could go back and time and change one thing, what would it be and why?

5.  If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

6.  Is there life on other planets?

7.  What would you name a new colour?

8.  What are 10 different things you can do a cup?

9.  How would you improve a sofa to make it better?

10.  When Baby Shark grows up, will he still be called Baby Shark?

11.  What would happen if it never rained?

12.  How can you make £100 or $100 by next week if you wanted to?

If you are particularly interested in critical thinking then this ultimate guide to developing critical thinking skills in your kids is a must-read.

Debating questions for kids

13.  Should children set their own bedtimes?

14.  Do you need teachers at school or can you just learn from computers?

15.  Is it right to eat animals?

16.  Should everyone donate money to charity?

17.  Should children have to wear school uniforms?

18.  Should children choose what to learn at school themselves?

19.  Does Santa Claus only bring presents for good children?

20.  Should zoos be banned since they are unfair to animals?

21.  Should children be paid if they get good grades?

22.   Is social media a good or a bad thing?

23.  Should every child have their own mobile phone?

Fun communication challenges

24.  How would you describe a car to an alien?

25.  How would you describe a tree without saying green, plant or leaves?

26.  What is a rectangle?

27.  How would you describe an elephant without saying animal, trunk or grey?

28.  What is a circle?

29.  Can you name 10 different emotions?

30.  What is the number five?

31.  Can you say the alphabet backwards?

32.  Can you talk for one minute about anything without saying “umm” or “err”?

33.  Can you say “Hello” in three different accents?

For more fun talking game ideas, check out this list of 22 car games to keep kids entertained using only your voices!

Alternatives to “How was your day?”

34.   What was the best thing that happened to you today?

35.   What will you do tomorrow that you did not do today?

36.   Tell me about something new that you learned today?

37.   What made you laugh today?

38.   Who did you play with today?

39.   What did you eat for lunch?

40.   What kind of a person were you today?

41.   What made your teacher smile today?

42.   What made you really proud today?

43.  What questions did you ask the teacher today?

44.  What do you think your teacher will be doing tonight?

Would you rather questions?

45.  Would you rather find true love or win one million dollars?

46.  Would you rather end poverty or end racism?

47.  Would you rather be gossiped about or ignored?

48.  Would you rather be an ant or a fly?

49.  Would you rather be able to fly or have super strength?

50.  Would you rather be 1 foot taller or 1 foot shorter?

51.  Would you rather be more like Mum or more like Dad?

52.  Would you rather be the sand castle or the wave?

53.  Would you rather live to 100 years old sad or live to 50 years old but happy?

54.  Would you rather live without TV or live without internet?

We have lots more of these by the way in this 101 list of the BEST "would you rather...?" questions for kids.

Try these with Harry Potter fans!

55.  Which Hogwarts house would you be sorted into and why? (critical thinking)

56.  If you owned the Philosopher's stone and could live forever, what would you do? (creativity)

57.  What make Harry Potter a good leader? (leadership)

58.  Is Professor Snape on the good side or the bad side? (critical thinking)

59.  Why do wizards hide themselves away from muggles? (philosophy)

60.  How would you explain the game of quidditch to a muggle? (communication)

61.  Why are most wizards scared to say "Lord Voldemort" out aloud? (empathy)

62.  How do dementors make you feel? (mindfulness)

63.  If you were an animagus and could turn into any animal, which would you choose and why? (creativity)

64.  Which magical object would you choose to have and why - marauders map, time turner or invisibility cloak? (critical thinking)

65 .  What makes Dumbledore such a good headmaster? (leadership)

Get to know you interview questions

66.  What are your three greatest strengths?

67.  What is your favourite subject?

68.  What makes you different?

69.  What are your three greatest weaknesses?

70.  Who do you want to be like when you grow up?

71.  What is happening in the book you are reading right now?

72.  What will be different about the world when you are an adult?

73.  What is going on in the news at the moment?

74.  Who are your best friends and why do you like each other?

75.  What is the funniest thing you have ever done?

76.  What motivates you?

‍ To build resilience

77.  What is a growth mindset?

78.  What do you feel grateful for today?

79.  What is something you can do today that you couldn’t last year?

80.  What does a confident person look and sound like?

81.  What do you worry about the most?

82.  What are you better at than most other people?

83.  What do you love to learn?

84.  What make you happy?

85.  How important is winning?

86.  What is your best quality?

87.  What do you find really easy to do?

88.  What can you teach others?

Perfect for family dinners

89.  What is your favourite dessert?

90.  If you could just eat one food forever what would it be?

91.  Where shall we go on holiday next?

92.  What is one thing you admire about the person on your left?

93.  What animal are you most like and why?

94.  If you could swap places with anybody else in the family for one day, who would you pick and why?

95.  Tell us something about yourself that we probably don’t know?

96.  If you could have one wish what would it be?

97.  What is the hardest thing about being a child?

98.  What three words best describe you?

99.  What three things do we want to do as a family next month?

100.  If you could choose a new name, what would it be?

101.  What will we all be doing in 20 years time?

A final suggestion

If you liked this then why not check out the KidCoachApp (30 second demo video above) which has everything from this article and much more in it, all regularly updated!

It puts these great questions in the palm of your hand and the next time you are in need of some conversation inspiration all you have to do is whip out the app! There are hundreds of critical thinking questions for kids that need logical and lateral thinking to answer.🤔

We are backed by lots of education and parenting experts (see our Advisory Board here ) and parents have absolutely loved using the KidCoachApp (see the reviews here ).

It's a 2 week free trial, with no payment details needed, so you have nothing to lose. 👍

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Kavin Wadhar

Kavin Wadhar is a parent of 2 kids and founder of www.KidCoach.app: guided conversations for parents to get their kids talking, thinking and feeling. Kavin left his corporate role in education publishing to pursue his passion to help parents develop in their kids the skills they need to thrive in tomorrow’s world. Working with a team of parents and education experts, Kavin has built an App for parents with hundreds of questions like those in this article, and with additional guidance / prompts to take conversations deeper. Check it out!

Want more like this?

Most popular articles:, connect through conversation, download the kidcoachapp free for hundreds of quick, fun and thought-provoking questions your kids will love.

150 Fun Critical Thinking Questions For Kids, Teens, & Adults

Critical thinking questions for kids get them thinking and questioning. To go beyond rote learning.

The reason they excel later in life will not be based on the information they memorized. But instead on how well they think, make decisions, communicate, and use their creativity.

These questions are designed to help them build these essential skills.

What makes a good critical thinking question?

Open ended questions are perfect for encouraging critical thinking and problem-solving. Kids (and grown-ups) have to think about their answers. Below you will find the best age-appropriate examples to use in the classroom, at home, or during your everyday routine .

In fact, there’s no question about it. Critical thinking is important for kids. And adults too!

Good Questions For Kindergarten To Think Critically

Younger kids need more concrete questions. These critical thinking questions will help them use reasoning and think deeply, even when they are small.

1. How do you know if something was a good decision?

2. How are these two things similar?

3. What are the differences between _______ and _________?

4. How would you feel if __________?

This question is great for building empathy .

5. Who was the main character? Why do you say that?

6. When is ___________ a problem?

7. What is the problem?

8. Why is this a problem?

9. What did you notice about _________?

10. Do you think he/she sees this the same way you do? Why or why not?

11. Has this happened before?

12. Do you think it will happen again? Why do you think this?

13. What is your opinion about _________? Why?

14. Is this appropriate? Why or why not?

15. What do you think would happen if __________?

16. What caused this to happen?

17. Do you think the world would be better if __________?

18. If you were in charge, what would you do differently?

19. Where can you find out more about this?

20. What does ______ mean?

21. Do you agree?

22. Can you give me an example of ________?

23. How do you know?

24. How would you solve this problem?

25. What makes something weird? What makes something normal?

Questions For Students: Elementary Through Middle School

For this age of kids, use any of the examples above and try these more abstract critical thinking questions too.

26. What do you think was the turning point?

27. Is there evidence to support your opinion (or decision)?

28. What does the evidence tell you?

29. What do you think would have been a better ending to… (book, movie, story)

30. When is the best time to start this?

31. When you think about solving a problem, where do you like to start?

32. What character/person changed the most? Why do you think this?

33. How could the author have created a thrilling twist in this story?

34. Who could help you with this? Why would they be a good fit to help?

35. Why is this important?

36. Why do you think ________ said that?

37. Why did the __________ (author, speaker) write/say this?

38. How does an idea grow? Or how does someone get from being a beginner to being an expert?

39. Do you think that what happened is what they meant to happen?

(Often, results are different than what people first think they will be.)

40. What can you use to help you decide?

41. What are the pros and cons of this?

42. Why is this happening?

43. What is the main message from this? (Or the lesson learned?)

44. What would you ask the author (speaker, etc.) if you could?

45. Do you have any questions about this?

46. Do you think it is too good to be true?

47. Can you defend these actions?

48. Compare this with this.

49. What would the world be like if ________? (kids were in charge, the sun was farther away, etc.)

50. Do you think there is a better alternative?

51. Is this person trustworthy? Why or why not?

52. At what age does someone stop being a kid? Why?

53. Can you see why someone would agree or disagree?

54. How would this ________ benefit or help others?

55. How will you know if your idea worked?

56. What is wrong with this situation?

57. What is good in this situation?

58. If someone were to argue your point, what do you think they would say?

59. Why do you think the character/person did that?

60. Is this fact or opinion? How do you know?

61. Was this change for the better? Or did it make things worse?

62. Who is most likely to _________? Why?

63. What do you think are the consequences of this decision?

64. Do you think we are asking the right question(s)? What is a different question instead?

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Critical Thinking Questions For High School & College Students

These critical thinking questions are more complex. They encourage abstract thinking, plus explore logic, ethics, and reasoning.

65. Why did you make that decision?

66. How did you get to that decision? What was your thought process?

67. What are the advantages of this?

68. What are the disadvantages of this?

69. How could we make this (project, paper, etc.) better?

70. What do you think the problem is….?

71. What do you think the best solution for this is? Why?

72. Could someone interpret this differently? How so?

73. How would you explain this to someone who doesn’t know anything about it?

74. What are a few alternative possibilities? Are any better than the others?

75. What are the short-term implications of this decision?

76. What are the long-term implications of this decision?

77. How would you achieve a big goal ?

78. (After they come up with a solution to something) Are there other possible ways to solve this problem?

79. How can you use the pros and cons to make a good decision?

80. Do you think when many people do something, it seems more “right,” even when it isn’t?

81. What are the potential risks to this decision?

82. What are the strengths of this argument?

83. What are the weaknesses of this argument?

84. Where is this lacking in evidence?

85. What can this story teach us about life?

86. Where would this solution work? Where would it not work?

87. Why do you think it is important to ask this question?

88. Why are new ideas important in our society?

89. What do you think that character’s motive is?

90. When should you reevaluate your initial thoughts/decision?

91. Do you think this is an important issue?

92. What do you think should have happened instead?

93. What is the counterargument?

94. Why is this relevant?

95. Do you think ________ will ever happen?

96. If it does, who would it affect most? Why?

97. What assumptions are being made in this situation?

98. Is it ever ok to lie?

99. Why do you think this feels like __________?

100. How is this related to your values and beliefs?

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Critical Thinking Questions For Adults

These are great for a conversation at home or at work interviews to see how well potential candidates think on their feet.

101. Where do you see strengths?

102. Where do you think there are areas for improvement?

103. Why did these things help you in the long run?

104. What information do you need to find out before making a good decision?

105. If you could sit down and have dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be? Why?

106. What would you say to this person?

107. Should others care about this? Why?

108. When should you ask for help?

109. Who will benefit most from this decision?

110. Who will benefit least from this decision?

111. Have we considered all the options?

112. What questions do you have?

113. Are there any biases that you think are playing out here?

114. Are you making an assumption about __________?

115. When will you see your results?

116. Where do you often find this type of problem? Why?

117. In your opinion, what caused ____________ to happen?

118. Was it avoidable?

119. Does anything concern you about this?

120. When is this acceptable?

121. When is this not acceptable (or appropriate)?

122. What is one thing that would have changed everything?

123. When do you think this will benefit _________ (the company, society, etc.)?

124. When a disagreement happens at work, what do you do?

125. Is this goal achievable ?

126. How does your work experience help you fill this role?

127. Has this ever been done before? When?

128. What would need to happen for you to reconsider?

129. When will we need this?

130. What skills fit well with this position?

Related: Fun Rapid Fire Questions To Ask

Examples of Kids Critical Thinking Questions: By Word

Another way to split up your critical thinking questions is by word.

• Who is most directly affected by this decision?
• Who is the protagonist? Who is the antagonist?
• Who was the most important character?
• Who was a supporting character that was essential to the storyline?
• What is the problem you are trying to solve?
• What information is important to know about this before forming an opinion?
• What was the point of _________?
• When is it a good time to stop (or take a breather)?
• When should you know the answer?
• When will it be time for this? How do you know?
• When will this be critical?

• Where can you go to ask for help?
• Where can you find a good solution? Or information that helps you solve this problem?
• Where could this idea lead?
• Why has this issue come out into the spotlight?
• Why do you think ______ acts that way?
• Why is _______ happening, but ________ is not?
• How else could we have done that?
• How else could this be handled?
• How would you have responded in this situation?
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More Ways To Encourage Critical Thinking In Kids

Want to go beyond questions? No problem! Here are other practical ways to build this crucial skill:

Change your questions to them.

Turn your normal yes or no questions to more open ended questions.

Example: Instead of “How was your day?” go with “What was the most interesting part of your school day today?”

Refrain from stepping in.

These days parents feel like they should be fixing their kids’ problems constantly.

Instead, hold back and force your child to problem-solve on their own. Ask questions and guide them through the problem, but let them know that they are in charge of finding their own solutions.

Play Games And Do Activities That Promote Critical Thinking

Here are a few great ones!

Two Truths & A Lie Game – The players have to decide which statements are true and which one is not. This game is great for learning to read body language too!

Good Debate Topics For Kids – Nothing builds quick critical thinking like a lively debate.

Riddles: What Am I? – These word riddles help kids think through different possibilities.

Guess The Animal Riddles for Kids – More riddles all about animals to get kids thinking.

Encourage creativity.

Provide your child with opportunities to use their imagination.

Sometimes, all this takes is getting your child off screens and outside playing with sticks!

Encourage them to build something , make up a new game, and think outside the box whenever possible.

Let them fiddle with things.

My son has a very “why” brain and loves to mess with stuff. It used to embarrass me when we were around others.

But, one day, my husband and I realized that his “working things out” isn’t bad. We just needed to teach him in what context it is appropriate. Now he fiddles with everything, and it is amazing to watch his mind work.

Let them question.

The same goes for questions. They should be challenging assumptions and questioning the world around them. Too many people take for granted the things that they hear and read. Teach your child to be different.

Promote Active Listening.

Encourage your child to ask questions to clarify understanding and develop communication skills.

Examples: “What I hear is _________.” Or, “How do you know _________?”

Try New Things.

Travel. And regularly expose your kids to new ideas and experiences. This helps them see their regular world in a new light.

Think Critically Yourself.

Finally, your child will be much more likely to think critically if they see a parent who does it. So, apply all of these strategies to yourself as well.

To Consider With Critical Thinking Questions For Kids

Teaching children to form their own opinions is how we build a generation of people that will analyze, evaluate, and make decisions for the betterment of the world.

It’s not just important. It’s critical to our future as a society.

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Jennifer is the founder and chief editor of Healthy Happy Impactful®. She believes that living, loving, and connecting deeply are the foundation for a good life. She holds a degree in education and is a mom to 3 kids.

Critical Thinking Questions for Kids

Michele is a writer who has been published both locally and internationally.

Learn about our Editorial Policy .

Critical thinking questions for kids engage their imagination and analysis skills. Kids' critical thinking skills develop at different ages, so keep in mind your child's developmental age when choosing questions that challenge their logic and reasoning.

What Is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking is essentially the ability to find information and use it to make sense of something. When kids think critically they can analyze data, compare and contrast things, and make decisions based on the information they have. It's more than just learning to solve problems, it's understanding how to solve problems in different ways.

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Critical Thinking Questions for Young Children

Children ages 2 to 7 are not mentally equipped for complete critical thinking. They learn through imaginative play and language, but can't truly understand the perspectives or motivations of others. Critical thinking questions for preschoolers and kindergarteners should focus on comparisons and reasoning.

Fun Critical Thinking Questions

• Do you think your pet could join the Paw Patrol?
• When Baby Shark grows up, will he still be called Baby Shark?
• What would you do for fun if there were not TVs, tablets, video games, or smartphones?
• What could you do to find out how to get to Sesame Street?
• What do you think your toys do at night?
• Why do you think cartoon characters wear the same clothes every day?

Serious Critical Thinking Questions

• Would you rather be a preschooler or a kindergartener? Why?
• What would happen if you left your play dough out on the table all night long?
• What makes you different from the kids in your class?
• How would your life be different if you had another brother or sister?
• If you could choose your own name, what name would you choose?

Critical Thinking Questions for Ages 7 to 10

Older elementary students ages 7 to 10 start to develop true critical thinking skills. They are able to see someone else's point of view, make logical inferences, and separate fact from fiction. At this age you can start to use more open-ended questions about things relevant to a child's life or classroom lessons to engage critical thinking skills.

• What makes a Pokémon stay inside a Poké Ball?
• What could Nerf guns shoot besides foam that wouldn't hurt anyone or make a mess?
• Do you think Barbie could do all the jobs she does if she were a human?
• What do you think would happen if your best friend was in charge of ROBLOX from now on?
• How do you think SpongeBob SquarePants ended up in the ocean with a bunch of animals and creatures?
• What would happen if it never rained?
• What are all the ways you could get money to buy a new toy if you're too young to get a job?
• Do you agree or disagree that kids should have gym every day at school?
• What do you think your teacher does when he/she isn't at school?
• How could you become a Lego Master Builder?

Critical Thinking Questions for Middle School

Tweens and teens have developed strong logic skills and are advancing to more abstract reasoning. They can see information from multiple perspectives and answer complex critical thinking questions.

• Where do you think the name "Fortnite" came from?
• Could you play a sport with a ball from a different sport? For example, could you play basketball with a volleyball?
• Video games evolved from only using handheld controllers to VR headsets. What do you think will be the next great gaming invention?
• How could you classify everyone in your class into exactly five categories?
• Why are there so many Disney Princesses, but no characters called Disney Princes?
• How would your life change if your were sucked into your favorite book?
• Do you think middle schoolers should still have recess ?
• Is it better for kids to play video games or watch TV?
• What are some ways you could learn a new language without taking a class?
• Who do you think has an easier life, middle schoolers or their parents?
• If your parents disappeared, how would you survive?
• If art imitates life, which famous painting best imitates your life?

Ideas for Using Critical Thinking Questions With Kids

Whether you're using the questions at home or in the classroom, the key is to give kids ample time to respond. Critical thinking is not about speed, it's about being thorough.

• Play brain games that incorporate logic and reasoning skills.
• Have kids use the scientific method steps to solve social problems or other problems that aren't science experiments.
• Write a question of the day on a dry erase board and ask kids to write their answer in a journal during down times.
• Use kids' puzzles in creative ways like asking small groups to complete them without talking.
• Make a list of items and ask kids to sort them into logical categories.
• Print out children's brain teasers for kids to solve after completing a test or homework assignment while waiting for everyone to finish.
• When reading a story or watching a video, stop frequently to ask questions that require deeper thought.
• After teaching a skill ask students to suggest other ways of teaching it.
• Discuss current events that are kid-friendly and host debates that cover both sides of timely issues.

Grow Your Child's Brain

Every child's brain is filled with pathways where information can travel. Cognitive activities for kids like asking critical thinking questions help build and solidify these pathways to increase your child's thinking abilities.

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How to Teach Your Child to Be a Critical Thinker

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What Is Critical Thinking?

• Importance of Critical Thinking

Benefits of Critical Thinking Skills

• Teach Kids to Be Critical Thinkers

Every day kids are bombarded with messages, information, and images. Whether they are at school, online, or talking to their friends, they need to know how to evaluate what they are hearing and seeing in order to form their own opinions and beliefs. Critical thinking skills are the foundation of education as well as an important life skill. Without the ability to think critically, kids will struggle academically, especially as they get older.

In fact, no matter what your child plans to do professionally someday, they will need to know how to think critically, solve problems, and make decisions. As a parent, it's important that you ensure that your kids can think for themselves and have developed a healthy critical mindset before they leave the nest.

Doing so will help them succeed both academically and professionally as well as benefit their future relationships. Here is what you need to know about critical thinking, including how to teach your kids to be critical thinkers.

Critical thinking skills are the ability to imagine, analyze, and evaluate information in order to determine its integrity and validity, such as what is factual and what isn't. These skills help people form opinions and ideas as well as help them know who is being a good friend and who isn't.

"Critical thinking also can involve taking a complex problem and developing clear solutions," says Amy Morin, LCSW, a psychotherapist and author of the best-selling books "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do" and "13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don't Do."

In fact, critical thinking is an essential part of problem-solving, decision-making, and goal-setting . It also is the basis of education, especially when combined with reading comprehension . These two skills together allow kids to master information.

Why Critical Thinking Skills Are Important

According to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which evaluated 15-year-old children in 44 different countries, more than one in six students in the United States are unable to solve critical thinking problems. What's more, research indicates that kids who lack critical thinking skills face a higher risk of behavioral problems.

If kids are not being critical thinkers, then they are not thinking carefully, says Amanda Pickerill, Ph.D. Pickerill is licensed with the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Board of Psychology and is in practice at the Ohio State School for the Blind in Columbus, Ohio.

"Not thinking carefully [and critically] can lead to information being misconstrued; [and] misconstrued information can lead to problems in school, work, and relationships," she says.

Critical thinking also allows kids to gain a deeper understanding of the world including how they see themselves in that world. Additionally, kids who learn to think critically tend to be observant and open-minded.

Amy Morin, LCSW

Critical thinking skills can help someone better understand themselves, other people, and the world around them. [They] can assist in everyday problem-solving, creativity, and productivity.

There are many ways critical thinking skills can benefit your child, Dr. Pickerill says. From being able to solve complex problems in school and determining how they feel about particular issues to building relationships and dealing with peer pressure, critical thinking skills equip your child to deal with life's challenges and obstacles.

"Critical thinking skills [are beneficial] in solving a math problem, in comparing and contrasting [things], and when forming an argument," Dr. Pickerill says. "As a psychologist, I find critical thinking skills also to be helpful in self-reflection. When an individual is struggling to reach a personal goal or to maintain a satisfactory relationship it is very helpful to apply critical thinking."

Critical thinking also fosters independence, enhances creativity, and encourages curiosity. Kids who are taught to use critical thinking skills ask a lot of questions and never just take things at face value—they want to know the "why" behind things.

"Good critical thinking skills also can lead to better relationships, reduced distress, and improved life satisfaction," says Morin. "Someone who can solve everyday problems is likely to feel more confident in their ability to handle whatever challenges life throws their way."

How to Teach Kids to Be Critical Thinkers

Teaching kids to think critically is an important part of parenting. In fact, when we teach kids to be critical thinkers, we are also teaching them to be independent . They learn to form their own opinions and come to their own conclusions without a lot of outside influence. Here are some ways that you can teach your kids to become critical thinkers.

Be a Good Role Model

Sometimes the best way to teach your kids an important life skill is to model it in your own life. After all, kids tend to copy the behaviors they see in their parents. Be sure you are modeling critical thinking in your own life by researching things that sound untrue and challenging statements that seem unethical or unfair.

"Parents, being the critical thinkers that they are, can begin modeling critical thinking from day one by verbalizing their thinking skills," Dr. Pickerill says. "It’s great for children to hear how parents critically think things through. This modeling of critical thinking allows children to observe their parents' thought processes and that modeling lends itself to the child imitating what [they have] observed."

Play With Them

Children are constantly learning by trial and error and play is a great trial and error activity, says Dr, Pickerill. In fact, regularly playing with your child at a very young age is setting the foundation for critical thinking and the depth of their critical thinking skills will advance as they develop, she says.

"You will find your child’s thinking will be more on a concrete level in the earlier years and as they advance in age it will become more abstract," Dr. Pickerill says. "Peer play is also helpful in developing critical thinking skills but parents need to be available to assist when conflicts arise or when bantering takes a turn for the worse."

As your kids get older, you can play board games together or simply spend time talking about something of interest to them. The key is that you are spending quality time together that allows you the opportunity to discuss things on a deeper level and to examine issues critically.

Teach Them to Solve Problems

Morin says one way to teach kids to think critically is to teach them how to solve problems. For instance, ask them to brainstorm at least five different ways to solve a particular problem, she says.

"You might challenge them to move an object from one side of the room to the other without using their hands," she says. "At first, they might think it’s impossible. But with a little support from you, they might see there are dozens of solutions (like using their feet or putting on gloves). Help them brainstorm a variety of solutions to the same problem and then pick one to see if it works."

Over time, you can help your kids see that there are many ways to view and solve the same problem, Morin says.

Encourage Them to Ask Questions

As exhausting as it can be at times to answer a constant barrage of questions, it's important that you encourage your child to question things. Asking questions is the basis of critical thinking and the time you invest in answering your child's questions—or finding the answers together— will pay off in the end.

Your child will learn not only learn how to articulate themselves, but they also will get better and better at identifying untrue or misleading information or statements from others. You also can model this type of questioning behavior by allowing your child to see you question things as well.

Practice Making Choices

Like everything in life, your child will often learn through trial and error. And, part of learning to be a critical thinker involves making decisions. One way that you can get your child thinking about and making choices is to give them a say in how they want to spend their time.

Allow them to say no thank-you to playdates or party invitations if they want. You also can give them an allowance and allow them to make some choices about what to do with the money. Either of these scenarios requires your child to think critically about their choices and the potential consequences before they make a decision.

As they get older, talk to them about how to deal with issues like bullying and peer pressure . And coach them on how to make healthy choices regarding social media use . All of these situations require critical thinking on your child's part.

Encourage Open-Mindedness

Although teaching open-mindedness can be a challenging concept to teach at times, it is an important one. Part of becoming a critical thinker is the ability to be objective and evaluate ideas without bias.

Teach your kids that in order to look at things with an open mind, they need leave their own judgments and assumptions aside. Some concepts you should be talking about that encourage open-mindedness include diversity , inclusiveness , and fairness.

A Word From Verywell

Developing a critical mindset is one of the most important life skills you can impart to your kids. In fact, in today's information-saturated world, they need these skills in order to thrive and survive. These skills will help them make better decisions, form healthy relationships, and determine what they value and believe.

Plus, when you teach your kids to critically examine the world around them, you are giving them an advantage that will serve them for years to come—one that will benefit them academically, professionally, and relationally. In the end, they will not only be able to think for themselves, but they also will become more capable adults someday.

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA): Results from PISA 2012 problem-solving .

Sun RC, Hui EK. Cognitive competence as a positive youth development construct: a conceptual review .  ScientificWorldJournal . 2012;2012:210953. doi:10.1100/2012/210953

Ghazivakili Z, Norouzi Nia R, Panahi F, Karimi M, Gholsorkhi H, Ahmadi Z. The role of critical thinking skills and learning styles of university students in their academic performance .  J Adv Med Educ Prof . 2014;2(3):95-102. PMID:25512928

Schmaltz RM, Jansen E, Wenckowski N. Redefining critical thinking: teaching students to think like scientists .  Front Psychol . 2017;8:459. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00459

By Sherri Gordon Sherri Gordon, CLC is a published author, certified professional life coach, and bullying prevention expert. 

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100+ Critical Thinking Questions for Students To Ask About Anything

Critical thinkers question everything.

In an age of “fake news” claims and constant argument about pretty much any issue, critical thinking skills are key. Teach your students that it’s vital to ask questions about everything, but that it’s also important to ask the right sorts of questions. Students can use these critical thinking questions with fiction or nonfiction texts. They’re also useful when discussing important issues or trying to understand others’ motivations in general.

“Who” Critical Thinking Questions

Questions like these help students ponder who’s involved in a story and how the actions affect them. They’ll also consider who’s telling the tale and how reliable that narrator might be.

• Is the protagonist?
• Is the antagonist?
• Caused harm?
• Is harmed as a result?
• Was the most important character?

• Is responsible?
• Is most directly affected?
• Should have won?
• Will benefit?
• Would be affected by this?

• Makes the decisions?

“What” Critical Thinking Questions

Ask questions that explore issues more deeply, including those that might not be directly answered in the text.

• Background information do I know or need to know?
• Is the main message?
• Are the defining characteristics?

• Questions or concerns do I have?
• Don’t I understand?
• Evidence supports the author’s conclusion?
• Would it be like if … ?
• Could happen if … ?
• Other outcomes might have happened?
• Questions would you have asked?
• Would you ask the author about … ?
• Was the point of … ?
• Should have happened instead?
• Is that character’s motive?
• Else could have changed the whole story?

• Can you conclude?
• Would your position have been in that situation?
• Would happen if … ?
• Makes your position stronger?
• Was the turning point?
• Is the point of the question?
• Did it mean when … ?
• Is the other side of this argument?
• Was the purpose of … ?
• Does ______ mean?
• Is the problem you are trying to solve?
• Does the evidence say?
• Assumptions are you making?
• Is a better alternative?
• Are the strengths of the argument?

• Are the weaknesses of the argument?
• Is the difference between _______ and _______?

“Where” Critical Thinking Questions

Think about where the story is set and how it affects the actions. Plus, consider where and how you can learn more.

• Would this issue be a major problem?
• Are areas for improvement?
• Did the story change?
• Would you most often find this problem?

• Are there similar situations?
• Would you go to get answers to this problem?
• Can this be improved?
• Can you get more information?
• Will this idea take us?

“When” Critical Thinking Questions

Think about timing and the effect it has on the characters or people involved.

• Is this acceptable?
• Is this unacceptable?

• Does this become a problem?
• Is the best time to take action?
• Will we be able to tell if it worked?
• Is it time to reassess?
• Should we ask for help?
• Is the best time to start?
• Is it time to stop?
• Would this benefit society?

• Has this happened before?

“Why” Critical Thinking Questions

Asking “why” might be one of the most important parts of critical thinking. Exploring and understanding motivation helps develop empathy and make sense of difficult situations.

• Is _________ happening?
• Have we allowed this to happen?
• Should people care about this issue?

• Is this a problem?
• Did the character say … ?
• Did the character do … ?
• Is this relevant?
• Did the author write this?
• Did the author decide to … ?
• Is this important?

• Did that happen?
• Is it necessary?
• Do you think I (he, she, they) asked that question?
• Is that answer the best one?
• Do we need this today?

“How” Critical Thinking Questions

Use these questions to consider how things happen and whether change is possible.

• Do we know this is true?
• Does the language used affect the story?
• Would you solve … ?
• Is this different from other situations?

• Is this similar to … ?
• Would you use … ?
• Does the location affect the story?
• Could the story have ended differently?
• Does this work?
• Could this be harmful?
• Does this connect with what I already know?
• Else could this have been handled?
• Should they have responded?

• Would you feel about … ?
• Does this change the outcome?
• Did you make that decision?
• Does this benefit you/others?
• Does this hurt you/others?
• Could this problem be avoided?

More Critical Thinking Questions

Here are more questions to help probe further and deepen understanding.

• Can you give me an example?

• Do you agree with … ?
• Can you compare this with … ?
• Can you defend the actions of … ?
• Could this be interpreted differently?
• Is the narrator reliable?
• Does it seem too good to be true?

• Is ______ a fact or an opinion?

What are your favorite critical thinking questions? Come exchange ideas on the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, check out 10 tips for teaching kids to be awesome critical thinkers ., you might also like.

5 Critical Thinking Skills Every Kid Needs To Learn (And How To Teach Them)

Teach them to thoughtfully question the world around them. Continue Reading

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63 Fun Questions to Get Your Kid Talking

Children ask lots of questions, but now it’s time to turn the tables. Here are 63 fun “get-to-know-you” questions for kids to get a conversation started.

Fun Questions for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Fun questions to ask kindergarteners, fun questions for older kids, the power of asking your kids open-ended questions, how to ask open-ended questions.

Parents of young kids are likely very used to their child asking hundreds of questions every day. But while you might get frustrated with the constant barrage of "why," answering their questions actually keeps your child's mind open, says author and parenting expert Michele Borba, Ed.D. It also lets kids know that imagination and curiosity are welcomed and encouraged.

So, how can we motivate kids to keep inquiring? Ask them questions in return! After all, it's proven that kids mimic the words , patterns, routines, and behavior of their parents and caregivers. Plus, Dr. Borba adds, "You're modeling what a good question looks and sounds like."

Unfortunately, getting the conversation started can be a challenge. Kids—like adults—are masters of one word answers and even common questions like "How was your day?" can lead to a dead end. But if you're looking for a way to engage your child and get them talking, consider these fun questions to ask kindergarteners, toddlers, preschoolers, and older kids.

From learning about your toddler's inner world to better understanding their dreams, apspirations, goals, and fears, these questions will help you engage them at every level.

• If your stuffed animals could talk, what would they say?
• What does it feel like when I hug you?
• If you drew everything that came into your head, what would you be drawing right now?
• What do you think you're going to dream about tonight?
• What sounds do you like best and why?
• If you were going to spend the whole day outside , what activities would you do?
• What are the best ways to make a fort?
• How do you think animals communicate?
• Describe a great day: What are you doing that makes it special?
• What animal would make a great driver?
• Do you like it when other people share with you? Why?
• Who is your favorite storybook character ?
• What one thing do you do now that you usually need an adult for but would like to try to do all by yourself?
• If you had to give everyone in the family new names, what would they be?
• What makes you happy?
• If you could do anything right now, what would you do?
• If you had a pet dragon, what would you name it?
• What would you do together with your pet dragon?

Looking for a way to engage your kindergartener, particularly at the end of a long day? These fun questions will get your kiddo talking about things both big and small.

• Do you ever think about renaming the colors of your crayons?
• What movie, TV, or book character makes you laugh the most?
• If you opened a store, what would you sell?
• What's your superhero name, and what powers do you have?
• If you could grow anything in the yard, what would it be?
• What do you enjoy giving to people?
• Did you smile or laugh extra today? What did you laugh about?
• Pretend you're a chef and tell me about your restaurant: What foods do you serve?
• Where would you like to travel and why? How would you get there?
• If you could ask a wild animal any question, what would you ask?
• What are some of the best things about nature?
• If you were a photographer for a day, what would you take pictures of?
• What bugs you the most?
• Do you have any inventions in your brain?
• If you could learn any language, what would it be?
• If you could make up a new holiday, what would it be?
• What is the funniest thing you've ever eaten?
• What would you do if you made the rules at home?
• What makes someone smart?
• What was your favorite thing about today?

As your kids grow, so too do their communication skills—but that doesn't mean they're open books. Use these questions to engage older children.

• What do you like daydreaming about?
• What is something about you that you think I might not know?
• What have your friends been up to?
• What's a memory that makes you happy?
• What do you look forward to when you wake up?
• Let's say you're at the beach: What's the first thing you do?
• What makes you feel brave?
• What makes you feel loved?
• How do you show people you care?
• If you could give $100 to a charity, what charity would you choose?
• How would you design a treehouse?
• If you wrote a book, what would it be about?
• If you designed clothes, what would they look like?
• How do you best like helping others?
• What makes you feel thankful ?
• If you lived in a cave in the woods, what would be inside it?
• What makes you feel energized?
• If you were in a play, what would your character be like?
• What makes your friends so awesome?
• What makes you so awesome?
• What are three things you want to do this summer ?
• If you had friends all over the world, how would you keep in touch?
• If you joined the circus, what would your circus act be?
• If you were a teacher and could teach your students anything at all, what would you teach them?
• If a friend asked you to keep a secret that you don't feel comfortable keeping, what would you do?

There are tremendous benefits to asking kids questions that require more than "yes" or "no" answers. Doing so helps to develop their language, communication, critical thinking, and social skills. Open-ended conversations also foster creativity, self-esteem, and confidence. And perhaps most importantly, listening to your kids' answers helps you get to know them and how their minds work even better, deepening your bond.

A strong bond with our kids is key to their healthy development and emotional well-being—and makes parenting all the more satisfying. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), good communication strengthens the parent-child bond. The AAP recommends that parents practice consistent, active listening with their child. This approach creates a safe space for them to express their ideas and emotions. Research also shows that having a healthy parent-child connection can help prevent mental health disorders and behavioral issues later in life.

Whether your child is in kindergarten or elementary school, you can use the questions above to get the conversation ball rolling. But these ideas are simply a starting point: You can ask your child about anything in the past, their present day-to-day life, or the future. You can ground your questions in reality or fantasy. They can be silly, serious, or somewhere in between. You can also follow their lead by asking them the questions that they ask you. If they ask your opinion about something, simply turn it around by asking, "What do you think?"

Subjects likely to cultivate fertile ground for discussion include topics related to their interests, hobbies, friends, and popular culture. If they love superheroes, soccer, piano, or painting, ask them questions related to those passions. Additionally, open-ended discussion tend to flourish when you phrase your questions to encourage more than yes or no answers. Examples are "What do you wish would happen if...", "What do you think would happen if…", "What would you do…", "How could we…", and "Why do you think…."

You can also ask your kids these questions at any time and anywhere. However, choosing a moment and place when your child is focused, calm, and unhurried may result in more in-depth answers. The fewer distractions the better, too. Car rides, bedtime, waiting in line or for an appointment, and the dinner table are all great spaces for these discussions, as you're likely to have your child's full attention at those times.

The Bottom Line

Don't worry if your child isn't very excited initially about answering your questions. And don't rush them to answer or move on to another one too quickly. Letting your child take their time shows that you're genuinely interested in what they have to say, and not just robotically asking.

Be sure to join in the fun by giving your answers to these questions, too. Making a regular habit of asking them open-ended questions will pay off in deeper discussions and a stronger bond.

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25+ Best Open-ended Questions for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Ever feel like you’re stuck in a cycle of one-word answers from your little one? Even after two kids, I know I have! Let me share with you the secret that can boost early childhood development and forge a beautiful bond you’ll both enjoy: open-ended questions. Udani from Home Made Legacy is going to introduce us to the power of open-ended questions for toddlers and preschoolers. 

 In this article, we’ll explore why open-ended questions are essential for your child’s development and how they can take your everyday interactions from mundane to extraordinary. Plus, Udani gives us some fantastic types of questions for every situation. It’s time to spark creativity, boost critical thinking, and foster meaningful conversations with your little one!

 If you feel like your little one is giving “Yes” and “No” answers pretty often and it doesn’t go anywhere further, it’s time to up your game with some really good open-ended questions to start positive interactions with them.

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 25+ Examples of Open-Ended Questions for Everyday Use

This post may contain  affiliate links . If you make a purchase from one of the links I will make a small commission at no charge to you. Blunders in Babyland does not diagnose, treat, or give out any professional advice for any medical conditions.

 Open-ended questions about their day

1. What did you do during group time at kindergarten?

2. What did you do with your best friend today?

3. What was your favourite activity in the kinder today? And why?

Exploring Feelings

4. What made you feel happy today?

5. Can you tell me what you like to do when you feel sad and angry?

6. What did you feel when I dropped you off at the kinder today?

 Open-ended questions about their play and activities

7. Can you tell me how you made this beautiful paper plane?

8. What are the activities we can do with playdough?

9. How do you think we can stack all these wooden blocks without them falling apart?

Questions about books or stories

10.  What would you do if you had a magic wand like the princess in this book?

11.  Is there any other way the main character could help her friend?

12.  Does this story remind you of something that happened to us yesterday?

Observations and experiences

13.  What are your best memories of last Christmas?

14.  If you were to plan your birthday party this year, what would you change from your last one?

15.  What do you think about the last episode of Bluey?

 Open-ended questions during meal times

16.  How do you feel when you enjoy your favourite meal with the family?

17.  What do you think we should make for dinner?

  Open-ended questions during story reading

18.  Can you think of another story with a little brown bear who didn’t want to sleep?

19.  Do you want to tell me why you like this story?

Outdoor Activities

20.  There are a lot of pinecones. What do you think we can do with them?

21.  How did you make this bridge?

Open-Ended Questions for Preschoolers and Learning

22. What was your favorite thing you learned about today?

23. If you could teach your friends something new, what would it be?

24. What do you enjoy most about storytime at preschool?

25. If you could make a classroom, what would it look like?

Open Ended Questions for Preschoolers and Toddlers FAQ

 Why are open-ended questions are important for children’s development?

Open-ended questions are a powerful tool to help children to think critically and creatively, analyze, imagine, think, and rethink before answering. 

On the other hand, closed questions like “Are you hungry?” “Shall we play?” only require a one-word answer (Yes or NO) and that’s it. Unless we continue with an open-ended question, it’s really hard for us to build up a meaningful conversation based on that.

Trust me, open ended questions can change your everyday conversations from boring to animated, from silent to engaged or from casual to creative.

Yes, they do have the ability to lift the spirit.

Examples of open-ended questions:

• Do you want to tell me about your painting?
• What made you feel happy today and why?
• Can you tell me how you made this beautiful mud castle?
• It’s a beautiful day. What do you think we can do today?

What are the Benefits of Asking Open-Ended Questions?

 Open-ended questions benefit toddlers and preschoolers in many layers. 

Asking open ended questions fosters problem-solving

Open ended questions have so many possible answers and the child can expand those ideas at his will. The child can sort out, evaluate and be creative with the answers and still keep the answer relevant.

It’s like a small exercise for their brain which improves their reasoning and critical thinking.

Ex: Where would you like to spend our holiday? city or countryside and why do you choose that?

Here they have two options. They need to compare and contrast and decide which is better. Of course, with a good reason to justify their answer.

These critical thinking activities help you get a better idea.

 Enhances language and communication skills

Open-ended questions can spark imagination and give many possibilities for different scenarios. Children may use a lot of descriptive words to explain their view, evaluate different possibilities and pick one. 

This requires a lot of communication on their part which eventually improves children’s language skills. To help your toddler improve communication skills, read more on how to help toddler talk

Encourages creativity and imagination

Some open-ended questions encourage kids to be creative and imaginative.  Especially when they are asked to predict what will happen next or imagine what they would have done in a certain scenario, they will come up with so many ideas.

They can predict the impossible and create the most unheard-of stories. That’s where they learn to be creative.

Building self-esteem and confidence

When they know that their ideas and opinions are given importance, they will feel more confident in voicing them. Which, in turn, helps your child to express his emotions in different ways.

This improves their self-esteem and sense of belonging.

 Strengthens the parent-child bond

You are your child’s first friend. When you ask them questions that dig into their feelings and thoughts, you are inherently showing them that they’re important to you.

Needless to say, as they feel more comfortable opening up to you about different and varied areas, the parent-child bond is going to get better and better.

How to Use Open Ended Questions In Your Daily Routine

Choosing the right time and place

Open-Ended questions require some time for the kids to process. So, a relaxed time when you two can have an uninterrupted conversation is ideal.

 Using age-appropriate language

This is extremely important. From a 3-year-old you may ask “Do you want to tell me why you like blueberries so much?”. But as they grow older and their language skills become more advanced you can expect them to talk about more complex areas.

Ex:  What do you like more? Christmas or Easter? Why?

Here they have to recall their previous experiences, compare and contrast and give a reasonable answer. Ideal question for a 5-year-old!

Follow up with more questions or comments

Afterward, it might be tempting to follow up with closed-ended questions. However, the more you show you are interested in what they have to say, the more confident they will be and the more detailed their response will be.

Ex: Can you tell me why you painted the river black?

Child: Because the water is dirty.

You can continue this conversation by asking them how they think the water got dirty, what they think we should do about it etc.

Be patient and giving them time to respond

After all, it’s a small child processing and trying to find the right wording to express their opinion. They may struggle or use incomplete sentences.

• Be patient and give them enough time to respond.
•  Avoiding leading questions and assumptions

Meaning, avoid making assumptions like “This is muddy water” or “the water is dirty.” Simply let THEM tell you if the water is dirty or somebody dropped a black paint bottle into the river” or something you would never ever imagine.

Let them interpret it on their own terms.

Remember, there are no right or wrong answers!

Conclusion: What Are Some Questions You Ask? 

Open-ended questions will help your child open up to you about their thoughts and ideas, given that we are ready to listen to them. 

The benefits they bring to the table are amazing, not just the skill set they improve but also the bond it creates between you guys. By utilizing open-ended questions, we can nurture their curiosity, encourage critical thinking, and create meaningful conversations that enhance their development.  

I hope this article encourages you to ask open-ended questions that lead to memorable conversations! Mostly importantly, I hope they will encourage you to think of a few of your own.  Please feel free to share your experiences in the comments. Have fun!

I'm a mom of two amazing kids and a former teacher with a heart for educating and inspiring young minds. I call myself an avid reader and a lifelong learner. My blog, HomeMadeLegacy (https://homemadelegacy.com), focuses on early childhood development and provides valuable insights, tips and resources to parents and educators alike.

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Building Your Child’s Critical Thinking Skills

Building critical thinking skills happens through day-to-day interactions as you talk with your child, ask open-ended questions, and allow your child to experiment and solve problems.

Here are some tips and ideas to help children build a foundation for critical thinking:

• Provide opportunities for play .   Building with blocks, acting out roles with friends, or playing board games all build children’s critical thinking. 
• Pause and wait. Offering your child ample time to think, attempt a task, or generate a response is critical. This gives your child a chance to reflect on her response and perhaps refine, rather than responding with their very first gut reaction.
• Don’t intervene immediately.   Kids need challenges to grow. Wait and watch before you jump in to solve a problem.
• Ask open-ended questions. Rather than automatically giving answers to the questions your child raises, help them think critically by asking questions in return: “What ideas do you have? What do you think is happening here?” Respect their responses whether you view them as correct or not. You could say, “That is interesting. Tell me why you think that.”
• Help children develop hypotheses. Taking a moment to form hypotheses during  play is a critical thinking exercise that helps develop skills. Try asking your child, “If we do this, what do you think will happen?” or “Let’s predict what we think will happen next.”
• Encourage thinking in new and different ways. By allowing children to think differently, you’re helping them hone their  creative problem solving skills. Ask questions like, “What other ideas could we try?” or encourage your child to generate options by saying, “Let’s think of all the possible solutions.”

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Written by MBarq

I am a post graduate in English from Kashmir University . I have been teaching literature for last 15 years and now working with Foundation World School as English Mentor

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10 of the Best Children’s Books That Promote Critical Thinking

Mikkaka Overstreet

Mikkaka Overstreet is from Louisville, Kentucky by way of Saginaw “Sagnasty”, Michigan. She has been an educator since 2006 and earned her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction in 2015. By day she is a mild-mannered literacy specialist. By night she sleeps. In between, she daydreams, writes fiction, and reads books. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband and cats.

View All posts by Mikkaka Overstreet

Unfortunately, there are people and groups more interested in an industrious than a thoughtful population. The general public doesn’t agree on the purpose of public education . Neither, it seems, do education stakeholders. During recent remarks, North Carolina State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt declared 2022 “the year of the workforce.”

Truitt explained, “We have got to redefine what the purpose of K–12 education is. Some would say it’s to produce critical thinkers, but my team and I believe that the purpose of a public K–12 education is to prepare students for the postsecondary plans of their choice so that they can be a functioning member of the workforce.”

While that statement makes my skin crawl, it’s more than unsettling: it’s contradictory. Employers regularly cite problem-solving and critical thinking skills as ideal qualities they seek in employees. According to a study from the Association of American Colleges and Universities , 95% of employers view critical thinking specifically as “very important” or “somewhat important.” Thus, preparing kids to think critically is preparing them for the workforce — and beyond.

Undoubtedly, our society needs more critical thinkers . We have lots of problems, both old and new, that will require innovative solutions. The following books will help encourage the next generation of big thinkers.

10 Children’s Books That Promote Critical Thinking

The Year We Learned to Fly by Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael López

The incomparable Jacqueline Woodson has done it again. In this newly released children’s book, readers journey into the vivid imaginations of the central characters. Woodson tells the story of children stuck inside because of bad weather. Rather than succumb to boredom, the children use their imaginations to escape the confines of their apartment. Surely, this will inspire children to dream big.

What Do You Do With An Idea? by Kobi Yamada and Mae Besom

This inspiring picture book centers on a child with an idea. We get to follow the child as they nurture the idea and watch it grow. Undoubtedly, this simple story will resonate with anyone who has ever been afraid to share their big dreams with the world.

Shadow by Suzy Lee

This gorgeous wordless picture book is a guaranteed hit. The young protagonist uses her imagination and her shadow to create a fantasy world. Mirrored illustrations show both the true objects and the magical world the girl has built.

Going Places by Peter H. Reynolds and Paul A. Reynolds

I’m a big fan of Peter H. Reynolds’s work. He has a whimsical style and encourages creativity and self-love in his several excellent picture books. In this story, written with his twin brother, Reynolds introduces us to another uniquely wonderful protagonist. Maya enters a go-cart competition and must create a winning vehicle out of one of the identical kits given to all contestants. Of course, Maya doesn’t think inside the box she’s given. This is another fun story with a great lesson.

Mistakes Are How I Learn by Kiara Wilson

As we all know, mistakes are a part of the learning process. In this encouraging book, Wilson reminds kids to give themselves grace and space to make mistakes. Similar to The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes , this book is a good reminder for little perfectionists.

Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld

This picture book takes the well-known duck or rabbit puzzle and tells a story. Obviously, readers will feel compelled to see both sides of this argument. This is a humorous introduction to considering varying viewpoints.

Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young

In this Caldecott Honor winner, seven blind mice try to determine the identity of an unfamiliar object. In Young’s take on the classic Indian tale, each mouse only gathers partial information. Of course, it takes the wisdom of the seventh mouse to put the pieces together and solve the puzzle.

What To Do With A Box by Jane Yolen and Chris Sheban

You can probably guess what’s going to happen in this book, right? Clearly, there’s a metaphor here. Enjoy all the things a child can imagine with outside-of-the-box thinking in this rhythmic tale.

They All Saw A Cat by Brendan Wenzel

This book brilliantly executes a creative concept. Using strange and gorgeous illustrations, Wenzel depicts how differently individuals can perceive the same object. Consequently, readers are pushed to consider multiple viewpoints and how our perceptions color what we see.

Solutions for Cold Feet and Other Little Problems by Carey Sookocheff

Follow one little girl and her dog through the challenges of a normal day in this fun story. The girl asks lots of questions and persists when she encounters problems. This tale will inspire kiddos to see problem-solving as a positive and necessary part of life.

Hopefully, you’ve found something on this list that inspires you to think and dream. If you’d like more content like this, check out 7 Board Books for Woke Babies and 10 Science Books for Curious Kiddos . Read, think, and dream BIG!

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Parents' Guide

Introduction, critical thinking development: ages 5 to 9.

Critical thinking must be built from a solid foundation. Although children aged five to nine are not yet ready to take on complicated reasoning or formulate detailed arguments, parents can still help their children lay a foundation for critical thinking. 

In order to develop high-level critical thinking skills later in life, five- to nine-year-old children must first make progress along four different tracks. This includes developing basic reasoning skills and interests, building self-esteem, learning emotional management skills, and internalizing social norms that value critical thinking. The following sections will discuss the importance of these foundational aspects of critical thinking and offer parents guidance in how to support their young children’s development. 

1. Logic and Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is different from logical thinking. logical thinking is like math: it involves formal reasoning skills that can only be learned later in life. in contrast, critical thinking builds on everyday reasoning. so parents should guide their children’s critical thinking development from a very young age..

Formal logic is an important part of critical thinking, but ultimately critical thinking involves habits and skills going far beyond the domain of logic. Children are able to develop their critical faculties not from logical analysis, but everyday reasoning.

There are three main factors to keep in mind in differentiating logic from the everyday reasoning that underpins critical thinking.

First, logic is not a natural human trait. If logic were natural, we wouldn’t have to learn how to reason, and math wouldn’t be considered so difficult in school. The natural reasoning displayed by children is often founded on sensory experiences and marred by the cognitive biases discussed in the introduction. Consider this example. Someone says: “If it rains, I’ll take my umbrella with me.” And then a moment later adds: “It’s not raining.” What may we conclude? The vast majority of people — including both adults and children old enough to understand the question — will conclude that the person will not take an umbrella. In context, that is a reasonable conclusion to draw. 

Logic is not natural to humans and can only be acquired through learning.

But from a purely logical perspective, it does not follow. The fact that if it does rain, the speaker will take an umbrella implies nothing, strictly speaking, about what will happen in the case that it is not raining. Logic, the cognitive capacity for formal and reliable deduction, is not natural to humans. We can only acquire it through learning—and only at an age when the cognitive system and brain development allow for such learning (between ages 12 and 15).

Second, although logic is not natural, it can be taught with varying degrees of success, according to personality, cognitive profile, and so on. Multiple developmental psychology studies since Piaget have shown that our cognitive system can only become proficient in logical analysis later on, and with the correct training.

Third, if parents train children from ages five to nine to make more or less complex logical deductions, no deep knowledge is acquired. At a young age, the cognitive system does not yet have the capacity to discern logical invariables (i.e., the ability to reproduce a line of reasoning in a variable context). 

This is why we only explain mathematical principles to children when they are 13 to 14 years old. But again parents can encourage the basics of critical thinking at an early age by promoting social factors like self-esteem. 

Logic and Brain Development

Complex reasoning predominantly takes place in the prefrontal cortex and areas of the brain devoted to language. Language development is, of course, closely linked to explicit learning, as well as to implicit stimulation.

But reasoning requires more than just language skills. The prefrontal cortex carries out what are known as executive functions. It controls concentration, planning, decision-making, and many other functions. These allow us to break down complex tasks into a series of simpler tasks. Reasoning requires a strategy that breaks things down. The prefrontal lobe is a cerebral zone that only matures neurologically after the age of 20. 

Logic is neither natural nor easy. Its development requires a comfortable handling of language and the capacity for problem-solving in the prefrontal cortex. Where are we now? Where do we want to go? How can we get there?

Metacognition​

2. everyday reasoning, although their logical reasoning skills are undeveloped, young children can argue and express opinions. parents should encourage them. even though a child’s argument will tend to be based on emotion, the practice can help build a critical perspective and confidence..

Despite the fact that young children may not be able to grasp logical concepts, they still employ everyday forms of reasoning in both their use of language and in problem-solving and decision-making. It is from out of these capacities that critical thinking can begin to develop at this age.

As is readily apparent, communication via language is not logical. Natural language does not conform to a formal logical structure. It is contextual, whether we are talking about comprehension or expression. If someone says: “If I had a knife, I would cut my steak,” most people would understand that having a knife makes it possible to cut the steak. However, in formal logic, the sentence means that if I had a knife, I would be obliged to cut the steak. Logical language is systematic and obligatory. But a child learns to speak and to understand in a pragmatic and contextual, not logical, fashion.

Certain communication problems result from an overly rigid logical rigor, as in the case of people with Asperger’s syndrome, a type of high-functioning autism. Paradoxically, human communication only works because it is not a purely logical linguistic system. This is one of the reasons why automated translation between languages has been a thorn in the side of artificial intelligence experts since the 1970s.

Logical Proof and Factual Proof

Most real-life problems that we have been grappling with since infancy cannot be formally resolved by logical deduction .

Decision-making is based on a complex mix of different elements:

the cognitive processing of a situation and/or argument

intervention, conscious or unconscious, from our memory of similar past experiences, our preferences, and our personality in the broad sense

our emotions

This is how a child can choose between two toys or how an adult chooses between buying and renting an apartment. People with ultra-logical cognitive tendencies won’t have enough factors for their reasoning to work with, and may be incapable of making a decision—and therefore, incapable of taking action. Neurological studies, since those undertaken by Antonio Damasio in the 1990s, have shown us that decision-making processes and emotional processes are intimately linked , from both neurophysiological and behavioral perspectives.

Pure logic, besides often producing unfortunate results in the real world, can be a hindrance in a highly complicated universe where decisions require managing multiple factors. This is the main reason why artificial intelligence is only now starting to see results, despite the fact that information technology has been in use since the 1940s.

Computer engineers have needed to overcome their grounding in logical, mathematical, and hypothetical deduction, and to incorporate developments in cognitive science and neurology. Algorithms now operate more like children. That is to say, they make random decisions, analyze and memorize the outcomes in order to progress, and then correct themselves by discerning both the invariables and the contextual variables. This is called deep learning. 

Children cannot rely too heavily on logic, but they are still able to express opinions based on their experiences, intuitions, and emotions.

This is also how children between five and nine years old operate. They solve many problems and make many choices, without being able to demonstrate (in the purest sense of the word) why their conclusions and choices were correct.

Between the ages of five and nine, therefore, children cannot rely too heavily on logic. However, they are still able to to express opinions based on their experiences, intuitions, and emotions. To do this, they need to practice, have good self-esteem, and feel esteemed by others in order to believe they have the right, the desire, and the energy to put their critical thinking to use. In other words, they need to exist as a thinking and acting subject whose capacities are recognized by others.

At this age, children are able to argue based on things they have experienced and knowledge they have acquired at school or at home, from books, television, or the internet, or by talking with their friends. They are also able to argue with their “heart.” They assume that their emotions are arguments themselves. 

For example, a child might consider that we shouldn’t eat meat because innocent animals shouldn’t have to die. The child’s empathy is the crux of their argument and the strength of their insistence will often be proportional to that of their emotions.

Case in Point

We show children from this age group a drawing of a rectangular flask tipped at an angle, and we ask them: “If I fill this flask roughly halfway, could you draw the water line on the flask?” 

What would be the result? Most children will draw a line perpendicular to the flask’s longitudinal axis. Yet, since this axis does not run vertically but is at an angle, the line the child draws is not horizontal relative to the ground, as it should be. 

Children err here because their minds are referentially anchored to the flask, just as astronomers for many millennia fixated on the idea of the earth, and later the sun, as a reference point—before realizing that the universe does not have an absolute reference point.

Even if we explain the error to children—and they say they understand—many will, shortly afterwards, make the same mistake again. Their cognitive system is not mature enough to incorporate the logic behind reference and relativity. The example shows how logical thinking is not natural. It requires a learned ability to step back and remove oneself from immediate engagement with a particular situation. 

3. Preparing Kids to Think Critically

Parents or guardians can foster critical thinking skills in children from an early age. First, it’s important to understand the basics of how children learn to think and how a child’s mind differs from that of an adult. Critical thinking in their early years prepares children for life’s challenges and allows them to live a productive life.

How to teach critical thinking to your child

Here are four ways you can support your child’s early cognitive development and put them on the path to becoming critical thinkers. Teaching critical thinking may seem daunting, but having a primer on the particular needs of a child can help you better approach this important task.

1. Encourage children not to see everything as centered only on them by involving them in discussions on an array of topics, including current affairs.

Contrary to popular belief, from the age of five—and sometimes even earlier—children like to be involved in discussions, provided they are not drowned in technical vocabulary or formal logic . They also need to feel that adults are interested in what they are saying and that they are being listened to. Adults need to learn to step away from the role of educator and engage children at their level.

It is highly important for the development of critical faculties that children see their thoughts on the world are accepted. By taking those thoughts seriously, we are taking our children seriously and accepting them.

For example, ask five-year-old children whether Santa Claus exists and how they know. Listen to their arguments: they saw Santa at the mall; they know their Christmas presents must come from somewhere. Contradicting them or breaking down their worldview would be a grave mistake. It would fly in the face of our knowledge about cognitive development, and it would disregard their emotional need for this belief. Paradoxically, we need to let children formulate their own ideas and worldviews, namely through dreaming and imagination. In this way, they will grow happy and confident enough, in time and at their own pace, to move on to more mature ideas.

2. Value the content of what children say.

With encouragement, children will want to express their thoughts increasingly often, quite simply because they find it pleasurable. A certain structure in our brains, the amygdala, memorizes emotions linked to situations we experience. We are predisposed to pursue experiences and situations which induce pleasure, be it sensory or psychological. If a child puts energy into reflection in order to convince us that aliens exist, and we then dismantle their arguments and dreams, we will be inhibiting their desire to participate in this type of discussion again.

For children aged five to nine, the pleasure of thinking something through, of expressing and discussing their thoughts, of feeling language to be a source of joy, are all of far greater importance than argumentative rigor or logical reasoning .

Children debate and give their opinions. This stimulates their brain, which creates a whole host of connections, which, in turn, improve their abilities and their cognitive and emotional performance. The pleasure of discussion, of having someone listen to your ideas, releases a “flood” of neurotransmitters that promote cerebral development. An atmosphere of kindness and benevolence in which the child feels heard produces neural connections and develops various kinds of intelligence. As the child learns through debate, putting effort into reflective thought and into verbal and bodily expression, the brain evolves and invests in the future. This results from cognitive stimulation paired with  joie de vivre  that comes from being heard by others and receiving their undivided attention.

Parents should not hold back from bringing children into discussions and debates.

3. gradually, the ability to argue with pertinence, on both familiar topics of reflection or debate and new ones, will increase..

Numerous recent studies show that doing well in school results more so from pleasure and the development of self-esteem than heavy exposure to graded exercises, which can create anxiety and belittle children. Children are vulnerable and quickly internalize the labels others place on them.

In short, parents should not hold back from bringing children into discussions and debates, keeping to the principles outlined above. Also, be sure to respond to their desire to start discussions within their frame of reference and be sure to take them seriously.

4. Gradually, with time, pleasure, learning, and cognitive and emotional development, it will be possible to encourage children to argue without pressuring them through open-ended questions.

From the age of eight, children can start learning about  metacognition and the adoption of alternative points of view. They should also be trained at this time to understand the difference between an opinion, an argument, and a piece of evidence.

An opinion is the expression of an idea that is not, in and of itself, true or false. Children are empowered to express their opinions early on by all the preliminary work on building up self-esteem. “I think they should close down all the schools, so we can be on holiday all the time” is an opinion. A child of five can easily express such an opinion.

An argument is an attempt to convince others by offering information and reasoning. A child of eight might argue: “If we close down all the schools, we can get up later. Then we’ll have more energy to learn things better at home.”

Evidence are the facts we use to try to prove a point in an argument. Evidence can be highly powerful but it rarely amounts to conclusive proof. When an unambiguous proof is presented, alternative opinions evaporate, provided that one can cognitively and emotionally assimilate the perspective of the person presenting the proof. Something can be proven in two ways. On the one hand, it can be proven through formal reasoning—attainable from the age of nine upwards in real-life situations and, later on, in l more abstract situations. On the other hand, it can be established through factual demonstration. If a child claims that “you can scare away a mean dog by running after it,” proof can be given through demonstration. This leaves no need for argument.

From ages eight to nine, children can come to differentiate and prioritize opinion, argument, and evidence in what they say and hear, provided that their own flawed arguments at age five to six were met with respect and tolerance. This is vital for developing children’s self-esteem and respect for others. It enables them to take pleasure in argument and increases their desire to express themselves more persuasively.

Critical thinking exercises for kids

Hunting—for or against? For a debate like this one, with considerable social implications, focus on these concepts:

1. Teach children to distinguish between:

An opinion : I am against hunting…

An argument : … because it entails animal suffering and human deaths.

 Hunting significantly increases the production of stress hormones (such as hydrocortisone) in hunted animals.

There are around thousands of hunting accidents each year.

2. Teach children to adopt a counter-argument for practice:

An opinion : I am in favor of hunting…

An argument : … because it allows us to control the size of animal populations.

Evidence : Wild boar populations are high and cause a great deal of damage to farmland.

New Perspectives and Overcoming Biases

4. the importance of self-esteem, children need self-esteem to think themselves worthy of expressing their opinions. parents can strengthen their children’s self-esteem by encouraging them to try new things, stimulating their curiosity, and showing pride in their accomplishments., understanding the importance of self-esteem, the foundation of critical thinking.

Before children can learn to analyze and criticize complicated material or controversial opinions, they need to have a strong sense of themselves. Their capacity to question external sources of information depends on feelings of self-worth and security.

The terms “self-confidence” and “self-esteem” are often used interchangeably. There is, however, a difference between the two, even if they are related. Before we can have high self-esteem, we must first have self-confidence. The feeling of confidence is a result of a belief in our ability to succeed. 

Self-esteem rests on our conscious self-worth, despite our foibles and failures. It’s knowing how to recognize our strengths and our limitations and, therefore, having a realistic outlook on ourselves.

Self-esteem requires an ability to recognize our strengths and weaknesses, and to accept them as they are.

For example, children can have high self-esteem even if they know that they struggle with math. Self-esteem can also vary depending on context. Children in school can have high social self-esteem, but a lower academic self-esteem.

Self-esteem requires an ability to recognize our strengths and weaknesses, and to accept them as they are. Children must learn to understand that they have value, even if they can’t do everything perfectly.

Self-esteem starts developing in childhood. Very young children adopt a style of behavior that reflects their self-image. From the age of five, healthy self-esteem is particularly important when it comes to dealing with the numerous challenges they face. Children must, among other things, gradually become more independent, and learn how to read, write, and do mental arithmetic. This period is key, and children need self-confidence as well. More than anywhere else, it is in the family home that children develop the foundations for self-esteem.

Children with high self-esteem:

have an accurate conception of who they are and neither over- nor underestimate their abilities;

make choices;

express their needs, feelings, ideas, and preferences;

are optimistic about the future;

dare to take risks and accept mistakes;

keep up their motivation to learn and to progress;

maintain healthy relationships with others;

trust their own thoughts and trust others.

As parents, developing our own self-esteem enhances the development of our children’s self-esteem, as their identity is closely entwined with our own. Our children learn a great deal by imitating us. Modeling self-esteem can therefore be a great help to them. Here are some examples of what we can do:

Be openly proud of our accomplishments, even those which seem minor to us.

Engage in activities just for fun (and not for competitive reasons).

Don’t pay too much heed to other people’s opinions about us.

Don’t belittle ourselves: if we’ve made an error or if we aren’t so good at a certain task, explain to children that we are going to start again and learn to do it better.

At mealtimes, prompt everyone around the table to say something they did well that day.

On a big sheet of paper, write down the names of family members; then, write down next to everyone’s name some of their strengths.

5. Promoting Self-Esteem

To promote healthy self-esteem in children, parents must strike a balance between discipline and encouragement., the most important thing of all in the development of young children’s self-esteem is our unconditional love for them..

Children must feel and understand that our love will never be dependent on their actions, their successes, or their failures. It is this state of mind that allows them to embrace the unknown and to continue to progress despite the inevitable failures that come along with learning new skills.

Developing Self-Esteem

But be careful not to let unconditional love prevent the imposition of authority or limits. Instead of developing their self-esteem, the absence of limits promotes the feeling in children that they can do no wrong and renders them incapable of dealing with frustration. It is necessary to establish limits and to be firm (without being judgmental). The desired result is only reached if effort and respect are taken seriously.

Self-esteem means loving ourselves for who we are, for our strengths and our weaknesses, and it is based on having been loved this way since birth.

Advice: How to promote the development of a child’s self-esteem

As parents, we have a big influence on our children, particularly when they are young. Here are some ways to help build up children’s self-esteem:

Praise children’s efforts and successes. Note that effort is always more important than results. 

Don’t hesitate to reiterate to children that error and failure are not the same thing. Show them that you’re proud of them, even when they make mistakes. Reflect with them on how to do better next time.

Let children complete household chores; give them a few responsibilities they can handle. They will feel useful and proud.

Show children that we love them for who they are, unconditionally, and not for what they do or how they look.

Let children express their emotions and inner thoughts.

Assist children in finding out who they are. Help them to recognize what they like and where their strengths lie.

Encourage them to make decisions. For example, let them choose their own outfits.

Invite them to address common challenges (according to their abilities and age).

Pitfalls to avoid

Avoid being overprotective. Not only does this prevent children from learning, it also sends them a negative message: that they are incapable and unworthy of trust.

Don’t criticize them incessantly. If we’re always making negative comments about our children, and if we show ourselves to be unsatisfied with their work or behavior even when they’re doing their best, they will get disheartened. 

If children don’t act appropriately, stress that it is their behavior, rather than their personality, that must change. For example, it is better to explain that an action they may have done is mean, rather than that they are themselves mean.

Always be respectful towards children. Never belittle them. What we say to our children has a great impact on their self-image. 

Show them we’re interested in what they’re doing. Don’t ignore them. We are still at the center of their universe. 

Don’t compare them to their siblings or to other children their age. (“Your four-year-old sister can do it!”) Highlight how they are progressing without comparing them to anyone else.

Risk-Taking

6. the role of emotions, emotions are an important part of children’s cognitive development, but if emotions become overwhelming they can be counterproductive. parents should help their children learn how to express their feelings calmly and prevent emotions from becoming a distraction., understanding the role of emotions  in the development of critical thinking.

Young children may develop skills in language and argument, and benefit from a level of self-esteem allowing them to stand their ground and explore the unknown. Nonetheless, the development of their critical faculties will still be limited if they haven’t learned how to manage their emotions.

Emotions appear in a part of the brain called the limbic system , which is very old in terms of human evolution. This system develops automatically at a very early stage. But very quickly, children experience the need to rein in the spontaneous and unrestricted expression of their emotions. These emotions are, of course, closely connected to basic relations to others (and initially most often to one’s parents) and to cultural norms. 

The prefrontal lobe contains the greatest number of neural networks that simultaneously regulate the scope of conscious emotions and their expression in verbal and non-verbal language, as well as in behavior. From the age of five or six, children start their first year of primary school, where they are forced to sit for hours on end each day. They must also listen to a curriculum designed more around societal needs and expectations, rather than around the desires and emotions of children. Frontal lobe development enables the inhibition of urges and the management of emotions , two prerequisites for intellectual learning and for feelings of belonging in family and society.

The ability to manage emotions has a two-fold constructive impact on the development of children’s critical faculties. First, it enables children to override their emotions, so they may focus their attention and concentrate. This is essential for both cognitive development in general and their argumentative, logical, and critical skills.

Management of emotions also allows us to feel settled and to convince and influence others when we speak. Paradoxically, children learn that, by managing their emotions (which is initially experienced as repression), they can have an impact on their peers, make themselves understood, and even be emulated. The pleasure they derive from this reinforces the balance between spontaneity and control, and both pleasure in self-expression and respect for others will increase. Self-esteem will therefore progress, also allowing the child to assert his or her will. 

Development of the critical faculties will benefit from a heightened level of self-esteem. But it’s important to remember that this is a balancing act.

If family or social pressures excessively inhibit emotional expression, feelings of uniqueness and self-worth are compromised. In this case, even with otherwise normal (and even excellent) cognitive development, children’s critical faculties can be impeded. A child won’t truly become an individual and the development of his or her critical faculties will therefore be stunted. Such a child is like a mere cell, rather than a whole organ. This lack of individuality is found in the social conventions and education systems established by totalitarian regimes. Highly intelligent, cultured, logical people can, under such regimes, remain devoid of critical thinking skills.

Emotion is the psychological motor of cognition. But in high and uncontrolled doses, emotion can override cognition.

Conversely, if children’s emotions and expressions of emotion are badly managed or not curtailed at all, they will come to see themselves as almost omnipotent. The consequent behavior will be mistaken for high self-esteem . In reality, cognitive and intellectual development will be dampened due to a lower attention span caused by poor emotional management. Logical and argumentative skills will be less developed and what may appear to be “critical” thinking will, in fact, be nothing more than a systematic, unthinking opposition to everything. 

Critical thinking without cognitive and intellectual development does not truly exist. Real, constructive critical thinking requires listening, attention, concentration, and the organization of one’s thoughts. The development of these faculties itself requires good emotional management, which must intensify from around the age of five or six, in order to strengthen learning skills and social life. Above all, parents should not try to snuff out a child’s emotions. Emotions are what give children vital energy, the desire to learn, and the strength to exercise self-control. Emotion is the psychological motor of cognition. But in high and uncontrolled doses, emotion can override cognition.

7. Managing Emotions

Parents should not ignore or simply silence their children when they act out or are overcome with emotion. they should work with them on strategies for coping and discuss how they can more calmly and productively express their emotions., how to help our children to control their emotions.

Our emotions are a part of who we are: we have to learn to manage and accept them. In order to help children manage their emotions, we must set limits (for example, by forbidding them to waste food or lie). However, setting limits on their behavior does not mean setting limits on their feelings.

We cannot stop children from getting angry even if they are forbidden from acting on that anger rather we can coach children in controlling their reactions. Sending them to their rooms to calm down will not prevent them from being upset and frustrated. On the contrary, by conveying to them the idea that they must face their emotions alone, we encourage them to repress their feelings. When children repress their emotions, they can no longer manage them consciously, which means they are liable to resurface at any moment.

An angry child is not a bad person, but a hurt person. When children lose control over their emotions, it is because they are overwhelmed.

These outbursts, when our children seem to have totally lost control of themselves, can frighten us as parents. Indeed, if children habitually repress their emotions, they become unable to express them verbally and rage takes over.

Failing to acknowledge children’s emotions can prevent them from learning to exercise self-control.

Advice: How do children learn to manage their emotions?

Children learn from us. When we yell, they learn to yell. When we speak respectfully, they learn to speak respectfully. Likewise, every time we manage to control our emotions in front of our children, they learn how to regulate their own emotions.

To help children manage their emotions, we should explicitly explain how to do so and discuss it with them.

Even older children need to feel a connection with their parents to manage their emotions. When we notice our children having difficulties controlling their emotions, it is important to reconnect with them. When children feel cared for and important, they become more cooperative and their feelings of joy cancel out bad behavioral traits.

The best way to help children become autonomous is to trust them and to entrust them with tasks and little challenges.

An angry child is not a bad person, but a hurt person. When children lose control over their emotions, it is because they are overwhelmed. Controlling their emotions is beyond their capacities at that particular moment in time and emotional control is something that they’ll build gradually as they mature.

If we continue treating them with compassion, our children will feel safe enough to express their emotions. If we help them to cry and let out their emotions, these feelings of being overwhelmed will go away, along with their anger and aggression.

Is it important to teach children specific language for expressing emotions?

Of course it is! But don’t try to force children to voice their emotions. Instead, focus on accepting their emotions. This will teach them that:

There is nothing wrong with emotions—they enrich human life.

Even if we can’t control everything in life, we can still choose how we react and respond. 

When we are comfortable with our emotions, we feel them deeply, and then they pass. This gives us the sensation of letting go and of releasing tension.

If we actively teach these lessons—and continue to work on resolving our own emotions—we will be happy to find that our children will learn to manage their feelings. It will eventually become second nature to them.

Emotional Management

8. critical thinking and social life, critical thinking is a positive social norm, but it requires the support of background knowledge and genuine reasoning skills. without them, critical thinking can become an illusion..

Parents should balance their encouragement of children’s argumentative skills and self-expression with an emphasis on intellectual rigor.

Taking account of social norms and peer groups

No child grows up in a vacuum. As they develop, children internalize many of the norms and ways of thinking that are dominant in their families, social lives, schools, and society more broadly. Parents should be aware of the positive and negative influences these different spheres can have on their children. They should know what they can do to expose their children to norms that will foster healthy and independent thinking.

It seems that the right, even the responsibility, to think for oneself and to exercise one’s critical faculties has become increasingly tied to notions of dignity and individuality. More and more we see factors that have historically determined who has the “right” to be critical—age, origin, gender, level of general knowledge, or other implicit hierarchies—fade in importance. 

Thus, it is becoming more and more common for students (with disconcerting self-assurance) to correct their teachers on aspects of history or other issues that are matters of fact. This raises some important questions, notably regarding the role of the educator, the goals of education, and the relationships between generations. 

Our society encourages critical thinking from a very early age. We have insisted on the fact that, for young children, although intellectual rigor is difficult to attain, it is crucial to develop self-esteem and self-affirmation. But we have also seen that from around the age of eight, it is necessary to move towards teaching them basic reasoning skills.

The risk of making the “right to critical thinking” a social norm from a young age is that we lower intellectual standards. If the encouragement of children to think critically is not paired with intellectual progress in other areas, critical thinking is rendered a mere simulation of free thought and expression. This is as true for children as it is for teenagers or adults.

The entire population may feel truly free and have high self-esteem. However, if the intellectual rigor that comes with arguing, debating, and reasoning, is missing from children’s intellectual and social education, the people will be easily manipulated. Giving our children the freedom to exercise their critical faculties must be paired with the demand for intellectual rigor and linguistic mastery, without which “critical thinking” would offer the mere illusion of liberty.

Striking a balance:

For parents today, it is a matter of striking a balance between fostering critical thought from an early age, in spite of gaps in knowledge and logic, and developing our children’s cognitive faculties and knowledge base. Without these faculties of listening, attention, comprehension, expression, argument, and deduction, critical thinking is an illusion, a pseudo-democratic farce. This  can lead to a society plagued by ignorance and vulnerable to barbarism.

On the other hand, we cannot simply slip back into old social conventions whereby children were told to simply keep quiet and learn their lessons passively. The only thing this approach ensures is that the child won’t become a troublemaker.

What is needed is an approach that harmonize advances in philosophy and psychology, which consider children as fully fledged individuals, on the one hand, with an understanding of the intellectual immaturity of this child, on the other.

Disagreeing in a civilized manner, in the end, allows us to agree on what matters most.

With the help of an affectionate, attentive, but also sometimes restrictive and guiding parent—who is at once intellectually stimulating, indulgent, and patient with the child’s needs—early development of self-affirmation and critical thinking becomes compatible with growing intellectual aptitude.

This intellectual aptitude is crucial to a healthy social life as well. People lacking this intellectual maturity cannot even disagree with each other productively; they lack the ability to discuss subjects worthy of critical interest, as well as the social and cognitive skills of listening, argument, and logical deduction. Disagreeing in a civilized manner, in the end, allows us to agree on what matters most.

Consider this discussion between two eight year olds.

 – “I saw a show on TV yesterday that proved that aliens really exist. Tons of people have seen them, and they’ve found marks left by flying saucers in the desert!”

– “But there’s no real evidence. Those clues and eyewitness accounts weren’t very specific. Different witnesses described the aliens in very different ways—some said they were little green men, while others said they were big with glowing eyes. And the marks from UFOs could have been formed by strong winds.”

– “Oh, so you think you’re smarter than the scientists on TV, is that it?”

One child declares that a TV show they saw proves the existence of aliens. He or she takes it for granted that what we see on TV is true. The second is educated into a norm that calls claims into question and demands evidence. The first child doesn’t understand the second, because, to him or her, seeing it on TV is proof enough. From this point onward, the discussion can only go in circles. In this case, different social or family norms are incompatible.

Independent Thinking

Case study 1, metacognition.

Already at a young age children can begin to gain perspective on how they reason.  One good way to help them foster this metacognition is by pointing out the variety of different methods available for solving a particular problem. By, for example, seeing the multiple different methods available for solving a math problem, children can begin to think about their own thought processes and evaluate various cognitive strategies. This will gradually open up the world of reasoning to them. They will begin to pay more attention to how they solve problems or complete tasks involving reasoning, instead of focusing only on answering correctly or completing the task. 

How do children calculate 6 x 3, for example? 

There are several ways:

They could add 6 + 6 + 6;

They could recall that 6 x 2 = 12, then add six more to get 18;

They could simply memorize and recall the answer: 18;

They could draw a grid of 6 by 3 units and then count how many boxes are in the grid.

Or they could use one of various other techniques…

Our culture values accurate and precise results but tends to pay little attention to the route taken to arrive at those results. Yet, if children are aware of their train of thought, they will be in a better position to master the technique—to perfect it to the point where they may even decide to switch to another technique if they need to increase their speed, for example. That is why it is important to help children understand the method they are using to the point that they can explain it themselves.

In helping their children with schoolwork or other projects involving reasoning, parents should ask them to explain themselves, make explicit the steps they’re taking to solve a particular problem, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of their method and alternative methods. The result will be a much deeper understanding not only of the particular task at hand, but also of the practice of reasoning itself.

Case Study 2

Logical proof and factual proof​​.

At this stage, we can begin to introduce rudimentary logical concepts and distinctions. In everyday conversation, children have already begun using what we might call “natural logic.” They may, for example, get in arguments, like the one below, in which they draw conclusions based on premises. When children present these types of arguments, parents can intervene to teach basic logical concepts and ask children how a given conclusion might be proven or disproven. 

One distinction appropriate to teach at this age is that between logical proof (proof that draws logical conclusions from certain premises) and factual proof (proof that uses actual facts to prove or disprove a given statement). The following anecdote provides the opportunity for such a lesson.

William and Eve, two children walking their dog in the park, are having a conversation about Labradors:

— “There are two kinds of Labradors—black and golden,” declares William.

— “That’s not true; there are also chocolate Labradors,” replies Eve. “My friend Adam has one.”

— “Well, his dog must not be a Labrador then,” William says.

How might we interpret this conversation?

In terms of logical proof, if Labradors are either black or golden, Adam’s chocolate “Labrador” cannot be a Labrador. That is a logically formulated proof. The reasoning is valid. It is the basic premise, William’s initial declaration that there are only two kinds of Labradors, that is false. It is, therefore, possible for William to draw a false conclusion even though his logic is technically correct.

In terms of factual proof, if we can prove that the chocolate-colored dog has two Labrador parents, we can factually prove that William’s premise is wrong: there are at least three types of Labrador.

There are many opportunities like this one to begin to make explicit the logical steps involved in everyday conversations with your children and to show them that they are already using logic, even if they may not know it. This serves to get them thinking about their own thinking, and it makes the topics of logic and reasoning less intimidating.

Case Study 3

What is bias.

A bias is a simply a preconceived and unreasoned opinion. Often biases are formed due to upbringing, larger societal biases, or particular subjective experiences. They exist in many forms and can persist into adulthood unless a child builds a firm foundation in critical thinking and reasoning.

How to overcome bias

The following anecdotes demonstrate how parents can use everyday events to help their children better understand and relate to perspectives outside their own. In order to think critically, children must be able to imaginatively and empathetically put themselves outside their own experiences and perspectives. Children thereby begin to come to terms with the limitations their own upbringings and backgrounds necessarily impose on them. 

This is a vital part of metacognition since it allows children to see themselves, their attitudes, and their views as if from the outside. They become better at overcoming biases, prejudices, and errors in thinking. This process also enables them to entertain the perspectives of others and thereby engage in argument and debate in the future with more charity and nuance. Finally, it encourages them to seek out new experiences and perspectives and to develop intellectual curiosity.

In this first anecdote, a child learns to broaden her horizons through an interaction with another child whose experience is different from her own. In the second, a child learns that his attitude toward particular objects can depend strongly on the context in which they are experienced. 

Overcoming Bias Example 1: Fear of Dogs

Jane is eight years old and lives in a small village. Her parents own several animals, including two Labradors. 

Jane’s cousin Max is nine and a half and lives in central Paris.

Max is always happy to visit Jane, and they play together outside, dreaming up adventures and climbing trees. But he is terribly afraid of Jane’s big dogs; whenever they come near him, he screams at the top of his lungs and runs indoors to hide. Jane finds this funny, calling her cousin a “fraidy cat” and devising ploys to lure Max close to the dogs.

Jane does not realize that, unlike her, Max is not used to having animals in his daily environment. She interprets his attitude exclusively from the viewpoint of her own experience.

What would you do if you were Jane’s parents?

At the dinner table, Jane’s mom asks her to stop teasing Max and explains that he is not used to animals because he lives in different circumstances than she does.

She asks Max to tell them what it is like living in the city. Max talks about his daily life and, notably, how he takes the metro by himself to school in the mornings, two stations from home.

The blood drains from Jane’s face: “You take the metro all by yourself? I could never do that, I’d be much too scared of getting lost.”

Her mom says to her: “You see, Jane, you fell into a trap—thinking that your cousin was just like you. We are all different. You need to remind yourself of that in the future because it’s easy for you to forget!”

This focused discussion has given Jane the opportunity to overcome her own egocentrism by realizing that she and Max inhabit different worlds. She, therefore, realizes that even though Max is scared of dogs (whereas she is not), he is capable of things that intimidate her, like taking the metro alone. This allows her to re-examine her way of reasoning through a “meta” example of her own ideas about the world, eventually leading her to change her attitude toward her cousin.

As parents, we should look for and take advantage of opportunities to open up our children to new perspectives, especially with respect to unexamined biases they may have against peers or outsiders. They will gradually learn to identify and guard against the tendency we all have to generalize recklessly from our own limited experience. Moreover, they will develop the capacity to see things from other perspectives and interests outside their own narrow sphere.

Overcoming Bias Example 2: Fear of Nettles

Josh has recently been on a field trip with his class. Before a hike, the teacher warns the students to steer clear of the nettle plants in the area  These “stinging nettles” can cause a nasty itching and burning rash. 

A few days later, at dinner, Josh finds that his parents have prepared a nettle soup . Boiling water makes the nettles safe to touch and eat.  But he refuses to eat it, since his experience tells them to keep nettles as far away from his body as possible— especially his mouth.

Josh vehemently refuses to try the soup at first and insists on having a frozen pizza instead. But his parents are firm with him and show him that the soup poses no danger by eating it themselves. Finally, Josh relents and tries the soup. He finds that it causes him no harm, and, much to his surprise, he actually enjoys it.

Children who do not know that nettles are safe to eat formulate their prejudice against the soup based solely on their experience, which is limited to the nettle’s irritant qualities. These kinds of learning experiences can be good moments for parents to point out to their children how they may falsely generalize their own limited experiences and how those experiences can produce unwarranted biases. These prejudices may stop them from trying out new things that may very well enrich their lives. 

Case Study 4

Developing self esteem.

Climbing Esther and Ali, both five years old, are at a playground, looking at a climbing wall designed for five to 10 year olds.

Esther goes over to the wall, looks at it, and touches the climbing holds. She starts climbing, pulling herself up with her arms and putting her feet on the lower holds to relieve her arms.

When she is about six feet up the wall, Esther stops.

“Go on, Esther — you’re almost there! Come on, just one more push. You can do it!” calls out her father from the bench he is sitting on.

Esther looks at the top of the wall. She wants to make it all the way up, but her hands hurt from clutching the climbing holds. She lets go and lands on the soft covering of the playground.

“Oh—you almost made it,” her father calls out.

Ali’s father goes over to his son: “Do you want to try? Grab onto these with your hands, and then put your feet on the ones at the bottom. Then you move your hands up more, and then your feet—hands and feet… Go slowly; it’ll be tricky to start with. Check where the holds are before you start climbing.”

Ali goes to the foot of the wall and grabs the holds to see what they feel like. He starts climbing, following his father’s advice.

Ali climbs slowly. He is about halfway up the wall, far below where Esther reached. He asks to get down, and his father takes him in his arms and puts him on the ground.

 “Great job, son! That was really good for a first try! I’m proud of you. That wall isn’t easy—it’s for children up to 10.”

In these two examples of the same situation, what is the impact of each parent’s behavior on the child’s self-esteem? What will each child remember from their first try at climbing?

Esther will probably be left with a sense of failure, thinking that she disappointed her father because she didn’t reach the top of the wall on her first try. She may not be willing to try again in the future, and she may hesitate to take on other new challenges. Even though he didn’t reach as high as Esther, Ali’s first climbing experience will likely be gratifying to him. His efforts have been recognized and encouraged by his father. He may be motivated now to make new efforts in the future, both in climbing and in other challenging new activities.

Case Study 5

Risk taking.

An important part of supporting the development of critical thinking skills at this age is encouraging children to take risks. Parents should beware of being hypercritical when their children make mistakes. They should also be proactive in exposing their children to new and potentially challenging situations. Finally, they should encourage their children to put themselves at risk in these situations, especially when it comes to putting forward arguments or answering questions. When they are (inevitably) wrong, children should be encouraged and supported rather than criticized. Being wrong should not become a source of shame for the child, but an opportunity to learn and grow. Consider the following anecdote.

Eight-year-old classmates Laura and Adam sit next to each other in a theater. Some 60 children, including Laura and Adam’s class, are on a field trip to see a historical reenactment. 

Before the curtain rises, the activity leader presenting the show asks the children: ″Who can tell me the name of the Roman emperor who conquered Gaul?”

Adam, who happens to be an avid reader of a cartoon about history, knows the answer immediately (Julius Caesar) and wants desperately to say it—but is afraid of making a mistake in front of everyone and, as a result, remains silent.

Laura hesitates. Several names spring to mind as she thinks back to what she learned in history class: Nero, Caligula, etc. Finally, a few seconds later, no longer able to restrain herself, she blurts out, “Julius Caesar!”

The activity leader congratulates her and then gets the show started.

In this situation, we see two different attitudes toward the risk of being wrong:

Adam would rather keep quiet than risk giving a wrong answer. We can deduce from this that Adam associates mistakes with something negative that could earn him disapproval or lead to him being mocked—even punished. He has thus pressured himself into thinking that only perfection is acceptable and has therefore reduced his ability to try things out.

Laura, on the other hand, would rather risk being wrong than remain silent. We can deduce from this that she does not feel shame about making mistakes; in any case, her desire to try and the excitement of taking risks outweigh the drawbacks of being wrong.

We learn through trial and erro r , which is necessary for the development of the ability to reason. Risk-taking and trial and error are vital.

Children’s environments, and notably their parents’ attitudes regarding mistakes, are determining factors in how they approach risk-taking and in whether they allow themselves to make mistakes.

Case Study 6

In addition to acquiring perspective on their own experiences and their own reasoning, children should, at this age,  begin to acquire perspective on their own emotions and to learn strategies for managing their emotions.  Without these management skills, children will be continually overwhelmed by their emotions and allow them to compromise their reasoning. The anecdote below can be used as a model to help parents guide their children in learning to express and manage their emotions, and to think clearly in spite of strong emotional reactions.

Seven-year-old Eddie is on vacation by the sea with his parents, who suggest that they all go out and take a boat to a nearby island for a few hours. They can visit the lighthouse there.

Eddie, who is busy playing with his figurines, refuses to get ready for the trip as his parents have asked.

“I haven’t finished playing! I want to stay here,” he exclaims.

“You can play with your figurines at home whenever you want, Eddy, but this boat trip is special. It’s something we can only do on vacation,” argues his mother. “Come on now, hurry up and put your shoes on, and then go and get your bag. Take a jacket as well, please—it can be cold out at sea.”

Eddie’s parents are all ready, and he still has not budged. He carries on playing with his back to them.

“That’s enough now, Eddy. Get up and get ready so we can leave,” orders his father, raising his voice slightly.

Without looking at them, Eddy bursts into tears.

“I don’t want to go on a boat! I’m scared of falling in the ocean! And what if the boat sinks? There are sharks out there! Plus I get scared of swimming if I can’t touch the bottom—if the water is too deep for me,” he says with a quavering voice.

“Oh, Eddy, why didn’t you say so before? I didn’t realize you were worried about the boat. I didn’t even think of that. But you know what? It’s normal to be scared the first time. And the ocean is daunting, that’s for sure. Listen, I’ll tell you what: let’s look at the shipping forecast together. I checked it earlier and it’s going to be a really nice day, with a very calm sea. As for swimming offshore, that’s out of the question! We’ll go swimming at our usual beach when we get back later this afternoon. And we’ll all be wearing life jackets on the boat, so there’s no way you can drown! Are you less worried now?”

“Yes… But I don’t want you to think I’m a wimp…”

“Being scared is nothing to be ashamed of! It’s a normal feeling which helps to protect us from danger. You should always say if you’re scared. I can’t always guess how you’re feeling—you’ve got to tell me!”

In this scenario, after a bit of hesitation, Eddie was able to express his fears. His parents accepted this emotion and drew on it to reassure him with clear, objective facts, helping him to understand the unfamiliar circumstances. This way he could feel completely safe on the boat.

If Eddie had not expressed his fears—because he was afraid of his parents being judgmental, angry, or perhaps even making fun of him—the situation could have taken one of the following turns:

Eddie could have categorically refused to go on the trip, and his parents would either have had to force him to come, or drop the plan entirely.

Eddie could have obeyed them without saying anything, but the trip would have been ruined by his anxiety.

Although dealing with and expressing emotions may seem far afield from critical thinking, it is a vital precondition of critical and independent thinking that children have the confidence to recognize and acknowledge their emotions. Otherwise, children will be unable to set their emotions aside in order to  consider complicated questions or scenarios in a clear and unbiased way.

Case Study 7

What is independent thinking.

What does independent thinking mean? Independent thinking is when an individual forms their own thoughts rather than just going along with what others are thinking. They apply their personal experiences, knowledge, and observations to form a personal viewpoint.

Independent thinking vs critical thinking

We can think independently without thinking critically, but we can’t think critically without thinking independently. That is, independent thinking is a precondition of critical thinking. In order to begin assessing information and making judgments objectively, we must first prevent ourselves from being unduly influenced by our peers’ views.

Example of independent thinking

In certain scenarios, children’s developing perspectives on their own beliefs, reasoning, and emotions can combine in the analysis of a challenging source of information.  The wealth of media to which children are exposed today can be overwhelming, but these media can also provide opportunities for learning and practicing the skills of critical analysis. Parents can help guide their children in these situations by prompting them with questions and asking children to make their beliefs and reasoning explicit. At this young age, preparation for independent and critical thinking need not interfere with the fantasy life of the child, as the example below shows. 

Six-year-old Tom has just written a letter to Santa Claus. Now he is watching television, flipping between channels until a show about Christmas catches his attention.

The TV presenter explains that nowadays children do not believe in Santa Claus the way they used to. Christmas has been totally commercialized. What’s more, red only became the color of Christmas due to the branding of the Coca-Cola company. 

First part of the program: “What do those concerned say?” A journalist standing outside a school asks several children their opinion. The children interviewed say that their parents have told them about Santa Claus, but that he does not really exist, at least no more than witches and ghosts do. They say that they know exactly what they are going to get for Christmas and how much it will cost. Their little brothers or sisters may still believe in Santa, but they themselves are not babies anymore. Regardless of whether they’re “naughty or nice,” they know there will always be gifts for them under the tree.

Second part of the program: “Santa Claus: salesman.” Images in the background show check-out lines in toy stores, parents with shopping carts full to the brim, others taking photos of the shelves on their phones. We see Santa Clauses of all shapes and sizes in shopping malls, day care centers, in the street, and even sitting in donkey-drawn carriages. A narrator provides statistics on the average amount spent by families on gifts, as well as the percentage of gifts purchased in-store versus online.

Finally, the presenter comes back on the screen and concludes with, “Christmas has lost its magic!” before going to a commercial break.

Tom’s father came into the room while the show was on air and has seen part of it. He can tell that his son is both confused and unsettled.

“Why do you believe in Santa Claus, Tom? What are your reasons?”

“Because he’s come every year since I was little. And because he comes at nighttime. Who else could come in the middle of the night? Because he always drinks the hot chocolate we leave him under the tree, and he eats the cookies. Because I’ve seen him more than once, near the Christmas tree at school and in stores. Because no one else could make toys for every kid and deliver them all.”

“Yes, those are very good reasons to believe in him, Tom. And what about at school? Do you talk about Santa with the other kids?”

“The big kids say the same thing as the people on the TV: that he doesn’t exist and that their parents made him up. When I told them there was no way presents could just appear under the tree overnight, they said I was a baby. I don’t talk about Santa anymore because of that.”

“I think you’re right to assert yourself and say what you really think. There’s what they say on TV, what your friends say, and then there’s your own opinion. And it’s important for you to say what you think and defend your point of view. It’s important to listen to other people too, of course, because no one is right all the time. But having your own ideas and expressing them is really important all through your life.”

What would you have done if you were Tom’s father?

Would it have been better to admit the truth about Santa Claus to Tom and contradict his beliefs and imagination? If Tom’s dad had done that, what value would his son have placed on his own reasoning? Would he have dared to defend his opinion in the future? 

During this conversation, the father chose to give weight to Tom’s arguments by giving credit to them and praising the way he expressed his personal thoughts. He did not state his own opinion on the matter, but instead focused the discussion on dealing with clashing points of view and on arguing. He hopes that Tom will now see the value in his own arguments, even if they go against what was said on the television show. Now, the next time he finds himself in a similar situation, Tom will probably be confident enough to express his own opinion on the information he receives.

The repetition of situations such as this should allow Tom’s critical thinking skills to develop. They will reinforce and strengthen his self-esteem and build his confidence in his ability to develop his own thoughts.

This situation may seem counter-intuitive. We usually associate the development of critical thinking with questioning certain beliefs, in this case the belief in the existence of Santa Claus. 

This viewpoint, though, projects our own adult understanding onto Tom. Children of his age should instead be encouraged to express themselves, to be creative in their arguments, and to believe in the value of their own points of view—rather than in the truths that are thrust on them by adults, media, or their friends.

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Parent Resources for Learning > How It Begins > 4-Year-Old Developmental Milestones: The Quick Guide

4-Year-Old Developmental Milestones: The Quick Guide

by Dr. Jody Sherman LeVos | May 23, 2023 | How It Begins

Four-year-olds are busy! They’re in an incredibly rapid time of change and development, and many are gearing up for big developmental milestones such as attending preschool or pre-K for the first time. They are increasingly able to communicate their feelings, regulate their emotions, and process new information, and their brains are growing and forming neural connections at an astonishing rate.

At Begin, we know that brain growth is just one piece of early learning. Your child is unique, multi-faceted, and has limitless potential. Because our mission is to give every child their best start to achieving their fullest potential, we focus on skills critical for school and life success. We’ve simplified them into the Begin Approach through 5 C’s : Creativity , Critical Thinking , Curiosity , Character , and Core Skills . 

So what do those C’s look like for your 4-year-old? Let’s take a look!

The Short Cut

• Four-year-olds are developing important skills that will help them get and stay ready for school, then learn throughout their lives
• The 5 C’s that lead to thriving in school and life are Creativity, Critical Thinking, Curiosity, Character, and Core Skills
• For 4-year-olds, the 5 C’s can be supported through play and simple, everyday interactions
• Parents can help 4-year-olds develop the 5 C’s through a combination of guided play , artistic activities, social interactions , and reading

Creativity is a child’s ability to come up with solutions to problems, invent new ideas, and express themselves in novel ways. Most young children are naturally creative, and chances are your child is no exception! Our job as parents and caregivers is to foster that creativity throughout their childhood to help them become creative adults.

Your 4-year-old’s creativity might look unexpected, especially when they’re coming up with solutions to everyday obstacles! 

If you’ve ever heard your preschooler make up new words or experiment with rhyming, that’s creativity. It’s a sign they’re willing to explore new things and go beyond how words are “supposed” to be used. You may also notice your child changing their clothes multiple times a day, experimenting with different hairstyles, or even getting into makeup (or other colorful things) in an attempt to express themselves and model what they see adults doing. 

While this creativity may lead to a lot of laundry (or emergency trips to the hair salon to salvage a haircut), it’s all an important part of developing your child’s sense of self and problem-solving capabilities. 

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking includes two elements: the ability to make decisions and analyze information, and a broad set of processing skills often referred to as executive functions. These skills lay the foundation for making good choices, understanding rules and consequences, and identifying trustworthy information versus untrustworthy information. 

We usually don’t think of preschoolers as being logical problem solvers or deep thinkers, but in fact, there’s a LOT of critical thinking development happening for 4-year-olds! Given how much kids are developing at this age, it’s important to know about their cognitive milestones and how to foster critical thinking skills.

Your child will likely be starting to know the name and purpose behind different types of media, such as books for reading, a radio in the car for music or news, and a screen for streaming their favorite shows. Knowing the names and general functions of these various forms of media and information is a precursor to understanding different forms of news and information, and sets the stage for conversations about credible sources versus sources you should question. 

Another element of critical thinking is your child’s ability to follow simple rules in collaborative or competitive games. Understanding, remembering, and following rules (especially if you have to ignore distractions or avoid immediate gratification) is an important aspect of developing executive functioning skills. 

This one probably feels obvious! The average 4-year-old asks approximately a question a minute (literally!), which really adds up over the day. In this stage, children expand beyond just “how” and “why” questions to include “who,” “what,” and “where,” putting you on the edge of your seat wondering what they’re going to ask next. Questions are preschoolers’ primary tool for understanding the world around them, which makes sense given how much of their daily life is still pretty new to them. 

Because of that, curiosity isn’t something we usually need to “teach” our young children. Our job is to encourage their natural curiosity to support other knowledge development and create a lifelong love of learning.

At age 4, you’ll likely notice your child creating or building things, or taking things apart to see how they work. Both are important aspects of figuring out how the world works. Curious 4-year-olds will test boundaries and experiment during play to learn about consequences, patterns, and how things are related or unrelated. Unstructured, free playtime is a critical part of fostering your child’s curiosity!

Children who develop Character, or social-emotional skills, in their early years tend to do better in school and life, including having more positive relationships with teachers and friends. Four-year-olds develop some key Character skills, including a growing sense of empathy and more nuanced emotions-related vocabulary. For example, they may start to identify when they’re “disappointed” and “frustrated” versus the “mad” and “sad” words they mastered at earlier ages. 

During this stage you’ll likely notice that your 4-year-old is able to develop and maintain friendships that go beyond simply playing with peers of the same age. They might become more selective about who is their friend versus who isn’t, and they may start asking for play dates or other opportunities to interact with their friends outside of their normal routine. 

This is an exciting time, as these new friendships will stretch your child’s ability to communicate their feelings, collaborate toward common goals (such as building a sand castle at the playground), negotiate when conflict inevitably arises, and appreciate that others have feelings that may differ from their own. 

Your 4-year-old will also likely display a growing awareness that behaviors appropriate in some contexts, such as shouting and running around at a playground, are not appropriate in other contexts, such as a library or a church. This ability to regulate their behaviors is a tremendous step toward being able to navigate a range of social situations and environments with ease. 

Core Skills

The need to develop foundational learning skills, such as reading and being able to think mathematically, is never going to go away, even as we better understand the importance of the other C’s. Your 4-year-old needs a strong base upon which to develop the skills they need to thrive in this ever-changing world. Core Skills, like counting, reading, writing, and background knowledge on a range of social and scientific topics, make up an important part of that base.  

Luckily, a LOT of Core Skills can (and should be) supported through playful everyday experiences! Your 4-year-old is likely practicing the art of counting objects, which actually takes the coordination of multiple skills. They need to know the names of the numbers in order (what experts call the verbal counting string), that objects should only counted once or you’ll end up with the wrong total (called the one-to-one principle), that it doesn’t matter which order you count the objects in (such as left to right OR right to left, which is known as the order irrelevance principle), and that the last number counted represents the total number of objects in a set (known as cardinality). 

As your child plays with their blocks, dolls, cars, stuffed animals, or even helps you set the table, you can ask them to count how many, or to hand you a certain number (“Can you pass me five cars?”). When they do, take a minute to appreciate (out loud if you’d like!) the amazing number of skills that go into everyday experiences and routines.

Four-year-olds are also likely to be hitting the language milestone of experimenting with different approaches to reading. They may want you to read aloud to them, or they may be interested in making up their own stories to go along with pictures. They may scribble on some paper to mimic words on a page, or they may recite their favorite books or lines to you. Some may even be starting to sound out words and reading familiar words on their own. All of these activities are important and exciting parts of your child’s Core Skills development. 

Learning Begins with Play

As you can see, there is a LOT going on when a child is 4 years old, and everything we’ve described above begins with—and continues to be supported by— play . When you’re looking for things to do with a 4-year-old, it’s easy to find something fun that will help develop the 5 C’s—from reading to playing games to counting blocks to running around outside with their friends!

To learn more about your 4-year-old’s development and how to help them across the 5 C’s (including what comes next at age 5 !), check out our other parent resources.

Jody has a Ph.D. in Developmental Science and more than a decade of experience in the children’s media and early learning space.

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Dr. Jody Sherman LeVos

Chief Learning Officer at Begin

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What does a snowman eat for breakfast?

Snowflakes.

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The outside.

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What word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?

What can you keep after giving it to someone?

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The alphabet "r".

Look in my face, I am somebody; Look in my back, I am nobody. What am I?

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How many men were born last year?

No one, only babies were born.

How long is the answer to this question?

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The alphabet "g".

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Breakfast and Lunch.

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Guess the item Choose a shape that: - Isn't big and isn't green. - Has angles.

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Some days I wonder, “What was he thinking?”

“I had too many socks. The drawer wouldn’t close so I threw the extras in the trash,” beams my little guy as if that was the perfect solution to the problem.

Teaching kids critical thinking skills can be almost as hard as teaching them that pants are not an optional piece of clothing and goggles and an umbrella alone do not make a complete outfit either.

Here are some tried-and-true critical thinking activities for preschoolers that my child loves.

1. Guess What I Have

With a small toy in one hand, place both hands behind your back. Ask your child to guess what is in your hand. As they make attempts to guess, give them clues such as: “It’s not blue, it’s red,” or “it doesn’t have wheels, it has legs.” This allows them to make guesses based on what they already know.

Be ready to dodge in case they get frustrated and throw things at you. It happens.

2. Play the ‘Is It True?’ Game

Ask your child a question that starts with ‘Is it true that…’. When they answer, ask them how they know that it is true or not.

I asked my preschooler “How do you know if someone is sleeping?”

“Because they slobber on their pillow,” he answered brilliantly.

Don’t worry about perfect answers, just praise any effort.

3. Work in Groups

Getting my kids to work together in a group is one of the best preschool critical thinking activities that I know of. The hardest part of this activity is getting everyone’s attention.

Just join the game of ‘Who can say “No, me” the loudest’ , and maybe they will hear you.

When I can ever get my kids to interact with each other, they realize that there is more than one way of doing things and they are introduced to a variety of different approaches and ideas.

Pro Tip: Help Your Child Become Better at Critical Thinking

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4. Play “Good Idea/Bad Idea”

Take two of your child’s favorite stuffed animals (and when they throw a fit for them, take two that they don’t like instead) and put on a show with them.

Act out scenarios and let your child predict the outcomes of their actions. Ask them at each phase of the game if what the characters are going to do is a good idea or a bad idea and why.

5. Food Tasting

Forming an opinion is an important preschool critical thinking skill. Kids have strong opinions about food. It’s usually a love/hate relationship.

It is widely known in preschool circles that no two kids are allowed to have the same favorite food. This is cause for war.

Bring out some foods that you know your child hates or loves. My son hates chicken and loves yogurt so we used those.

Now ask them if they like that food or not and why or why not. Then bring out a new food that your child will love (we used blue cupcakes with sprinkles) and let them predict whether or not they will like it and why.

6. Find Similarities and Differences

My preschooler and I often play a game of pointing out similarities and differences in things. He tells me how similar Dad and I are because we both drive under stop lights and how different Dad is from me because he thinks a yellow light means hurry up and I think it means slow down.

Challenge your child to find things that are similar and different at the same time like a fork and a spoon. Both are utensils but one is for eating salad and one is for digging in the backyard when Mom’s not looking (or something like that). These similarities and differences activities for preschoolers help strengthen a variety of your child’s skills.

7. Go On a Picnic

One of our favorite preschool critical thinking activities often includes an outdoor picnic. Give your child a lunch box to pack and suggest items that are both relevant and irrelevant to a picnic, and let them tell you which items are relevant, and why.

Yes, they will probably want to include their pet goldfish and two left mittens. If they can explain the relevance, I guess it can get packed.

8. Make ‘Get Well’ Cards

Making ‘Get Well Soon’ cards for people who are sick can help kids relate situations back to themselves. As you make the cards, ask them if they have ever been sick or hurt.

They will probably have a hundred stories but don’t worry. We all know that every Mom has a secret super power: the pretend listening skill.

“Oh, really?” “I never knew that.” “You’re kidding? Tell me more.”

Oh, yeah, we’re good.

9. Hide the Thimble

We have played this game for years to develop critical thinking skills. We never hide a thimble, though. I can just see my preschooler popping that thing in his mouth and me attempting to do the Heimlich maneuver on him.

No, we use a baseball instead. There’s no chance of him getting that whole thing in his mouth. Although, I’ve seen him try.

Everyone closes their eyes while the ball is being hidden. Then, I give clues and let the kids know if they are getting closer to the ball or further away.

I also give clues like, “It’s near the sofa.”

10. Ask ‘What Happened and Why’

No, I’m not talking about when you hear a loud noise and run into the room to investigate. For this activity, you only need a family photo album.

Sit down with your child and look at some funny photos of the family. Choose photos that have a story behind them and then ask your child, “What happened in this picture and why?”

My little guy likes the photo of my sister when she spilled melted chocolate all over the kitchen. Yup, that’s a keeper.

I’m sure you have some photos of your family that you can make fun of, too.

I hope you enjoy some of these preschool critical thinking activities with your little one just like I have. I just keep telling myself that one day they’ll pay off. But for now, I must go get those socks out of the trashcan.

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About the Author

Jill Cain creates educational content for the Atlas Mission . She has 20+ years of experience homeschooling her 6 children aged 4 - 21 and enjoys helping parents around the world in their homeschooling journeys.

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45 Fun and Clever Brain Teasers for Kids with Answers!

Written by Laney Kennedy

Reviewed by Sarah Tino, M.Ed.

Engage and motivate your students with our adaptive, game-based learning platform!

• Game-Based Learning
• What brain teasers are
• The benefits of brain teasers for kids

Math brain teasers for kids

Sometimes keeping your students engaged during a (long) school day feels like a losing battle. How do you gain their full attention while teaching the skills they need to succeed? How do you turn tough and intimidating concepts into fun, entertaining lessons that actually spark life in the classroom? 

Brain teasers for kids are a great form of game-based learning that not only entertain children but also inspire some creative thought in the classroom. People of all ages can indulge in these playful — yet challenging — activities.

And some examples of when teachers might want to use brain teasers are on a bulletin board in the classroom, as a partnered activity to start a new concept or lesson, or during a rainy day indoor recess box.

We’ve gathered 45 examples of brain teasers for kids with answers, organized by category:

Table of Contents

Language brain teasers for kids :

Riddles ; Language associations ; Lateral thinking problems.

Math brain teasers for kids :

Math riddles ;  Pattern problems ;  Prodigy.

Visual brain teasers for kids :

Spot the difference ;  Rebus puzzles ;  Optical illusions ;  Stroop effect test.

Use the list below to find the perfect brain teaser for your class!

What are brain teasers?

Before you explore our examples, you might be wondering what brain teasers actually are.

Cambridge Dictionary defines a brain teaser as “a problem for which it is hard to find the answer, especially one which people enjoy trying to solve as a game.”

Brain teasers are a type of puzzle — and as the list below reveals, they come in many different forms. Often presented as a riddle, question or activity, brain teasers require a little extra brainpower to solve.

It's important to note that if you have any English language learners in your class, brain teasers for kids might pose a challenge for them. If that's the case, they might need you to walk them through the brain teaser more closely, or you can find ones that better suit their language level.

Brain teasers for kids differ from other complex or abstract problems because they’re usually done for fun. Although you can use them to analyze problem-solving and critical thinking skills, they’re often used as an amusing activity to encourage logical and lateral thinking , or thinking “outside the box.”

45 Brain teasers for kids

We’ve compiled a list of language, math and visual brain teasers to get your students thinking. Get inspired by the examples below — including answers!

Language brain teasers for kids

When you hear the term “brain teaser,” a riddle is likely the first thing that comes to mind. Riddles are perplexing — sometimes misleading — questions or statements that require creative thought to solve.

Riddles are usually fun, and plenty of them can add some humour to your classroom.

Enjoy our list of riddles for kids below!

a) Billy’s mother had five children. The first was named Lala, the second was named Lele, the third was named Lili, the fourth was named Lolo. What was the fifth child named?

b) Choose the correct sentence: “The yolk of the egg is white” or “the yolk of the egg is white.”

c) It’s as light as a feather, but the strongest person can’t hold it for more than five minutes. What is it?

d) The more there is, the less you see. What is it?

e) What gets more wet while it dries?

f) You can find it in Mercury, Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, but not in Venus or Neptune. What is it?

g) It likes food, but water kills it. What is it?

h) What’s full of holes but can still hold water?

i) Which is heavier, a pound of feathers or a pound of rocks?

j) How far can a dog run into the woods?

k) You’re driving a city bus. At the first stop, three women get on. At the second stop, one woman gets off and a man gets on. At the third stop, two children get on. The bus is blue and it’s raining outside in December. What colour is the bus driver’s hair?

l) There are three houses. One is red, one is blue and one is white. If the red house is to the left of the house in the middle, and the blue house is to the right of the house in the middle, where’s the white house?

m) It’s at the center of gravity and you can find it in Venus, but not Mars. What is it?

n) What goes on four feet in the morning, two in the afternoon and three in the evening?  (This is from the classic myth,  Oedipus and the Riddle of the Sphinx )

o) What travels faster: heat or cold?

p) A man was walking in the rain in the middle of nowhere without a coat or an umbrella. He got soaked, but not a single hair on his head was wet. How can this be?

q) A cowboy rode into town on Friday. He stayed in town for three days and rode back out on Friday. How is this possible?

b) Neither. Egg yolks are yellow, not white!

f) The letter “R”

h) A sponge

i) Neither. Both weigh a pound!

j) Halfway. Once it reaches halfway, it’s running  out  of the woods.

k) Whatever colour your hair is. Remember, you’re driving the bus!

l) In Washington, D.C.

m) The letter “V”

n) A human. The times of day represent stages of human life. At the beginning of life, a baby crawls on four “feet.” As a person gets older, they walk on two feet. Later in life, a person will walk on three “feet” (two feet, plus a cane to help them walk).

o) Heat travels faster because you can catch a cold!

p) He was bald.

q) The horse’s name was Friday.

As a bonus, use these riddles to challenge preconceived notions and get students thinking about natural bias .

a) Two boxers are in a match scheduled for 12 rounds. (Pure boxing only - no kicking, UFC takedowns, or anything else). One of the boxers gets knocked out after only six rounds, yet no man throws a punch. How is this possible?

b) A father and son have a car accident and both are very injured. They are taken to separate hospitals for treatment. When the boy is taken in for an operation, the surgeon says, “I can’t do this surgery…. this boy is my son!” How is this possible?

a) The two boxers are women.

b) The surgeon is the boy’s mother.

2. Language associations

These brain teasers for kids explore the complexities of the English language. Use them to boost student knowledge of sounds, words, spelling, categorization and more.a)  Word association : find a word that associates with the following sets of words.

• Cake, swiss, cottage
• Glasses, screen, day
• Cream, cube, cap
• Knife, fly, cup

b) Find the mystery word . Replace the third letter of each word with a new letter to create a different word. When read vertically, the new letters will reveal the mystery word.

For example, the word MA K E could become MA R E, MA L E, MA T E and so on. It’s your job to figure out which one works to create the mystery word. 

Hint: It’s something you’ll find outside.

c) Find rhyming pairs . Unscramble the words below so that each pair of words rhymes.

• RBAE & HREAS
• WNROED & UTRHNDE
• TUGHAT & HBTUGO
• ODULC & ODOG

Mystery word: FLOWER

• BEAR (or BARE) & SHARE
• WONDER & THUNDER
• TAUGHT & BOUGHT
• COULD & GOOD

You can also use printable brain teasers for kids like this one:

Image source: Spelling Words Well

Answer: The “happy word” is SMILE.

3. Lateral thinking problems

Lateral thinking problems require creative thinking with an indirect approach.

These questions require logic and careful thought to solve. The most notable example of a lateral thinking problem is the classic Monty Hall problem .

Here are two examples of lateral thinking problems kids can try to solve.

a) The river crossing problem

Image source: Popular Mechanics

A farmer is travelling with a fox, a goose, and a bag of beans. During his journey, he comes across a river with a boat to cross it.

The farmer can only fit one thing in the boat with him at a time. If left alone together, the fox will eat the goose or the goose will eat the beans. How does the farmer get everything across the river safely?

b) The light bulb problem

There are three light switches outside of a room-- labeled number one, number two, and number three. The door to the room is closed and you can’t see in. All three switches are off.

You need to figure out which switch belongs to which bulb. You can use the switches however you want to, but can only enter the room once. How do you do it?

a) Here’s the step-by-step solution:

• The farmer brings the goose across the river first (if he leaves the goose alone, it will either eat the beans or be eaten by the fox).
• The farmer brings either the fox or the beans across and leaves the other one alone.
• Now the farmer has two items on the other side of the river, including the goose. If he leaves the goose again, the same problem will occur. So, the farmer must bring the goose back to the other side.
• The farmer brings the other item back (either the fox or the beans) and leaves the goose alone again. The fox and the beans are now on the other side of the river.
• The farmer returns and brings the goose across the river again.

b) Turn on the first switch and leave it on. Turn on the second switch for a few minutes, and then turn it off again. When you enter the room, one light bulb will be on. You’ll know it goes with switch one because you turned it on. Another bulb will be hot. You’ll know that goes with switch two because it was on for a little while. The bulb that’s off and cold goes with switch three because you didn’t touch it.

Like math puzzles , these brain teasers for kids can increase engagement with math content and inspire your students to work on math concepts and problems outside of regular lessons.

1. Math riddles

These riddles are just as amusing as the ones above, but they’re math-focused . Use them to give students some extra math practice and encourage resourceful thinking.

Math riddles

a) Divide 30 by ½ and add 10. What’s the answer?

b) A clerk at the butcher shop is six feet tall and wears size 10 shoes. What does he weigh?

c) A farmer has 19 sheep on his land. One day, a big storm hits and all but seven run away. How many sheep does the farmer have left?

d) Your sock drawer only contains 18 white socks and 18 blue socks. How many times do you need to reach inside the drawer and take out a sock to guarantee a matching pair?

e) You planted sunflower seeds in your back garden. Every day, the number of flowers doubles. If it takes 52 days for the flowers to fill the garden, how many days would it take for them to fill half the garden?

f) Using only addition, how can you use eight eights to get the number 1,000?

g) When Ashley was 15, her mother was 37. Now, her mother is twice her age. How old is Ashley?

a) It's 70. You’re dividing 30 by ½, not by two. Thirty divided by ½ is the same thing as multiplying it by two, which is 60. Plus 10 makes 70!

b) Meat. He works at the butcher shop, so he weighs meat for a living.

c) Seven. The riddle says  all but seven  run away, meaning there are seven left who didn’t.

d) Three times. On the third time, you’ll get either a white or a blue sock to match with one of the other two you’ve already grabbed.

e) It would take 51 days. If the number of flowers doubles every day, half the garden would be full the day before, on the 51st day.

f) 888 +88 +8 +8 +8

g) Ashley is 22. Her mother is 22 years older, so when Ashley is 22, she’s now half her mother’s age.

2. Pattern problems

These questions require students to identify a pattern before they can answer a particular question. Kids must use creative and logical thinking to find the answers.

4 + 4 = 168

5 + 5 = 2510.

b) What makes this number unique: 8,549,176,320?

c) Solve the pattern puzzle below. Find the missing number to replace the question mark.

Image source: Genius Puzzles

d) Solve the following:

Image source: AOL

a) The missing number is 3612. The answer is the number multiplied by itself and then the number added to itself. Six multiplied by six is 36, and six plus six is 12.

b) It contains each one-digit number, zero through nine, listed in alphabetical order.

c) The missing number is 17. Each number in the circle is the sum of the numbers in the opposite quadrant. In this case, the numbers are eight and nine — added together makes 17.

d) The answer is 14 (or 16), if you’re on the other side of the debate .

3. Prodigy Math Game

This math activity is a bit different from others on the list. It’s not a traditional brain teaser, but it can also be used as a fun, skill-building alternative to traditional math class.

Prodigy is a game-based learning platform that takes your students on an online fantasy adventure while they answer standards-aligned math questions. It’s engaging and effective at teaching necessary skills. 

Prodigy's free teacher tools help you differentiate learning, send assessments in-game and even collect student insights!

Visual brain teasers for kids

1. spot the difference.

This ever-popular activity might remind you of your own childhood — and kids still love it! Spot the difference puzzles require lots of deduction and attention to detail.

Here’s an example of a printable spot the difference activity.

Image source: Tim’s Printables

2. Rebus puzzles

A rebus is a visual word puzzle that uses lateral thinking to find its intended meaning. The word or phrase is depicted with a visual illustration, including letters and words. Students must think creatively to figure out the meaning from the clues they’re given. 

Image source: Wikipedia

Image source: Stack Exchange

a) Top secret

b) Think outside the box

Visit the link below if you want more fun rebus puzzles for your students:

3. Optical illusions

Get tricky with your students! Optical illusions use visual tricks that alter the perception of what you’re really seeing. Students will love trying to figure out what’s really going on in these examples.

a) How many legs does the elephant have?

Image source: Optics For Kids

b) Are the two squares different colours?

Image source: Brain Den

b) They’re exactly the same colour. If you place your finger over the spot where the squares meet, you can see they’re the same. Try this impossible paper puzzle if you want a more hands-on optical illusion. You can make one to show your class, then have students make their own as a fun brain teaser to show friends and family.

4. Stroop effect test

The Stroop effect was discovered in the 1930s by John Ridley Stroop. During the test, you’re given a list of colour names, with each word being a different colour than what they describe.

The test involves saying the colour of a word, rather than reading the word itself. Your mind must process the two conflicting pieces of information, which slows down reaction speed and requires careful thought to get through.

Image source: The Crafty Classroom

Benefits of brain teasers for kids

You know your students enjoy them, but did you know there are plenty of additional reasons to make brain teasers a regular activity in the classroom?

A study on the attention spans of six-year-olds found children who were given brain teasers were more attentive than those who were not — showing brain teasers were effective at boosting children’s attention spans.   

Brain teasers for kids can also:

• Strengthen problem solving and critical thinking skills
• Encourage lateral thinking and build new perspectives
• Improve cognitive abilities like memory and processing speed
• Inspire teamwork and communication
• Engage students and motivate them to learn
• Provide necessary breaks from traditional class work

How to use brain teasers in the classroom

In addition to their many learning advantages, brain teasers are a great way to break up the day and engage your students. Here are just a few ways you can use brain teasers for kids as a teaching strategy and maximize the benefits in your classroom:

• Engagement-boosting activity before or after lessons
• Bonus questions in assignments and tests
• Optional “free time” activity
• Encourage team building — split students into groups to solve them together
• Supplement lessons — choose brain teasers about the subject you’re teaching

Final thoughts on brain teasers for kids

No matter what subject or skill you want to focus on, a brain teaser is a great addition to traditional teaching methods. Plus, it’s something students will actually be excited to do.

Remember that brain teaser are designed to be fun for kids. it’s not about finding the right answer, but the mental exercise they get from trying to find the solution.

Use any of the brain teasers in this list whenever you need a boost of energy in your classroom. Bonus points if you can stump any adults!

Create or log in to your free teacher account on Prodigy – a game-based learning platform for math that’s easy to use for educators and students alike. Aligned with standards across the English-speaking world, it’s used by more than a million teachers and 90 million students.