5 Ways to Increase Critical Thinking Skills at Home
(and Why IT MatterS)
Sure, it’s important for kids to know their math facts, be able to read fluently, and understand how to string together a series of words into a coherent sentence. But did you know that there are other skills that are equally as — if, we dare say, even more — important? What are these elusive skills, and how can you help your child develop them to ensure they’re ready to take on an ever-changing world?
Critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, and problem-solving have come to be categorized as “21st century skills.” These skills are what children need not just to succeed in school, but to become confident, capable thinkers in life. So, how can you support these skills at home, without turning family time into more schoolwork? Here are five tips on how to increase critical thinking skills at home in a fun and meaningful way.
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Tip #1: Ask Open-Ended Questions 🧠
Instead of questions that lead to one-word answers, try inviting your child to explain, predict, or imagine. This activates higher-order thinking and encourages kids to consider multiple possibilities.
💬 Examples to Try:
“What do you think will happen next?”
“Why do you think that worked (or didn’t work)?”
“How could we solve this differently?”
“What would you do if you were in that character’s shoes?”
🕒 When to Try Them:
During story time or after a movie
While doing homework or a project
When solving a real-life problem together (like fixing something or figuring out plans)
🎯 Why it Works:
Open-ended questions give your child space to reason, reflect, and justify their thinking. This helps them practice forming opinions, analyzing outcomes, and making decisions — all core critical thinking skills.
Tip #2: Play Strategy-Based Games 🎲
Games that involve planning, prediction, and consequences are fun and mentally engaging. Think beyond simple luck-based games — instead, look for ones that challenge players to think several steps ahead or consider the actions of others.
🧩 Games to Try:
Board Games: Ticket to Ride, Catan Junior, Clue, Chess
Card Games: Sleeping Queens, Uno (with a twist, like strategy talk)
Logic Puzzles: Rush Hour, Gravity Maze, Sudoku for kids
Escape Room Style Games: escapEDgames escape room game kits are engaging learning activities designed to help reinforce social studies concepts students are learning in school while promoting critical thinking, encouraging problem solving, and inspring collaboration.
🕒 When to Try Them:
During family game night
On rainy days or quiet afternoons
As an alternative to screen time
🎯 Why it Works:
These types of games promote critical thinking by encouraging players to weigh options, make strategic choices, and adapt to changing conditions. They also teach kids to predict outcomes and evaluate the results of their decisions.
Tip #3: Use Real-Life Scenarios 🏡
Everyday activities offer valuable opportunities to help kids think critically — no fancy materials needed! These moments allow children to analyze choices, break down a task, and apply logical steps to reach a goal.
🥘 Activites to Try:
Cooking: Ask your child to adjust a recipe for more or fewer servings, or to plan a balanced meal for your family.
Budgeting: Give your child a budget for a family night or gift shopping and let them compare prices and make choices.
Scheduling: Let your child help build a weekly plan that balances chores, homework, and fun.
🕒 When to Try Them:
While cooking dinner or grocery shopping
When planning a family trip or outing
During weekends or school breaks
🎯 Why it Works:
When kids apply critical thinking skills to real situations, they see how reasoning, planning, and problem-solving matter in everyday life. It also builds independence and confidence.
Tip #4: Encourage Creativity 🛠️
When kids are encouraged to make something new, find unusual solutions, or imagine different outcomes, they learn to think flexibly and inventively. This is a vital part of building critical thinking skills.
🎨 Creative Challenges to Try:
STEM Building: Build a bridge with only straws and tape that holds a toy car. (Devise other building activities with specific criteria and constraints using materials or building toys — think Legos, blocks, or Magnatiles — you have at home.)
Story Twist: Write a story that ends completely differently than it starts. (Or try rewriting a classic tale with a new ending, or from another character’s perspective.)
Design Time: Invent a gadget to help clean your room faster — draw or build it!
“What If” Game: Lean into the curiosity of kids’ endless “What If” questions about the world with this game and wonder with them:
“What if animals could talk? What laws would they make?”
“What if you had a superpower? What would it be, and how would you use it?”
🕒 When to Try Them:
On weekends or school holidays
When your child says “I’m bored”
As part of a homeschool or afterschool enrichment activity
🎯 Why it Works:
These challenges encourage kids to take risks in their thinking, experiment with ideas, and persevere through trial and error — all essential parts of complex problem-solving and building critical thinking skills.
Tip #5: Read and Reflect Together 📚
Talking about what you read helps build important thinking skills. Choose books, articles, or even short stories that encourage kids to ask questions, make predictions, or consider different points of view.
📖 Reflections to Try:
Pause during a story and ask: “What would you do in this situation?” or “What do you think the character will do next?”
After reading, discuss: “What was the problem? How was it solved?” or “Was there a better solution?”
Explore nonfiction texts together and ask: “Why do you think that happened?” or “What evidence supports that idea?”
🕒 When to Try Them:
At bedtime or reading time
After finishing a chapter or book
When discussing current events or interesting topics
🎯 Why it Works:
Reading and talking about books helps kids analyze, infer, and build connections — core components of critical thinking. Connecting over a good book is also a great way for your family to have rich conversations and spend time together.
Whether your child is learning to navigate word problems or working through a tricky social situation, building strong critical thinking skills helps them become confident, capable learners. By encouraging problem-solving and reasoning skills early, you’re helping them become more independent thinkers, gain confidence in their ideas, build resilience when faced with challenges, and improve academic performance across subjects — all crucial for lifelong success.
