Raising Critical Thinkers summary

Don’t worry – you’re not the only one who makes judgments based on your personal experiences, backgrounds, and beliefs without realizing it. Everyone does! That’s why it’s so important to teach our kids to recognize who’s making a point, why they’re making it, and where they’re coming from.

A great exercise to playfully cultivate self- and speaker-awareness in your children is called “Says Who?” Here’s how you do it: Read them an age-appropriate story, and then ask questions to get them to think about the storyteller’s perspective and trustworthiness.

Do you ever get frustrated when loved ones seem unable to accept facts that contradict their opinions? Or when opposing sides can’t agree because they interpret the same facts differently? Our brains often filter information through hidden biases, even when we aim to think critically. 

The good news is that teaching your children about common perceptual pitfalls can help them recognize and avoid those mistakes early on. Start by explaining the differences among facts, interpretations, evidence, perspectives, and beliefs. 

Do you ever wonder if there’s more to education than just getting through material? Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison once posed an insightful question: “What can I do where I am?” She suggests considering the question from all angles, placing emphasis on different words. What can I do where I am? What can I do where I am? What can I do where I am? And so on. 

This simple question challenges us to consider how our talents and positions can serve others. Similarly, raising critical thinkers means deliberately considering how education can shape who a child is and how they can positively affect others. 

It’s easy for us parents to fall into the trap of being backseat drivers when it comes to our kids’ learning. We shuttle them from activity to activity, diligently quiz them on facts from textbooks, and breathlessly track their grades and test scores. But real learning doesn’t happen by watching from the sidelines. To raise critical thinkers, we need to get in the game ourselves.  

True education is not about passively consuming information. It’s about actively “reading, experiencing, and encountering” ideas, people, and skills. This means moving beyond books to provide your kids with hands-on learning opportunities wherever possible. 

Think about the last time someone presented an idea that threatened your worldview. Did your body tense up? Heart race? Fists clench? Our physical reactions show how wedded we are to our perspectives. We get defensive and cling to our convictions, making it hard to think critically about opposing views. But with enough self-awareness, we can get past knee-jerk reactions to discover new insights. 

The first step is to become aware of these sensations, thoughts, and feelings as they surface. Teach your kids to get curious, not combative, when a challenging viewpoint arises.