Fostering a Growth Mindset & Critical Thinking Skills
Nurturing a growth mindset is essential for children to navigate the complexities of the modern world. Children who have critical thinking skills are able to learn more deeply and become effective problem solvers as adults.These skills go beyond rote memorization and involve the ability to analyze, evaluate, and apply information to different situations.
Here are some ways to foster those critical thinking skills as you guide your child toward a growth mindset!
Shifting Toward a Growth Mindset
- Praise Effort, Not Intelligence
- Normalize Mistakes
- Encourage Challenges
- Set Realistic Goals
- Avoid Comparisons
- Celebrate Effort & Progress
- Teach the Value of Perseverance
Fostering Critical Thinking in Children
- Promote Independent Exploration
- Initiate Open-Ended Discussions
- Respect Disagreement
- Introduce Diverse Reading Material
- Model Critical Thinking
- Value Reflection
Remember that fostering critical thinking requires a balance between providing guidance and allowing children the freedom to explore and think for themselves! Encouraging them to engage in thoughtful analysis, explore new ideas, and develop problem-solving skills is key to nurturing a growth mindset to become independent little thinkers.
Our Little Thinkers develop flexible thinking skills to understand their world while problem-solving outside the box. We provide experiential opportunities that foster higher-level thinking appropriate for each child’s developmental stage. Our thinking games help children build critical thinking skills to navigate their world with curiosity, confidence, independence, motivation, and self-awareness.
