How Do You Teach Critical Thinking Skills In Kindergarten?
Critical thinking skills are important to the cognitive development of children. The introduction of these skills can begin as early as pre-school and kindergarten. It is important that the skills of analyzing, comparing and synthesizing be developed at an early age so students can apply them to the appropriate situation, whether in academic or personal life. Introduce the skill and explain it. Critical thinking skills are taught in isolation in kindergarten so that students can learn when and how to apply them. For example, “Today, we are going to learn how to compare and contrast. We will learn to identify things that are alike and things that are different about the people in the story we have just read.” Don’t be hesitant to use the exact terminology. Five year-olds have an amazing capacity for understanding complex language. Model it for the students. Show them how the thinking process is used. For example, after you have explained what compare and contrast is, illustrate it by co
