Learning How To Think Critically at an Early Age

I definitely believe that children should be tought some reasoning and critical thinking skills while they are in primary school. Many people make the point that they are children and should enjoy themselves, however I think that there is a way that kids could enjoy learning how to think critically if taught in the correct manner.

A majority of children in this generation enjoy video games and I think using certain games that require critical thinking. Currently I am playing a game called The Secret of Monkey Island. It is a point and click game that requires critical thinking (A review of the game can be found here). The game may be a bit too complex for primary schoolers, but I think other companies that produce games for smaller children can learn from it. The game really makes you think. You are constantly solving problems that may take you hours to solve, that is if you don’t have a guide…One puzzle required me to meet the governor in her house, however there were vicious attack dogs that I had to get passed. In order for me to do this I had to feed them, I later found out that the meat I stole from a restaurant’s kitchen wasn’t enough so I had to find something poisonous. I went into the forest and found some exotic flowers to insert into the meat and I successfully made it past. And that is just a small part of the game.

I feel that learning to spend time thinking your decisions through at an early age will only help. Learning critical thinking skills can help a child learn that there are consequences to the choices that they make and that they need to choose wisely in order to benefit themselves the most and to make sure that they are happy at what they are doing. At the end of high school, one has to choose what career they need and what school is best for them and when you learn at an early age, I think that the student would be more comfortable in weighing their options. Maybe a local school costs less money, but it is way better to go out of state, and study at a school that has the best quality professors that would teach your major.

Back when I was in Elementary school, I participated in a business simulation called Exchange City. The main goals of this simulation were to teach the student to make valuable decisions and manage your money in a good way. This is idea was also reinforced in high school and I have benefited from both of these. Money can be hard to find, especially now, and learning how to manage your money in the best way possible at an early age is something I find to be extremely important.

So even though I was taught critical thinking at an early age, I was still able to enjoy being a kid. I was not solely taught how to think critically by mathematical word problems and the educational simulations were quite enjoyable. I still have opportunities to enjoy thinking critically. I play a lot of video games that require a lot of thinking, such as Monkey Island and more often, FIFA, which requires you to come up with a strategy to break down defense and find a way to score a goal. You also as a manager, have to pick the squad you think is best for a game and what formation they need to be in, and whether it be more defensive or attacking mindset. It’s not just running down a court and shooting with 2 or 3 buttons. This game requires you to use every single button on the controller in different combinations. (Here is a video of some gameplay) As long as the child is enjoying and understanding what he is learning, I see no problem with them learning reasoning and critical thinking skills at an early age.