critical thinking books for kids

Young children learn to think in new ways when they imagine, guess, describe, and wonder. Try these books to engage your child’s curiosity and to inspire her to see different views of the world. (Note: Many of these books are available in Spanish, and can be purchased as a hardcover, paperback, or board book.) Round Like a Ball, by Lisa Campbell Ernst. 2008. The book begins with a familiar guessing game: I’m thinking of something that’s round like a ball.” Each page offers a new clue. The paper cutout shape in each illustration is a visual hint to the answer. What’s round like a ball? It’s the Earth! Although this book introduces many facts about Planet Earth, you can also use it to spark a conversation about color, shape, and size. Available in English. Can be purchased as a hardcover and paperback. Not a Box (2006) and Not a Stick (2007), by Antoinette Portis. These books feature simple line drawings that will spark your child’s imagination. When asked, “Why are you sitting on that box?” a rabbit replies, “It’s not a box,” then demonstrates that it’s a racecar, a mountain, and a robot. In Not a Stick, a pig imagines his stick becoming a sword, a horse, and more. These books will inspire your child to consider many different ways to imagine and pretend. Available in English and Spanish. Can be purchased as a hardcover, paperback, and board book. Just How Long Can a Long String Be?! by Keith Baker. 2009. In this story, a bird and an ant discuss all the uses for a piece of simple white string. The examples are imaginative and each contains a sense of purpose or fun, such as “[hanging] a picture on a wall” and “[helping] the sweet pea vines grow tall.” As the string winds its way from page to page, the book imparts a feeling of connectedness among all things in the world, and will encourage your child to think about the many uses of simple things. Available in English.
StrategyAbility to use available resources to achieve goals and shape the future.Decision-MakingPlanningProblem-Solving What kind of thinker is your child?  Does he believe everything on TV?  Does she always figure out how to get what she wants?  Does he ask questions?  Does she go along with what her friends suggest?  You can help develop your child’s critical thinking skills by learning a few key guidelines! Whether your child is just starting summer vacation or in the midst of the school year, parents can help keep minds active in fun ways. Critical thinking skills don’t fully develop until adolescence but the foundations for good thinking develop in younger children. The nonprofit Foundation for Critical Thinking cultivates core intellectual virtues that lead to fair-minding thinking.  They have identified three ways K-6 children typically think. Naïve Nancy doesn’t believe she needs to think because her parents do it for her! She believes most things she hears on TV, doesn’t ask questions, and goes along with what her friends decide. Selfish Sam thinks a lot because it gets him what he wants. He believes whatever is necessary to achieve his goals, regardless of whether it hurts others. He figures out how to get other kids to do what he wants them to do. Sam is a clever manipulator of adults and other children. Fair-minded Fran thinks a lot because it helps her learn. She knows she can’t always believe what people say or what she sees and hears on TV. Fran thinks about others as well as herself.  She is motivated to understand other people’s situations and attempts to put herself in their shoes. What is Critical Thinking? What is critical thinking? Critical thinking comprises a number of different skills that help us learn to make decisions. It is the ability to evaluate information to determine whether it is right or wrong.  To think critically about an issue or.
In his review of critical thinking research, Stephen Norris wrote that critical thinking in children is uncommon: “Most students do not score well on tests that measure ability to recognize assumptions, evaluate arguments, and appraise inferences” (Norris 1985). Why is critical thinking so difficult? Some argue that humans aren’t designed for it. According to this idea, evolution hasn’t equipped us for abstract, logical reasoning. Instead, natural selection has shaped the brain to solve specific, evolutionarily- relevant, problems-- like avoiding predators and identifying which people are breaking the rules (Tooby and Cosmides 1992). Maybe these folks are right—I’m not going to argue that here. Instead, I want to make a different point: We often train our kids to think in fallacious or illogical ways. My evidence? Consider these real-life examples of how TV, books, educational software, and even some teachers--discourage critical thinking in children. How to discourage critical thinking in children: The case of Minnie Mouse How about this a scene from Disney’s “Mickey Mouse Playhouse,” a TV program for preschoolers. Minnie Mouse--Mickey's feminissima pal--has a problem. She has been packaging and wrapping gifts, including a bow (just like the one on her head). But Minnie forgot to label the packages she’s wrapped, and now she’s not sure which box contains the bow. There are three possible boxes—small, medium-sized, and large. Minnie asks: Which box might contain the bow? Minnie holds out her hands to show us how big the bow is. She compares this with the size of the boxes. The bow seems too big for the smallest box. But it appears small enough to fit in the other two. So.the answer is that the bow might be in either the medium-sized box or the big box. Right? Wrong. Minnie tells us that the bow MUST be in the medium-sized box. Why does Minnie deny the logical.
Recommended Readings Books that help children learn to think for themselves, be skeptical, and ask questions PRE-SCHOOL AND “KID BASICS” The Kindergarten Survival Handbook: The Before School Checklist And A Guide For Parents by Allana Elovson, Ph.D. Illustrated by Andrea Elovson Parent Education Resources (Ages 3-5) Pb. 94 pp. A guide that will help all children come to school ready to learn—to thrive as well as survive in kindergarten. The Checklist helps parents assess children’s readiness; the Guide offers simple, inexpensive and enjoyable ways that parents or caretakers can teach children the things they need to know. Written by an educational psychologist and parent training consultant who was the founding director of California’s Home Start program. Also available in Spanish (El Manual de Vomo Sobrevivir el Jardin de Ninos) Why Can’t I Be the Leader? by Bailey & Pam Griscom Illustrated by Scot Halpin Share Publishing (3-7) Pb. 19pp.  A book for pre-school and early elementary age children that encourages them to be critical of leaders and to understand that leaders can make mistakes. Who Would Want These Apples Anyway?by Laura & Pam Griscom Illustrated by Scot Halpin Share Publishing (Ages 3-6) Pb. 19pp. A real life story about a child's reasons for choosing organic produce. Charming illustrations and basic language make this book an excellent way for parents to introduce the hidden consequences of food production. Just Pretend: A Freethought Book for Children by Dan Barker Freedom From Religion Foundation (3-8) Pb. 71pp. Illus. Encourages children to think things out for themselves by emphasizing the importance of evidence and posing questions that stimulate critical thinking. Compares the concept of God to Santa Claus, examines contradictions in the bible, and looks at cross-cultural religious ideas. They’re Never Too Young For Books: A Guide To Children’s.
  This is the first year my 5th grader started using resources from the Critical Thinking Co. and I am so far pleased with the outcome. The homeschool curriculum offered at CTC allows students to use broad and well-defined thinking skills.  The children identify and evaluate evidence that allows them to make decisions based on the information provided. I began by ordering one of the Mind Benders and the Word Roots A1 books for starters.  The Mind Benders I gave my daughter to try out and see if she liked it.  Well, she wouldn’t put it down and within two days had the entire book complete. With the Word Roots, I integrated it into her other language arts and Latin studies to see how much she would retain.  At first, the repetition of the worksheets seemed a bit daunting, but they worked for my 5th grader.  It’s not her favorite book by the Critical Thinking Co., but she enjoys the structure and never complains. Since the two books we originally started with, we have since expanded our palate to a wide variety of resources from this top-notch logical learning company.  I would say we have used about 20 of their products thus far, and I am getting ready to seriously investigate the preschool age/kinder books. Top 5 Critical Thinking Resources as Used and Reviewed by Us 1.    Building Thinking Skills This year we are finishing up Building Thinking Skills Level 2 and I will be getting Level 3 ordered within the month to finish out the ‘school year.’  I adore this book and my daughter seems to enjoy working with it.  Depending on your child’s learning styles, he or she may whiz through some of the chapters quicker than the others. From figural classifications to verbal sequences and analogies, this book is a comprehensive overview and in-depth preparation for high level testing, such as the SAT, the CogAT, GATE and TAG.  This is a great resource for improving your child’s.