Teaching our Kids to develop their critical thinking skills is to prepare them for the world of today and tomorrow. A world where new technologies are more and more present in our lives. A world where anyone can communicate on the internet and provide relevant information… Or misleading. There is nothing to worry about as long as children learn to take a step back from these tools and use them well (this also applies to us as parents!).
Of course, this ability isn’t just useful for knowing if a website is talking nonsense or if someone is trying to rip us off. With a critical eye, kids learn to make better decisions, form their own opinions, and be open to others without being influenced. This will be useful in the playground, at school, but also later on the internet, in the working world, or during controversial debates…
In short, with a critical mind, your kids will become little citizens with a free and independent look. To develop this quality, we suggest a few tips to anchor in daily life. So, without further ado, let’s dive into this blog and learn some of the things you need to show your kids.
1. Take care of the appearance
It has been found that the attraction for fruit increases when it is placed in a visually pleasing and attractive container rather than in a simple plastic bowl. Making the idea of eating good food appealing is a good strategy. For example, if your child has a small candy machine, it can be positive to run it with oilseeds (if they are not too young and do not have allergies).
2. Putting the good stuff first
Cakes, candies, chips, and sodas should not be at the forefront in the kitchen or living room. We always tend to take the easy way out, especially when we are hungry. By putting apples in the foreground and cakes in the back of the cupboards, your kids will more often choose fruit. This method even works in your fridge: by placing sweet desserts at the back of the fridge and leaving plain, lower-fat dairy products in the foreground, their consumption tends to increase, to the detriment of others.
3. Cooking
The most difficult thing for a child is to get him to eat vegetables. These foods, rich in flavors, disturb their taste buds. A good way to get them used to it is not to serve them steamed broccoli but rather to be “subtle”. For example, the day you plan to make mashed potatoes, forget the simple mashed potatoes: make a mashed potato mixed with celery or pumpkin! Finally, you can add a little cheese to the hot mashed potatoes to make them more appealing. It’s up to you to come up with other tricks!
4. Change the name of the food
If you store your food in storage boxes, stick labels on them and rename the food with an original or humorous name. For example, if your son is a fan of martial arts and Jet Li (an Asian actor), write on the box of brown rice, and be imaginative. Remind your kids that carrots make them lovable when they are rude; even if it is in a humorous tone, the message is passed on and will justify the presence of carrots at dinner. Just like when you go to a restaurant, your choices are influenced by the names of the dishes: “Spring Vegetable Medley with Homemade Sauce” is much more appealing than “Mixed Vegetables”.
5. Play pretend with them to develop their creativity
kids love to play pretend at an early age. Role-playing has many benefits for children’s development: enriching their vocabulary, adopting different points of view, encouraging imagination, etc. Paradoxically, they teach them to better understand reality. Indeed, by pretending, kids project themselves into scenarios where several problems occur and in which they must think of solutions that stimulate their creativity.
To play role-playing games, you don’t need much! You simply get carried away by the scenario your child has imagined. You become a superhero or super-villain, a pirate, a policeman, a dinosaur, a fairy, a cat, a snail, a ghost, etc. Sheets are used as capes or huts, pillows as armor or rocks.
Sound off in the comments section below and tell us what you want to read next and if you want to read more about things to show and inculcate to your kids.
