by Jan Pierce, M.Ed.
E
very day life involves a lot of problem-solving.
How do you encourage your children to get along
with others? What’s the best way to help your child
learn to manage money? Should you let your kids play
video games and which ones should be off-limits?
Without realizing it, you’re making logical decisions
every day, and your kids need to learn how to make
sound, logical decisions as well. Not only in their social
and emotional lives, but also in their reading, their writing,
and their math and science explorations.
In short, the child who knows how to think logically will be
a better student who comprehends his or her reading at a higher
level, thinks creatively to solve math and science problems,
communicates clearly, and may even score higher on IQ tests.
Critical thinking is a complex skill learned over time. It involves
being able to evaluate information for accuracy, interpret
information, make predictions and inferences
(conclusions based on evidence and reasoning),
recognize fact vs. opinion, and explain one’s
thinking clearly.
So….it’s kind of hard. But, there are simple ways
to build these logical thinking skills and you can begin
to teach them in easy and fun ways. Here are some skills
to work on at home to ensure your child is a strong, clear
and logical thinker.
ANALYZE ANALOGIES
Analogies are comparisons between two different things. They show a
relationship between two items. The skill involved requires your child to
first identify the relationship and then select the words demonstrating
that relationship. The use of analogies increases understanding in
virtually all areas of learning.
For example: day is to light as night is to ____. To solve this analogy, you
first see that it is light in the daytime, then supply the opposite concept,
dark, to night. Or, book is to read as song is to _____. One reads a book.
What do we do with a song? We sing it.
Analogies can demonstrate a number
of relationships such as part to
whole, opposites, cause and
effect, or degree of
intensity (cool is to
freezing as warm
is to ____.)
12 | S T . J O H N S
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