Why Logic and Critical Thinking Matter in the Homeschool
Yes, logic and critical thinking really do matter. A lot, in fact.
We all want children who can stop and think before they act, right? That takes logic and critical thinking. And, I bet at least one of your homeschooling goals is to raise a well-rounded child who can transition into successful adulthood? Well, that adult is going to need a healthy dose of logic and critical thinking ability.
Purposeful training in thinking skills can go such a long way in the now and later moments!
I received free curriculum and compensation from The Critical Thinking Co. for my time spent writing this post. As always, my opinions are strictly my own and from the heart.
What are logic and critical thinking?
Logical thinking and critical thinking are very similar. In logic, a problem or situation is analyzed through pretty straight-forward inductive and/or deductive reasoning in order to form a reasonable conclusion. (Picture a detective looking at evidence.)
Critical thinking tends to be a little more subjective. A conclusion is reached after more than “just the facts” are considered. The inductive and deductive reasoning skills of logic are assessed with an open mind to consider other factors like observations and past experiences. (Picture a detective talking to witnesses and looking at the prior histories of a suspect.)
All of that sounds pretty hifalutin, but it’s really not. In fact, you can begin teaching these thinking skills as early as preschool!
Why do logic and critical thinking skills matter?
We all desire for our children to be able to think and act independently and reasoning skills are one of the keys to that independence. Whether we need our children to make good decisions with friends or simply finish an assignment without our help, arming them with thinking skills makes a huge difference.
The best part, when we offer our children a chance to practice these skills, they eventually become second nature. In other words, our children begin to simply figure things out and act on them clearly without too much serious thought.
I also love that logic and critical thinking naturally promote higher order thinking skills. We should all strive to include more higher order thinking skills into everyday homeschooling. These specific skills take children from a basic level of remembering something to actually working with information by applying it, analyzing it, and creating new things from it. Deep, deep learning happens at these levels.
Where is my favorite place to find curriculum?
For nearly 15 years now, I’ve used and loved materials from The Critical Thinking Co. They have so many resources targeted specifically toward logical thinking and critical thinking for all ages.
You can find curriculum for children as young as preschool all the way through high school! I particularly love their general logic and critical thinking materials, but you can even target certain subjects like math, language arts, science, social studies, and test prep skills.
We tend to include logic and critical thinking materials in our morning time rotation at least a couple of times a week. We’ve also been known to set regular math lessons aside for the day and just have fun with various types of puzzles and mysteries. I’ve even taught co-op classes using these resources and we often begin each of our STEM classes with at least one puzzle!
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