10 Kindergarten Critical Thinking Activities to Inspire Their Inner Sherlock Holmes

Think about how conveniently awesome it would be to have a little one who could not only wow with his cute dimples and milk splashing abilities, but who could also solve mysteries for you and your family.

Mysteries such as, Who fed the dog the casserole your child didn’t want to eat? Who spilled the Lego all over the kitchen (and didn’t clean it up)? Who flushed mama’s favorite gold bracelet down the toilet?

It might seem like a difficult task to even imagine where to begin, when you decide that it’s time to start teaching critical thinking skills to your youngster.

Trust me, half the time, as a grown up, my own critical thinking skills vary between shoddy and spot on (depending on my amount of hyper caffeine intake for the day).

But rest assured, dear parents, that you can most definitely teach your children critical thought processes in a way that will sharpen her logic to a fine tooth and comb, so that she will, indeed, be a young sleuth-minded Sherlock Holmes.

Sit back, enjoy your favorite latte and do the following analytical thinking exercises with your kiddo, and half your job is already complete – simple as that:

1. Begin with the facts

When teaching a young child how to go from cereal spilling to the beginning steps of developing logic, it’s easiest for you to start where you are right now.

Meaning, let’s say you have just served your child dinner of mashed potatoes, cheesy broccoli, and chicken, and she refuses to eat, because the potatoes aren’t from McDonalds. Ask her, “how do you know these aren’t from McDonald’s?”

Listen to her explanation, and help her clarify the answer.

Two things can arise, she may just become bamboozled enough to give in and eat the potatoes, or she’ll hone in on her logic and will explain in perfect English why the potatoes aren’t, indeed, McDonalds.

2. Build a wildlife park

Get out your child’s themed toys (such as animal figurines), as well as a large piece of paper, and some coloring tools.

Explain to your youngster that you want him to design a zoo, but that he has to sort all of the animals into appropriate categories, so that it’s easier to keep them happy and fed.

Allow him some time to sort the animals and for some added fun, have him color and create the animal’s homes on the paper.

Not only do you have your little one fully-engaged, but now you also have another idea to add to your “kindergarten critical thinking activities” bank for a rainy day.

3. Put on your thinking caps

Get out your kiddo’s favorite dress-up hats, some tape, pieces of paper, and a pen. Now, all you need to do is write a word (such as crocodile, apple, monkey, etc.) on the paper.

Tape the paper to your child’s hat, and describe what is on the piece of paper, without using its name.

Your child will use critical thinking to figure out what the mystery word is, but the best part is, it’s fun and doesn’t feel like learning.

4. Have fun with a “What am I?” riddle

When it comes to riddles, kids seem to love them. Why not use this natural passion for some critical thinking practice?

All you need to do, is come up with a person, place, or thing, and describe it to your little one.

For example, “I am about five feet tall, have dark circles under my eyes, and haven’t slept properly in two months.” “Who am I?”

Your child can easily deduce this one.

5. Offer choice in situations

Often, tired parents will give into children’s whims (such as wearing a bumble bee costume for a year straight), in order to avoid tiring arguments, and fairly so.

However, consider having your little one use logic to see if his choice will change. Perhaps your kiddo wants to wear the bumble bee costume – again.

Offer him the Batman (more discreet) as an option. Now, and here’s the important part: have your child explain what will happen if he wears each costume.

“If I’m a bee, people might be scared of me,” but “If I’m Batman, I’ll be a superhero.” Done and done; logic wins again.

6. Predict an ending

Simple as pie. When you’re reading your child a story, and you find that you are near the end, take a moment to stop, and ask your youngster how she thinks it will end.

Will Scar (from The Lion King) win? Listen to her answer. Ask her to explain her choice, and have fun with the discussion – it can be silly and fun, but should offer some form of logic to keep the critical thinking juices flowing.

7. Like or dislike

Along the same lines of “predict an ending,” read a story with your child, and as you read it together, ask him questions. “Do you like Aladdin’s choice to steal the apple?” “Why or Why not?”

You can even get a little deeper into the critical thinking and logic path: “Aladdin was very hungry and didn’t have any money, so do you think it’s OK to take the apple, since he had no food?”

8. Critically sort a dinner menu

A simple way to not only get your child on board with the dinner menu, but to use logic and critical thinking that would make Sherlock Holmes proud, is to have her plan the dinner menu.

Simply give your child a list of about twenty food options (ranging from vegetables, pasta, fruit, ice-cream, and anything else you want).

Explain that you want the meal to be as healthy as possible, and have your child choose only four items from the list. To top it off, have your little Holmes explain why she made certain food choices over others.

9. Keep it simple with X and O’s

Play x’s and o’s with your child, but keep it fun by using a white board, colourful pens, or even candy. Simply set out to win. Child versus parent, and be merciless in your gaming skills.

See if your young one can adapt and keep up. If not, well, good luck next time youngster.

10. Engage with true or false

This is as effortless as can be. All you need to do is to give your youngster two sticky notes: one that says, “true,” and one that reads, “false.”

Make a statement, such as, “It is good to swim outdoors while it’s raining and thundering”. Your child will critically consider if the statement is, in fact, true or not, and place the corresponding sticky note down.

Now your kiddo will explain the thought process behind the chosen sticky note. Enjoy.