8 Fun Activities To Build Critical Thinking Skills In Students

Engage young minds with fun activities designed to build critical thinking skills in students. Encourage creativity, problem-solving, and logical reasoning through interactive learning.

Activities To Build Critical Thinking Skills In Students

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(By Dr. Alka Kapur)

Critical thinking encompasses problem-solving and decision- making through an objective analysis and evaluation of the circumstances. It also involves reasoning and active enquiry to draw conclusions. Needless to say, it's an essential life skill that determines success in one’s life, and building critical thinking skills in students is of paramount importance.

Look at these 8 fun activities that can build critical thinking skills in students.

Nonograms For Logical Reasoning

The ability to use rational thought to draw conclusions is an imperative critical thinking skill. Nonograms or griddlers, are the perfect logical puzzles that are widely enjoyed by students. The students are challenged to uncover a hidden picture within a grid using numerical cues indicating the number of cells that are filled in black colour in each row and column. The student should use deductive reasoning to determine which cells should be left blank and solve the puzzle.

Evaluative Skills Through Debates

Critical thinking necessitates evaluation and the ability to question. During debates, the speakers are pushed to evaluate each other’s points of view and develop relevant interjections. These interjections in turn allow them to think deeper about the topic in more systematic and scientific way, thus making debating an excellent tool for cultivating  critical thinkers.

Planning And Foresight With Line Puzzles

One key aspect of problem-solving is the ability to plan ahead. A fun activity to facilitate the development of this quality is the one-stroke challenge. Students can be given a sheet of paper that has a geometric pattern drawn in dotted lines, which they must draw without overlapping and lifting their pencils. Here, they must select a starting point strategically applying foresight and planning.

Differing Facts From Opinions

Critical thinking also involves flexibility of thought and the ability to break down data into digestible chunks. The deconstruction allows for recognition of seemingly unrelated patterns. To develop these skills, students can be presented with texts that are a mix of facts and opinions and asked to categorise each statement.

Headbanz For Clue-Based Learning

Headbanz is a clue-based puzzle activity in which a picture card is placed in a headband worn by the student. They must ask yes/no questions to discover what the picture depicts. This activity keeps student’s curiosity and intuition alive, which are vital for critical thinking.

Role-playing To Enhance Spontaneity

Role -playing activities  that can be conducted with students of all ages. Be it mock interviews or MUNs or ‘simple play house’, such activities require students to place themselves in various scenarios, predict consequences and devise a course of action based on available information. It also requires spontaneity, which is a critical life skill.

Picture Analysis For Fostering  Skills

Anyone can lay out a simple description of what meets the eye. However, critical thinking requires  a deeper exploration of possible meanings and reasons behind the present scenario. Connecting new ideas and evaluating all possibilities is essential. Picture analysis activities, especially  when conducted  in groups, can spark creative thinking and collaborative problem-solving among students. 

KWL Charts For Reflective Thinking

Knowing one’s curiosities, interests, and knowledge gaps is non-negotiable for building critical thinking. KWL charts challenge students to present what they know already and things they would love to know about the topic. They are then encouraged to research and exchange knowledge and list what new aspects they learned. This approach promotes reflection and purposeful learning.

Dr. Alka Kapur is the Principal of Modern Public School, Shalimar Bagh