educational games for critical thinking

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11 Activities That Promote Critical Thinking In The Class

52 Critical Thinking Flashcards for Problem Solving

Critical thinking activities encourage individuals to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information to develop informed opinions and make reasoned decisions. Engaging in such exercises cultivates intellectual agility, fostering a deeper understanding of complex issues and honing problem-solving skills for navigating an increasingly intricate world. Through critical thinking, individuals empower themselves to challenge assumptions, uncover biases, and constructively contribute to discourse, thereby enriching both personal growth and societal progress.

Critical thinking serves as the cornerstone of effective problem-solving, enabling individuals to dissect challenges, explore diverse perspectives, and devise innovative solutions grounded in logic and evidence. For engaging problem solving activities, read our article problem solving activities that enhance student’s interest.

What is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking is a 21st-century skill that enables a person to think rationally and logically in order to reach a plausible conclusion. A critical thinker assesses facts and figures and data objectively and determines what to believe and what not to believe. Critical thinking skills empower a person to decipher complex problems and make impartial and better decisions based on effective information.

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Critical thinking skills cultivate habits of mind such as strategic thinking, skepticism, discerning fallacy from the facts, asking good questions and probing deep into the issues to find the truth.

Importance of Acquiring Critical Thinking Skills

Acquiring critical thinking skills was never as valuable as it is today because of the prevalence of the modern knowledge economy. Today, information and technology are the driving forces behind the global economy. To keep pace with ever-changing technology and new inventions, one has to be flexible enough to embrace changes swiftly.

Read our article: How to Foster Critical Thinking Skills in Students? Creative Strategies and Real-World Examples

Today critical thinking skills are one of the most sought-after skills by the companies. In fact, critical thinking skills are paramount not only for active learning and academic achievement but also for the professional career of the students. The lack of critical thinking skills catalyzes memorization of the topics without a deeper insight, egocentrism, closed-mindedness, reduced student interest in the classroom and not being able to make timely and better decisions.

Benefits of Critical Thinking Skills in Education

Certain strategies are more eloquent than others in teaching students how to think critically. Encouraging critical thinking in the class is indispensable for the learning and growth of the students. In this way, we can raise a generation of innovators and thinkers rather than followers. Some of the benefits offered by thinking critically in the classroom are given below:

• It allows a student to decipher problems and think through the situations in a disciplined and systematic manner
• Through a critical thinking ability, a student can comprehend the logical correlation between distinct ideas
• The student is able to rethink and re-justify his beliefs and ideas based on facts and figures
• Critical thinking skills make the students curious about things around them
• A student who is a critical thinker is creative and always strives to come up with out of the box solutions to intricate problems
• Critical thinking skills assist in the enhanced student learning experience in the classroom and prepares the students for lifelong learning and success
• The critical thinking process is the foundation of new discoveries and inventions in the world of science and technology
• The ability to think critically allows the students to think intellectually and enhances their presentation skills, hence they can convey their ideas and thoughts in a logical and convincing manner
• Critical thinking skills make students a terrific communicator because they have logical reasons behind their ideas

Critical Thinking Lessons and Activities

11 Activities that Promote Critical Thinking in the Class

We have compiled a list of 11 activities that will facilitate you to promote critical thinking abilities in the students. We have also covered problem solving activities that enhance student’s interest in our another article. Click here to read it.

1. Worst Case Scenario

Divide students into teams and introduce each team with a hypothetical challenging scenario. Allocate minimum resources and time to each team and ask them to reach a viable conclusion using those resources. The scenarios can include situations like stranded on an island or stuck in a forest. Students will come up with creative solutions to come out from the imaginary problematic situation they are encountering. Besides encouraging students to think critically, this activity will enhance teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills of the students.

Read our article: 10 Innovative Strategies for Promoting Critical Thinking in the Classroom

2. If You Build It

It is a very flexible game that allows students to think creatively. To start this activity, divide students into groups. Give each group a limited amount of resources such as pipe cleaners, blocks, and marshmallows etc. Every group is supposed to use these resources and construct a certain item such as building, tower or a bridge in a limited time. You can use a variety of materials in the classroom to challenge the students. This activity is helpful in promoting teamwork and creative skills among the students.

It is also one of the classics which can be used in the classroom to encourage critical thinking. Print pictures of objects, animals or concepts and start by telling a unique story about the printed picture. The next student is supposed to continue the story and pass the picture to the other student and so on.

4. Keeping it Real

In this activity, you can ask students to identify a real-world problem in their schools, community or city. After the problem is recognized, students should work in teams to come up with the best possible outcome of that problem.

5. Save the Egg

Make groups of three or four in the class. Ask them to drop an egg from a certain height and think of creative ideas to save the egg from breaking. Students can come up with diverse ideas to conserve the egg like a soft-landing material or any other device. Remember that this activity can get chaotic, so select the area in the school that can be cleaned easily afterward and where there are no chances of damaging the school property.

6. Start a Debate

In this activity, the teacher can act as a facilitator and spark an interesting conversation in the class on any given topic. Give a small introductory speech on an open-ended topic. The topic can be related to current affairs, technological development or a new discovery in the field of science. Encourage students to participate in the debate by expressing their views and ideas on the topic. Conclude the debate with a viable solution or fresh ideas generated during the activity through brainstorming.

7. Create and Invent

This project-based learning activity is best for teaching in the engineering class. Divide students into groups. Present a problem to the students and ask them to build a model or simulate a product using computer animations or graphics that will solve the problem. After students are done with building models, each group is supposed to explain their proposed product to the rest of the class. The primary objective of this activity is to promote creative thinking and problem-solving skills among the students.

8. Select from Alternatives

This activity can be used in computer science, engineering or any of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) classes. Introduce a variety of alternatives such as different formulas for solving the same problem, different computer codes, product designs or distinct explanations of the same topic.

Form groups in the class and ask them to select the best alternative. Each group will then explain its chosen alternative to the rest of the class with reasonable justification of its preference. During the process, the rest of the class can participate by asking questions from the group. This activity is very helpful in nurturing logical thinking and analytical skills among the students.

9. Reading and Critiquing

Present an article from a journal related to any topic that you are teaching. Ask the students to read the article critically and evaluate strengths and weaknesses in the article. Students can write about what they think about the article, any misleading statement or biases of the author and critique it by using their own judgments.

In this way, students can challenge the fallacies and rationality of judgments in the article. Hence, they can use their own thinking to come up with novel ideas pertaining to the topic.

10. Think Pair Share

In this activity, students will come up with their own questions. Make pairs or groups in the class and ask the students to discuss the questions together. The activity will be useful if the teacher gives students a topic on which the question should be based.

For example, if the teacher is teaching biology, the questions of the students can be based on reverse osmosis, human heart, respiratory system and so on. This activity drives student engagement and supports higher-order thinking skills among students.

11. Big Paper – Silent Conversation

Silence is a great way to slow down thinking and promote deep reflection on any subject. Present a driving question to the students and divide them into groups. The students will discuss the question with their teammates and brainstorm their ideas on a big paper. After reflection and discussion, students can write their findings in silence. This is a great learning activity for students who are introverts and love to ruminate silently rather than thinking aloud.

Read our next article: 10 Innovative Strategies for Promoting Critical Thinking in the Classroom

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Parent Resources for Learning > Critical Thinking > 5 Fun Critical Thinking Games to Play with Your Child

5 Fun Critical Thinking Games to Play with Your Child

by Dr. Jody Sherman LeVos | Mar 27, 2024 | Critical Thinking

Playing games is a great way for your child to develop their critical thinking skills—and the metaphor of a game is a great way to think about these important life skills!

Every time your child works through a problem they need to solve, a sequence they need to memorize, or a decision they need to make, they’re making their way toward the goal of improving their critical thinking.

It’s like a game where the reward at the end is better decision-making, stronger reasoning skills, and academic and professional success!

Kids will keep playing this game over the course of their lives, connecting new ideas to old ones and discarding one opinion for another. Each time, they’ll get better.

Ready to start? We’ve got some fun and easy game ideas for you!

The Short Cut

• Critical thinking  is one of the 5 C’s  that help kids thrive in school and life (an essential part of the Begin Approach to learning)
• The ability to think critically—as opposed to being intelligent—has been linked to wellness and fewer “negative life events”
• Good critical thinking activities  often involve following rules, breaking tasks into sequences, asking questions, and understanding multiple perspectives
• Games (like this memory game ) are a fantastic way to develop critical thinking with kids because you can slip in challenges with the fun!

Why Is Critical Thinking Important?

Critical thinking is a necessary skill for understanding the world.

Through weighing options, studying different perspectives, and making good choices, our children can lead their lives in a positive and healthy way.

Critical thinking allows our kids to:

• Analyze information and make decisions
• Recall short sequences of information and simple instructions
• Ignore distractions to focus on a task
• Grasp the differences between sources of information
• Reason using logic
• Make connections between things

It’s one of the most important contributors to their overall well-being!

6 Critical Thinking Exercises for Everyday Life

Games aren’t the only critical thinking exercises that work well for kids. They also encounter many opportunities to build their skills on any given day.

How can you tap into those chances? Try these techniques.

1. Explain Things

No doubt you often find yourself on the receiving end of your child’s questions. Try to answer all of them. Daunting as that might sound (we know!), this helps your child learn how to formulate the questions they need to ask to make good judgments.

2. Back Up Rules with Good Reasons

Help your child understand the reasons behind rules. (A typical Q&A volley:  “Please find a quiet activity to do after dinner.” “Why?” “Because your brother is asleep and we don’t want to wake him up.”)

This kind of exchange allows your child to understand why you’re asking them to do something, which fosters critical thinking.

3. Play Real-Life Problem-Solving Games

Playing strategy games—even simple ones designed for kids—develops analytical skills. You can also have fun turning household tasks into problem-solving games, like figuring out which socks go to which person when you’re folding laundry.

4. Cultivate Curiosity

Encourage your child to ask questions and dig deep to find answers. Curiosity leads to challenging assumptions and gaining new information. Ultimately it helps your child develop complex thinking skills.

5. Encourage Open-Mindedness

Help your child learn to be flexible in their thinking by giving them time to gather information before they make decisions. Considering various solutions helps kids learn that more than one way to do things can be correct.

6. Model Analytical Thinking

Our kids are always watching us. One of the best ways to influence your child’s critical thinking skills is by talking through decisions as you make them. (“I want to walk to the store. I can take a shortcut, but it’s on that dirt path and I’m wearing new sneakers. I want to keep them clean, so I’ll walk on the sidewalk instead.”)

5 Games to Guide Your Child’s Critical Thinking

There are many educational critical thinking games  you can play at home that help kids improve their skills! We’ve gathered a few we love:

This classic guessing game encourages analytical thinking and problem-solving skills (like deduction) as your child searches for specific objects based on clues.

Plus, it‘s highly portable! Play it in the car, on a walk, or even at the grocery store!

What You Need

• Nothing except space!
• Explain you’ll take turns identifying an object in your space.
• Model the game by going first. Choose an object that both of you can see.
• Share one detail about it. (“I spy something purple.”)
• Ask your child to guess what you’ve chosen.
• If your child is stumped or getting frustrated, add more clues (“The purple thing is a food, and it’s over by the apples.”)
• Trade roles so that your child chooses something for you to guess.

More Ways to Play

• Choose different rules, such as “the object has to start with A,” or “share three adjectives that describe the object,” or “make up one phrase this object might say”

2. Once Upon a Time

Storytelling is a great way to work on critical thinking skills like understanding cause and effect, choice-making, and sequencing. This game also taps into kids’ creativity  (another one of the 5 C’s) through making up stories.

• Nothing but your imagination!
• Explain you’re going to build a story together by taking turns, one sentence at a time. You can give an example by reciting a story that your child already knows.
• Give an exciting first sentence that jumps into action, such as, “Once upon a time, a kid was on a rocket ship headed to Mars, when a meteor hit and fuel began to leak.”
• Ask your child to continue the story. If they get stuck, try asking them questions like “What did the rocket ship do next?” or “What did the kid do first to fix the problem?” or “How did the kid feel?”
• Continue taking turns until you come to a natural ending.
• Write down the story as you tell it, then read it out loud
• Create a book out of the story, using paper, markers, and a stapler or tape (art projects use many critical thinking skills)
• Use a prop to center the story on, like a toy or a stuffed animal
• Go outside and tell a story based on what you imagine you see in the clouds

3. Bet You Can Build It!

Designing a structure takes curiosity, planning, trial and error, and problem-solving. You can turn this activity into a game by laying out rules to follow.

• Marshmallows
• Craft sticks
• Cardboard tubes
• Anything else you’ve got at home!
• Gather your materials.
• Give your child the rules for the building challenge. (“Create the tallest building you can without it tipping over” or “Use all the marshmallows and toothpicks.”)
• Work on the structure together or each do your own.
• Celebrate when you’ve finished!
• Use a timer to add urgency to the game
• Bring the game to the floor and use bigger building materials, like blocks or plastic bricks
• Bring it outside and use objects found in nature

Get your child moving their whole body as they use planning, organization, and problem-solving skills to find their way through a maze.

• A surface to draw on, like a sidewalk, driveway, or playground blacktop
• Objects to use as obstacles
• A finish-line treasure (a favorite toy, a treat, etc.)
• Draw a maze with chalk. Try making a path by drawing borders on each side or a “tightrope” by only drawing one line your child will need to balance on as they walk.
• Add dead ends to make the maze more challenging.
• Use objects to create obstacles for your child to problem-solve a way past.
• Add a treasure at the finish to engage their imagination.
• Have your child start at one end and try to find their way through!
• Hone in on the treasure component of the maze by creating a scavenger hunt .
• Ask your child to draw a map of the maze when they’ve finished.

5. Obstacle Course

An obstacle course builds real-life skills. To get through their days, kids need to be able to remember lots of information (just think about all the rules at school!).

They also encounter problem-solving based on sequencing and memorizing shortcuts, directions, and solutions. (Think about learning how to write. Letters have to be in a specific order to make a word. That’s sequencing.)

Or you may allow your child to walk to school or the bus stop on their own. That’s all about memorizing directions.

Obstacle courses can help them practice these skills!

• Masking tape or chalk
• Jump rope or broom
• Big bouncy ball
• Play tunnel, table, or chair
• Board or pool noodle
• Log and plank
• Pillows, bean bag chairs, or large stuffed animal
• Any other objects you want!
• Gather your objects—you can play this game inside or outside.
• Design a path for your child by placing interactive objects along it. For instance, they can jump over the broom, crawl under the table, and balance on the log and plank.
• Show your child the sequence. You can demonstrate it or have them do a trial run.
• Let them start!
• Try asking your child to do the course backwards or blindfolded—with a partner!
• On a hot day (and outdoors!), add water components like carrying a bucket of water or running through a sprinkler
• Draw a map and instead of telling your child how to move through the course, give them the map to follow
• Add a fun time component and challenge your child to finish the course faster each time they do it

Cultivating Critical Thinking Skills with Begin

Because critical thinking is such an essential skill set, at Begin we build it into our age- and stage-matched learning membership . Through playing with Little Passports activity kits, the codeSpark coding app , and other award-winning learning products from Begin, kids can learn sequencing, make their own games, do science experiments, and more !

Take our online quiz  today to discover which stage of the Begin membership is best for your family!

Jody has a Ph.D. in Developmental Science and more than a decade of experience in the children’s media and early learning space.

View all posts

Dr. Jody Sherman LeVos

Chief Learning Officer at Begin

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10 Team-Building Games That Promote Critical Thinking

Students may improve their capabilities in critical thinking and other skills that will help them be successful in the contemporary job by participating in Team-building games for critical thinking. Students who value collaboration (and who will go on to become employers!) have higher levels of motivation and creativity.

It is common knowledge that kids like collaborating in groups very lot. Why don’t we make it into a game instead? Games are often a better option than brain training activities for helping children develop lateral thinking. However, brain training activities may be employed. Implementing these strategies in your classes can help students become more critical thinkers and more successful collaborators.

Here are 10 Team-Building Games That Promote Critical Thinking;

1. minefield.

Minefield Team-building games for critical thinking is a time-honored exercise that has been shown to foster better communication and a sense of trust among participants of all ages. It requires the construction of an obstacle course as well as the grouping of the students into different teams. Students take turns navigating the “minefield” while wearing blindfolds and relying only on the support of their classmates to find their way. You might also encourage kids to use certain terms or hints in order to make it more challenging for them or to utilize information that is related to the topic in order to make it more interesting to them.

2. If You Build it

This exercise in establishing teams may easily be adapted to fit your needs. To get started, separate the children into teams and give each group an equal quantity of a certain substance. Some examples of this material are pipe cleaners, bricks, dried spaghetti, and marshmallows.

After that, you should assign them a project to work on. The challenge may take on a variety of forms, such as “which team can build the biggest castle that is also structurally sound?” Which side has the capacity to build the greatest number of castles in the least period of time? You may recycle this exercise throughout the year by modifying the challenge or the resources to correspond to other subject areas in the curriculum.

3. It’s a Mystery

Since many children, especially younger ones, like a good mystery, why not challenge them to solve it in a way that encourages them to collaborate with one another? It would be helpful to offer each child a numbered clue. The youngsters need to cooperate in order to find the answers to the clues in order to allow themselves enough time to solve the mystery, such as the case of the missing mascot. It’s possible that in order to solve the “case,” they’ll need to go about the room and look in other areas for additional clues.

Zoom team-building games for critical thinking is an old standby when it comes to games for constructing teams, and the many advantages that come with playing the game make it even more interesting. The children are seated in a circle, and one child gives each child an image of an item from Zoom.

The game begins with one child relating a story based on the image that they are holding, and the next student continues the story from where the previous student left off. The game helps youngsters improve their creativity, critical thinking, and communication abilities by compelling them to create the tales on the spot and challenging them to think critically about what they’ve written.

5. Save the Egg

During this team-building games for critical thinking, each team of three or four persons will have the opportunity to drop their egg from a certain height. They need to devise strategies that will prevent the egg from cracking while it is in the air. They are free to use whatever items or apparatus of their choosing to effect a soft landing for the egg or to guarantee that it settles in an unharmed state.

Because this one has the potential to get ugly, it is essential to choose a site that is risk-free and where no one will be worried about hurting valuable school property.

6. marshmallows-game

7. Go for Gold

The teams compete to achieve the same objective in this Team-building games for critical thinking, which is similar to the game “If you create it,” but rather than having the same resources, the teams have access to a huge quantity. For instance, the objective may be to construct, consisting of pipes, rubber tubing, and cardboard, a machine that, with the only assistance of gravity, can move a marble from point A to point B in a certain number of stages.

Although learning through textbooks is essential, teachers also have a responsibility to ensure that pupils can interact effectively with one another. Exercises that focus on fostering a sense of teamwork are an effective way to do this, and there is no sign that this fad will ever die out.

8. Keep it Real

Because it is founded on a straightforward concept that encourages conversation and problem-solving, this open-ended model functions as an efficient examination tool for students. Give the students the mission to identify and address a genuine issue that exists in their own schools or communities. For the purpose of assisting youngsters in defining their own boundaries, some restrictions, such as time limits, material limits, and physical limitations, might be put on them.

9. Shrinking Vessel

Critical thinking may be tough to understand after undergoing brain training, but after participating in exciting Team-building games for critical thinking like the shrinking vessel, it quickly becomes second nature. The participants will first be split up into smaller groups to begin the exercise. Every group is going to have to coordinate their efforts so that they can fit into a smaller and smaller area until there is no more room. Cones or a rope might be used to define the perimeter of the area. Playing this game will teach you how to collaborate with others to find solutions to challenges.

10. The Worst-Case Scenario

Students are split up into two or more groups, and each of those groups is given a tough scenario to solve. Some examples of these scenarios include being abandoned on a barren island or becoming lost at sea. They are then given the instruction to collaborate with one another within their teams in order to find a solution to the challenge and ultimately emerge triumphant. The children have to come up with a strategy in order to guarantee that everyone will live through the worst-case scenario.

In this particular situation, the students may be quizzed about the things that they will need in order to do the task, in addition to any other passages that they may come across. The fact that youngsters are required to cooperate with one another helps in the development of their ability to solve problems and teaches them the importance of working together as a team through Team-building games for critical thinking.

Bottom line

To achieve the highest productivity at work, Team-building games for critical thinking are conducted in distinct corporate games. However, these games can boost efficiency in the study if undertaken in a classroom atmosphere. They help students to break the monotony in the learning environment. We hope our blog helped you to get new ideas regarding Team-building games for critical thinking. You can implement them in your next session within the classroom.

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5 Critical Thinking Skills Every Kid Needs To Learn (And How To Teach Them)

Teach them to thoughtfully question the world around them.

Little kids love to ask questions. “Why is the sky blue?” “Where does the sun go at night?” Their innate curiosity helps them learn more about the world, and it’s key to their development. As they grow older, it’s important to encourage them to keep asking questions and to teach them the right kinds of questions to ask. We call these “critical thinking skills,” and they help kids become thoughtful adults who are able to make informed decisions as they grow older.

What is critical thinking?

Critical thinking allows us to examine a subject and develop an informed opinion about it. First, we need to be able to simply understand the information, then we build on that by analyzing, comparing, evaluating, reflecting, and more. Critical thinking is about asking questions, then looking closely at the answers to form conclusions that are backed by provable facts, not just “gut feelings” and opinion.

Critical thinkers tend to question everything, and that can drive teachers and parents a little crazy. The temptation to reply, “Because I said so!” is strong, but when you can, try to provide the reasons behind your answers. We want to raise children who take an active role in the world around them and who nurture curiosity throughout their entire lives.

Key Critical Thinking Skills

So, what are critical thinking skills? There’s no official list, but many people use Bloom’s Taxonomy to help lay out the skills kids should develop as they grow up.

Source: Vanderbilt University

Bloom’s Taxonomy is laid out as a pyramid, with foundational skills at the bottom providing a base for more advanced skills higher up. The lowest phase, “Remember,” doesn’t require much critical thinking. These are the skills kids use when they memorize math facts or world capitals or practice their spelling words. Critical thinking doesn’t begin to creep in until the next steps.

Understanding requires more than memorization. It’s the difference between a child reciting by rote “one times four is four, two times four is eight, three times four is twelve,” versus recognizing that multiplication is the same as adding a number to itself a certain number of times. Schools focus more these days on understanding concepts than they used to; pure memorization has its place, but when a student understands the concept behind something, they can then move on to the next phase.

Application opens up whole worlds to students. Once you realize you can use a concept you’ve already mastered and apply it to other examples, you’ve expanded your learning exponentially. It’s easy to see this in math or science, but it works in all subjects. Kids may memorize sight words to speed up their reading mastery, but it’s learning to apply phonics and other reading skills that allows them to tackle any new word that comes their way.

Analysis is the real leap into advanced critical thinking for most kids. When we analyze something, we don’t take it at face value. Analysis requires us to find facts that stand up to inquiry, even if we don’t like what those facts might mean. We put aside personal feelings or beliefs and explore, examine, research, compare and contrast, draw correlations, organize, experiment, and so much more. We learn to identify primary sources for information, and check into the validity of those sources. Analysis is a skill successful adults must use every day, so it’s something we must help kids learn as early as possible.

Almost at the top of Bloom’s pyramid, evaluation skills let us synthesize all the information we’ve learned, understood, applied, and analyzed, and to use it to support our opinions and decisions. Now we can reflect on the data we’ve gathered and use it to make choices, cast votes, or offer informed opinions. We can evaluate the statements of others too, using these same skills. True evaluation requires us to put aside our own biases and accept that there may be other valid points of view, even if we don’t necessarily agree with them.

In the final phase, we use every one of those previous skills to create something new. This could be a proposal, an essay, a theory, a plan—anything a person assembles that’s unique.

Note: Bloom’s original taxonomy included “synthesis” as opposed to “create,” and it was located between “apply” and “evaluate.” When you synthesize, you put various parts of different ideas together to form a new whole. In 2001, a group of cognitive psychologists removed that term from the taxonomy , replacing it with “create,” but it’s part of the same concept.

How To Teach Critical Thinking

Using critical thinking in your own life is vital, but passing it along to the next generation is just as important. Be sure to focus on analyzing and evaluating, two multifaceted sets of skills that take lots and lots of practice. Start with these 10 Tips for Teaching Kids To Be Awesome Critical Thinkers . Then try these critical thinking activities and games. Finally, try to incorporate some of these 100+ Critical Thinking Questions for Students into your lessons. They’ll help your students develop the skills they need to navigate a world full of conflicting facts and provocative opinions.

One of These Things Is Not Like the Other

This classic Sesame Street activity is terrific for introducing the ideas of classifying, sorting, and finding relationships. All you need are several different objects (or pictures of objects). Lay them out in front of students, and ask them to decide which one doesn’t belong to the group. Let them be creative: The answer they come up with might not be the one you envisioned, and that’s OK!

The Answer Is …

Post an “answer” and ask kids to come up with the question. For instance, if you’re reading the book Charlotte’s Web , the answer might be “Templeton.” Students could say, “Who helped save Wilbur even though he didn’t really like him?” or “What’s the name of the rat that lived in the barn?” Backwards thinking encourages creativity and requires a good understanding of the subject matter.

Forced Analogies

Practice making connections and seeing relationships with this fun game. Kids write four random words in the corners of a Frayer Model and one more in the middle. The challenge? To link the center word to one of the others by making an analogy. The more far out the analogies, the better!

Learn more: Forced Analogies at The Owl Teacher

Primary Sources

Tired of hearing “I found it on Wikipedia!” when you ask kids where they got their answer? It’s time to take a closer look at primary sources. Show students how to follow a fact back to its original source, whether online or in print. We’ve got 10 terrific American history–based primary source activities to try here.

Science Experiments

Hands-on science experiments and STEM challenges are a surefire way to engage students, and they involve all sorts of critical thinking skills. We’ve got hundreds of experiment ideas for all ages on our STEM pages , starting with 50 Stem Activities To Help Kids Think Outside the Box .

Not the Answer

Multiple-choice questions can be a great way to work on critical thinking. Turn the questions into discussions, asking kids to eliminate wrong answers one by one. This gives them practice analyzing and evaluating, allowing them to make considered choices.

Learn more: Teaching in the Fast Lane

Correlation Tic-Tac-Toe

Here’s a fun way to work on correlation, which is a part of analysis. Show kids a 3 x 3 grid with nine pictures, and ask them to find a way to link three in a row together to get tic-tac-toe. For instance, in the pictures above, you might link together the cracked ground, the landslide, and the tsunami as things that might happen after an earthquake. Take things a step further and discuss the fact that there are other ways those things might have happened (a landslide can be caused by heavy rain, for instance), so correlation doesn’t necessarily prove causation.

Learn more: Critical Thinking Tic-Tac-Toe at The Owl Teacher

Inventions That Changed the World

Explore the chain of cause and effect with this fun thought exercise. Start it off by asking one student to name an invention they believe changed the world. Each student then follows by explaining an effect that invention had on the world and their own lives. Challenge each student to come up with something different.

Learn more: Teaching With a Mountain View

Critical Thinking Games

There are so many board games that help kids learn to question, analyze, examine, make judgments, and more. In fact, pretty much any game that doesn’t leave things entirely up to chance (Sorry, Candy Land) requires players to use critical thinking skills. See one teacher’s favorites at the link below.

Learn more: Miss DeCarbo

This is one of those classic critical thinking activities that really prepares kids for the real world. Assign a topic (or let them choose one). Then give kids time to do some research to find good sources that support their point of view. Finally, let the debate begin! Check out 100 Middle School Debate Topics , 100 High School Debate Topics , and 60 Funny Debate Topics for Kids of All Ages .

How do you teach critical thinking skills in your classroom? Come share your ideas and ask for advice in the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, check out 38 simple ways to integrate social-emotional learning throughout the day ..

You Might Also Like

100+ Critical Thinking Questions for Students To Ask About Anything

Critical thinkers question everything. Continue Reading

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Group games are ideal for developing critical-thinking skills.

The link between critical thinking and one’s education is obvious – you can’t learn well unless you think well.

Critical thinking is the ability to look at problems in new ways, to analyse how parts of a whole interact with one another and to interpret information and draw conclusions.

Critical thinking and problem-solving skills were once thought to be the domain of gifted people. Today, they are necessary for every individual and group who seeks to make sensible decisions about financial, health, civic, workplace and leisure activities.

The solutions to international concerns such as climate change and global warming require highly developed critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. These skills include the ability to effectively analyse and evaluate evidence, arguments, claims and beliefs.

Benefits of Developing Critical-Thinking Abilities

The ability to solve interesting and unfamiliar problems often leads to the development of other skills such as increased engagement, higher concentration levels and improved thought processing.

Here are a few examples of experiences that occur in many programs which may provide you with an opportunity to focus on problem-solving skills:

• Forming a project team to solve an existing, yet complex problem.
• Thinking of a new campaign slogan to broadcast a difficult, yet important message.
• Adopting a rational, analytical and evidence-based approach to investigate a conflict.
• Challenging one of your group’s long-held beliefs or practices.

Naturally, one of the most powerful (not to mention, enjoyable) ways to develop and strengthen your group’s problem-solving skills is to employ the use of fun group games.

Group Activities Which Develop Critical-Thinking Skills

The images below provide links to a sample of simple group activities which may help you develop the critical thinking and problem-solving abilities of your group, drawn from playmeo’s ever-expanding activity database .

Enjoy browsing to your heart’s content.

If you’re not yet a playmeo subscriber, join today to unlock hundreds more group games and activities just like these.

We Engage Cards

Premium subscribers enjoy all the features, save to playlist.

Thought-provoking series of cards to inspire engagement.

We Connect Cards

Set of question cards to inspire meaningful conversations.

Emoji Cards

Useful set of emotive cards to encourage fun & reflection.

Climer Cards

Fun deck of cards to inspire team-building & creativity.

UBUNTU Cards

Innovative tool that inspires valuable sharing & fun.

Download our free 28-page ebook jam-packed with outrageously fun activity ideas.

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Teaching Idea

Think Critically, Build Community: 7 New York Times Games to Play in the Classroom

Wordle? Spelling Bee? Flashback? Connections? Teachers across subject areas and levels say Times games have become part of their routines.

By Katherine Schulten and Natalie Proulx

Why do people love games?

Back in 2020, when we all were quarantining and playing more than ever , Sam Von Ehren, a New York Times game maker, posed this question and answered it, in part, by describing what game designers call “the magic circle.”

When we are inside it, we are “playing” the game, he writes: “We’ll only do what the rules of the game allow. We will try to win. When the game ends, we leave the circle and return to normal. The magic circle is what separates a game from reality.”

For teachers, one line in his article may stand out: “When we enter the magic circle, we give ourselves permission to explore, to fail, to lose.”

This kind of exploration — and the low-stakes practice in problem-solving and collaboration that come with it — is why many teachers say they play Times games in the classroom, whether the daily crossword in the print paper or recent digital hits like Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections.

The Games team carefully constructs its puzzles to “generate a satisfying friction between difficulty and delight” so players get an “aha” moment. Teachers tell us that when their students are in the magic circle, they are engaged and thinking critically, discussing strategy, focusing on details, testing logic, refining solutions and bonding with one another — all in the few minutes it takes to solve a puzzle before they move on to other work.

Though not all of the games below can be played without a Times subscription, many can, at least up to a certain level. Which ones are your students’ favorites? Why?

First, consider the role of games in students’ lives.

Games are a rich subject for discussion. After all, nearly everyone has played at least one in their lives, and many teenagers are passionate gamers. And, according to recent reporting, their generation is inspiring changes in even the most traditional games .

To get you started, we have posted a related Student Opinion forum that asks students to think about games of all kinds, when and with whom they play them, and what benefits they bring to their lives.

Invite your students to answer the questions in their journals, or discuss them in small groups or as a whole class. They might then post some of their responses to our site to join the public conversation.

Next, borrow these teacher-suggested strategies for play.

Over the years, teachers at all levels and across multiple subject areas have told us that New York Times games are a much-anticipated part of their classroom routines.

Here is some of the advice we’ve heard over and over:

Project or draw games on the board for a whole class activity. Or, have students team up in small groups to play against one another — or against the teacher.

Work one or more games into your classroom routines. They can be a daily warm-up or cool down activity, or a special treat each week. (Wordle Wednesdays? Mini Mondays?)

Let students lead the solving. Stand in the back of the classroom and allow the class to figure out tips and tricks on their own, without any “hints.”

Offer extra games as an enrichment option for students who finish their work early.

After you’ve played a game several times, create your own version that relates to your curriculum — or challenge your students to do so!

As students work, or after they finish, process the experience by having them share their thinking and strategies. What worked? What didn’t? What will they try next time? Is the game helping them sharpen skills they can use in their lives in general? How?

Finally, choose your game — or play them all!

What it is: A viral sensation first released in 2021, the game gives you six chances to guess a five-letter word.

Why play? As one student told us , “ It is a perfect combination of strategy, vocabulary, risk and guessing all in one package.” Another said, “By playing Wordle, I feel connected to millions of people across the world.” Teachers tell us that it fosters a love for words and language, and also helps develop their students’ reasoning skills.

Many educators seem to use it. For instance, in 2022, Lara Hunt, from Baytown, Texas, wrote:

I use Wordle with my newcomer emergent bilingual students everyday! I challenge them to figure out the words using an ESL dictionary. Sometimes they use the dictionary, and sometimes they don’t. The excitement is contagious when they figure out the word, especially if they used fewer tries than me!

Students also enjoy it on their own. In 2023, Jack Cole, a 16-year-old from Boca Raton, Fla., was a winner of our Summer Reading Contest with these reflections on the game, which he titled “Until Tomorrow, Wordle!”

When I first accepted your challenge, I thought you were a refreshing way to start my brain for the day. Well, 648 days later our relationship has, shall we say, evolved. There are days that you and I are as one. When this happens, I enjoy a challenging but solvable puzzle, smile, and move on with my day. Other mornings, you are exceptionally easy, leading me to believe that I am obviously an expert Wordler. Then there are the other days. Wordle, although you vehemently deny it, I know you are getting sneakier over time. When you used the triple vowel for the unbelievably random word “CACAO,” I gave you the benefit of the doubt. Despite this courtesy, there are the days that you slide in the double consonant words when you know full well people aren’t thinking of two “N’s in “ENNUI.” I mean, that’s not even English! Then, you get downright subversive. For example, “PARER” is a word that may be used outside of a professional kitchen once a year. I fully admit that I threw my (encased) phone at the couch when you told me on guess four that “PAPER” was incorrect. You knew that would ruin people’s days, right? And the worst part, Wordle, is that I can’t clean out my phone’s history because I’m terrified of losing my 232-day winning streak. Until tomorrow, Wordle!

Make it your own: In 2022 we asked teachers to tell us how they use Wordle and to offer advice for others. Here is some of what they said:

Dean Schmeltz, from Denver:

By the end of last school year, I was starting my classes with a quick game of Wordle most days. I’d load the site on a big screen in front of the room, and students would call out word suggestions, trying to convince one another what the next guess should be. Wordle was a language-related way to bring more collaboration into the classroom, and ensure that my students experienced a collective win within the first few minutes of class. Engagement was voluntary — it was more of a free-for-all than a typical “Do Now” activity, which would be expected of everyone and aligned to the lesson. It was often an opportunity to observe how participatory individual students were feeling that day.

Traci Fontana, from Fort Collins, Colo.:

I use Wordle as a way to discuss word strategies. Top strategies include: 1. Start with a word with at least two vowels (and many need a refresher in what vowels are) and high frequency consonants. We discuss what these might be. 2. Think of sounds that commonly blend together — such as sh, sl, st, tr, ch, etc. when faced with a single consonant and you have established it is not followed by a vowel. 3. When an A is in the third letter position, it is a long A when the last letter is E. The e is silent. For English language learners, this helps as they add unfamiliar words to their personal word bank. 4. There are familiar ways that words end, more than simply -ing. We discuss those and take note of them too as we encounter them in various texts.

Catherine Murray, from Wayne, N.J.:

As a high school French Teacher, I create my own Wordle in French. The first student who gets it receives a small prize — a no homework pass, or something comparable. They love it!

Liz Mendoza, from Phoenix:

We use the D.I.Y. Wordle knockoffs more. We will use these as anticipatory sets for new content area and as very low stakes formative assessments. We choose words related to topics we will be studying in class.

Sean Flanagan, from New York City:

In my fourth grade homeroom, we do an “offline” version using five blank squares and X’s and O’s and check marks to represent gray, yellow and green. The kids love it! After I choose a word, I let a student pick the next one.

What else to know: There is a new Wordle every day. Though your students will quickly develop their own strategies for winning, here is a collection of the best tips and tricks from solvers all over the world, and an article on how people choose a starting word. There is also a Wordle bot that analyzes your play, as well as a daily Wordle review . And because so many classrooms have adopted a Wordle habit, you can find many more ideas online, as in this piece from Education Week . You can also find variations through pieces like “ Wordle Inspired Games for the Classroom ” or this collection called “ LikeWordle .”

Finally, if your students don’t know Wordle’s origin story , they are sure to be charmed by it.

Spelling Bee

What it is: A word game that challenges players to make as many words as they can from a set of seven different letters. Since its print debut in 2014 and the introduction of the digital game in 2018, Spelling Bee has spawned a mascot named Beeatrice, an ardent online #HiveMind and daily forums for solvers .

Why play? Spelling Bee is excellent for building vocabulary and practicing spelling, of course. Plus, it’s a naturally differentiated activity. There are always some easier words and some more difficult ones.

How to adapt it for your classroom: In this post , we teamed up with Sam Ezersky, the editor of Spelling Bee, to create five puzzles appropriate for middle and high schoolers that can be played without a subscription.

In the post, we quote Miah Daughtery, a former English teacher and the literacy director of content advocacy and design at NWEA, a research and student assessment organization. She suggests placing students in pairs to find words in the puzzle, and then giving them a set of follow-up questions to relate them to their reading:

What word on your list could be used to describe any character from the book we’re reading and why?

If a character were to say one of the words on your list, which one would they say and why?

Consider the setting of the text we’re reading. What words from the puzzle would you use to describe it?

Choose two words from your list. Now, think about the text we’re reading. How would you use the two words you chose to describe the text to someone who has not read it?

What else to know: You can play a new Spelling Bee online each day. Spelling Bee also appears in the print paper on Sundays, in the Magazine section. The Times offers a suite of helpful resources, including a library of tips and tricks , a bot that gives you personalized hints , a daily discussion forum and a collection of past puzzles . To learn more about its community of solvers, read “ The Genius of Spelling Bee .”

Connections

What it is: A logic game where you group words that share a common thread.

Why play? This game challenges players to look closely, identify patterns and use logic to find the connection among words. It builds vocabulary and subject-specific background knowledge and encourages wordplay with idioms and homonyms. More than some other games on this list, your success will be informed by your unique knowledge and personality.

Make it your own: Try creating your own Connections game — or challenge your students to create one — related to a topic you are studying in class, perhaps as a review or formative assessment. Or, make one about your school and its local community. This post, from Minds in Bloom , explains how one teacher uses the game and adapts it.

For tips on how to build a game and vary the difficulty, read “ How Our New Game, Connections, Is Put Together ,” by Wyna Liu, the game’s editor. You can use this site to create a custom puzzle or, for a more tactile version, write or print words on individual pieces of paper that students can move into categories by hand.

What else to know: There is a new game online each day, as well as a daily discussion forum, Connections Companion . You can find an unofficial archive of puzzles here . (And you can see the answer to the Connections puzzle above here .) For tips and tricks, consult How to Line Up a Great Connections Solve .

What it is: A weekly history quiz that asks you to sort eight events in chronological order.

Why play? A great tool for the history classroom, Flashback not only tests students’ general knowledge, but also helps them to build historical context and make connections to what’s happening in the world. Times editors choose the events, and many are related to news from the previous week. If you want to go deeper on any one event, you’ll find links to Times reporting.

Make it your own: As a review or assessment, create a Flashback quiz for your students — or have them create their own — using events related to something you are studying, such as a particular historical period, the plot of a novel or the discovery of scientific concepts you are teaching.

Or, create a hands-on version by writing each event on a piece of paper and inviting students to arrange them by hand.

What else to know: You can find a new quiz every Sunday in the Upshot section or via The Morning newsletter. And if your students love current events, don’t forget that The Learning Network has a free weekly News Quiz , as well as annual summer and end-of-year quizzes.

The Mini Crossword

What it is: A mini version of the classic New York Times Crossword that can typically be solved within minutes.

Why play? This little 5-by-5 grid can do a lot. Educators have long known that crosswords help build cultural knowledge, not to mention strategy, vocabulary, spelling and reasoning skills. Many of the words in this Times game are also connected to the news of the day. Plus, the mini version may be more manageable for students.

Make it your own: Create your own mini crossword or challenge students to make one related to a theme or topic you are studying in class as a formative assessment. The Times has a whole series that walks readers through how to build a crossword , including how to develop a theme , how to build and fill the grid, and how to write clues . Plus, it’s put together a collection of digital tools to help you make your own puzzle.

For inspiration or for fun, you can also check out our old Student Crossword Archive , which contains more than 150 puzzles on topics inspired by subjects across the curriculum.

What else to know: A new puzzle arrives each day and you can play without a Times subscription. For tips and tricks for solving the Mini see this tutorial . You can find an archive of puzzles here . And if tackling this mini puzzle inspires your students to take on the full Times Crossword, here is a guide to solving it.

Letter Boxed

What it is: A word game where players must spell words by connecting letters around a square.

Why play? This is a spelling and vocabulary game that also requires a bit of logic and spatial reasoning. Like Spelling Bee, it is naturally differentiated — players can spell short, simple words or look for more complex letter combinations. You can up the ante by challenging students to solve in the least number of words possible. Can they use all the letters with fewer than six words? Four? The elusive two?

Make it your own: Like all the games we’ve featured here, this one is excellent for building community and prompting a little friendly competition between classes. For an extra challenge, you might ask your students to create sentences with each of the words they make, or ask if they can connect any of the words they came up with to something they’ve learned in class — and explain those connections.

What else to know: Read “ How to Beat Letter Boxed at Its Own Game ” for some helpful tips.

What it is: A logic puzzle that is a numbers game minus the math.

The Times didn’t invent Sudoku, of course, though its origins are murky . A regular game, like the one pictured above, has nine boxes, each divided into nine cells for a total of 81. The goal is to fill in each of the cells with a number from one through nine. The digits must be placed so that each appears only once per row, column and box.

Why play? This game can improve students’ reasoning, enhance their ability to focus, help them recognize patterns and spur them to think critically. Though it is a logic game rather than a math game, teachers tell us having students explain their reasoning as they make moves can help them practice the kind of “math talk” they need for solving math problems. And, because you can play at different levels, it is an easy activity to differentiate.

Make it your own: Sudoku is a logic puzzle, which can be solved through deductive reasoning. While Sudoku puzzles are generally created using computers (such as an online Sudoku generator), students can actually create their own custom logic puzzles about anything they like. The Alachua County Library District provides step-by-step instructions for creating a logic grid puzzle , with an example that uses book titles, genres, due dates and students.

What else to know: You can play this puzzle daily on “easy,” “medium” or “hard,” and Sudoku Tips for Beginners , from the Games team, can help you level up. If you become really good, you might like to know what it takes to wear the Sudoku crown so you can enter the World Sudoku and Puzzle Championships. To become as agile as possible, you might also want to try these Sudoku variants .

But wait! There’s more …

Because all links to Times articles from The Learning Network are free, we’ve rounded up and categorized some pieces that can invite the gamers in your classroom to go further. Enjoy!

Not satisfied with the seven New York Times games we’ve listed above? Here are three more:

Tiles Vertex Strands

Want some tips for winning a few classics? The Games team has thoughts:

Solitaire UNO Catan Scrabble Monopoly Jenga Logic Puzzles

Looking to learn new games or host a game night? These articles can help:

Running Out of Games? Remember These Old-School Favorites

New York Times Video Game Reviews of 2024

Keeping the Peace With Road Trip Games

The Perfect Game Night Doesn’t Have to Be a Puzzle

Interested in the role games play in our lives? Here are some interesting recent articles:

The Dungeons & Dragons Players of Death Row

Video Games Let Them Choose a Role. Their Transgender Identities Flourished.

My Children Helped Me Remember How to Fly

The Treasure Hunters of Block Island

How Gen Z Made the Crossword Their Own

Curious about the New York Times Games team? Learn more:

How Joy Grows in the Space Between a Game’s Rules

The Nicest Place on the Internet

And from Vanity Fair: Inside The New York Times’ Big Bet on Games

Katherine Schulten has been a Learning Network editor since 2006. Before that, she spent 19 years in New York City public schools as an English teacher, school-newspaper adviser and literacy coach. More about Katherine Schulten

Natalie Proulx joined The Learning Network as a staff editor in 2017 after working as an English language arts teacher and curriculum writer. More about Natalie Proulx

Role of Educational Games in Developing Critical Thinking Skills

by Skill Prepare | Jan 2, 2024 | Blog

In the landscape of education, the integration of educational games has emerged as a pivotal tool in enhancing critical thinking skills among learners. Critical thinking, a cornerstone of intellectual development and problem-solving, is increasingly recognized as a vital skill in the 21st century. This comprehensive exploration delves into how educational games are not just a source of entertainment but a powerful medium for cultivating analytical, evaluative, and creative thinking in students of all ages.

The Essence of Critical Thinking in Education

Critical thinking involves the ability to think clearly and rationally, understanding the logical connection between ideas. It’s about being active, rather than passive, in learning – questioning, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach an answer or a conclusion. In the context of education, critical thinking is essential for students to navigate through the vast sea of information available today, discerning fact from opinion, and making informed decisions.

This skill is not innate; it must be nurtured and developed. In an educational setting, critical thinking goes beyond mere memorization or the regurgitation of facts. It involves encouraging students to question the status quo, challenge traditional thought processes, and look beyond the surface of apparent truths. This approach to learning fosters a deeper understanding of the material, enabling students to apply their knowledge in various contexts, both academic and real-world.

Critical Thinking In Education

Critical thinking in education is also about cultivating an open-mindedness, where students are encouraged to consider multiple perspectives and respect differing viewpoints. This aspect is particularly important in our increasingly globalized world, where understanding and empathy across cultures and ideologies are paramount. By fostering an environment where debate and discussion are not just allowed but encouraged, educators can help students develop the ability to analyze complex issues, identify biases, and think independently.

Moreover, critical thinking is closely tied to problem-solving skills. In the classroom, students faced with complex problems must learn to break these down into manageable parts, systematically analyze each component, and synthesize this information to form a coherent solution. This process is crucial not only in academic success but also in personal and professional life, where problem-solving is a highly valued skill.

Educational Games: A Catalyst for Critical Thinking

Critical thinking, a skill vital for navigating the complexities of the modern world, is increasingly being nurtured through innovative educational tools like video games and virtual reality (VR). These platforms offer unique opportunities for immersive learning and the development of critical thinking skills.

Video Games as Tools for Critical Thinking

• Interactive Problem-Solving : Video games often present complex problems that require players to think critically and devise strategies. This interactive problem-solving encourages learners to engage deeply with the content, applying logic and reasoning to overcome challenges.
• Scenario-Based Learning : Many video games are designed around specific scenarios, which can range from historical events to futuristic simulations. These scenarios require players to analyze situations, consider various factors, and make decisions that can alter the game’s outcome, mirroring real-life decision-making processes.
• Adaptive Challenges : Video games can adapt to the player’s skill level, offering more challenging tasks as the player progresses. This adaptability ensures that learners are continuously pushed to expand their critical thinking abilities.
• Feedback and Reflection : Video games provide immediate feedback on the player’s actions, allowing for reflection and adjustment of strategies. This feedback loop is essential in developing critical thinking, as it helps learners understand the consequences of their decisions.

The Role of VR in Enhancing Critical Thinking

• Immersive Learning Environments : VR creates immersive, realistic environments where learners can interact with the virtual world. This immersion provides a rich context for developing critical thinking skills, as learners can experience and manipulate complex systems in a lifelike setting.
• Safe Space for Experimentation : VR offers a safe environment for experimentation, where learners can test hypotheses and explore different approaches without real-world risks. This freedom encourages experimentation and innovation, key components of critical thinking.
• Enhanced Engagement : The immersive nature of VR captures the learner’s full attention, enhancing engagement with the educational content. Engaged learners are more likely to invest effort in critical thinking and problem-solving.
• Real-World Application : VR can simulate real-world scenarios, providing learners with practical experiences in a virtual setting. This application helps bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world practice, enhancing the learner’s ability to apply critical thinking skills in practical situations.

Integrating Video Games and VR into Critical Thinking Education

• Curriculum Design : Incorporating video games and VR into the curriculum requires careful planning to ensure that these tools align with educational objectives and enhance critical thinking skills.
• Teacher Training : Educators need to be trained in using these technologies effectively. Understanding how to guide students in reflecting on their gaming experiences is crucial for the development of critical thinking.
• Balancing Traditional and Innovative Methods : While video games and VR are powerful tools, they should be used in conjunction with traditional teaching methods to provide a balanced and comprehensive educational experience.
• Assessment and Evaluation : Developing methods to assess and evaluate the critical thinking skills gained through video games and VR is essential. This assessment ensures that the learning objectives are being met and provides insights into how these tools can be improved.

Types of Educational Games Enhancing Critical Thinking

Puzzle-Based Games: Players actively engage in solving puzzles or navigating mazes in these games. They don’t just passively observe; they immerse themselves in challenges that sharpen their pattern recognition, boost their logical reasoning, and enhance their sequential thinking skills. Each puzzle presents a unique problem, requiring players to apply critical thinking to devise solutions.

Strategy Games: These games demand active planning and resource management from players. They don’t simply play; they strategize, think ahead, anticipate outcomes, and develop tactics to achieve specific goals. Players learn to manage limited resources, respond to changing scenarios, and make decisions that have long-term implications, mirroring real-life strategic planning.

Simulation Games: In these games, players don’t just mimic real-life scenarios; they immerse themselves in them. They experiment with different strategies and directly experience the outcomes of their decisions in a controlled, simulated environment. This hands-on approach allows players to understand complex systems and the consequences of their actions, enhancing their ability to apply critical thinking in real-world contexts.

Role-Playing Games (RPGs): RPGs don’t just tell a story; they put players right in the middle of character-driven narratives. Players make choices that significantly affect the game’s outcome, fostering a deep sense of empathy and ethical reasoning. As they navigate through the game’s storyline, players develop a deeper understanding of different perspectives and the impact of their decisions on the narrative and characters involved.

Benefits of Educational Games in Developing Critical Thinking

Engagement and Motivation: Games capture students’ attention and make learning fun. They motivate students to explore and understand deeper aspects of the subject matter. This active engagement transforms learning from a chore into an adventure.

Immediate Feedback: Educational games offer real-time responses to students’ actions. Students see the results of their decisions right away. They learn to connect actions with consequences quickly. This immediate feedback loop encourages them to think critically and adjust their strategies on the fly.

Safe Environment for Experimentation: Games provide a secure space for trial and error. Students feel free to experiment, make mistakes, and learn from them. They test different hypotheses and problem-solving methods without the fear of real-world repercussions. This freedom boosts their confidence in tackling complex problems.

Development of Soft Skills: Educational games do more than sharpen critical thinking. They actively foster essential soft skills. Students develop better communication, learn to collaborate effectively, and adapt to new challenges. These skills are crucial for success both inside and outside the classroom.

Implementing Educational Games in the Classroom

Align Games with Educational Objectives: Educators must select games that align with learning goals. They should choose games that challenge students and complement the curriculum. This alignment ensures that gaming is not just for fun but serves an educational purpose.

Facilitate Guided Reflection: Teachers must lead post-game discussions. These discussions are key for students to reflect on their gaming experiences. They help students articulate their decision-making processes. This reflection deepens their understanding of the concepts learned.

Encourage Collaborative Play: Teachers should organize group gaming sessions. These sessions build teamwork skills. They expose students to different viewpoints. This exposure broadens their perspectives and sharpens their critical thinking.

Use Games as Supplementary Tools: Educators should integrate games with traditional teaching methods. Games should not replace but complement standard teaching techniques. This approach ensures a balanced and comprehensive educational experience.

Maximizing the Impact of Educational Games on Critical Thinking

Choose Games Wisely: Teachers must select games that challenge and engage. The right game can turn complex concepts into exciting challenges. It should align with curriculum goals and stimulate critical thinking.

Integrate Games with Curriculum: Teachers need to weave games into the curriculum seamlessly. They should use games to reinforce and expand on lesson topics. This integration makes learning cohesive and comprehensive.

Monitor and Guide Gameplay: Teachers should actively monitor gameplay. They must guide students to ensure productive gaming sessions. This oversight helps students stay focused on educational objectives.

Encourage Reflective Thinking: After gameplay, teachers should prompt students to reflect. They should ask questions that provoke thought about the game’s lessons. This reflection helps students internalize and apply what they’ve learned.

Provide Diverse Gaming Experiences: Teachers need to offer a variety of games. Different games develop different aspects of critical thinking. Variety keeps students engaged and caters to diverse learning styles.

Challenges and Considerations

Ensuring Educational Value: Educators must carefully choose games. They need to pick games with rich educational content. This selection ensures that students gain real learning value, not just entertainment.

Balancing Screen Time: Teachers must balance digital and non-digital activities. Too much screen time can be counterproductive. They should mix gaming with traditional learning methods. This balance keeps students engaged and prevents digital fatigue.

Accessibility and Inclusivity: Games must cater to all students. They should suit various learning styles and abilities. This inclusivity ensures every student benefits, regardless of their unique needs or challenges.

Educational games actively develop critical thinking skills, offering an interactive, engaging, and enjoyable approach to enhancing cognitive abilities. They prepare students for the complexities of the modern world. As education evolves, integrating well-designed educational games into learning environments becomes increasingly crucial. These games play a significant role in shaping future generations of critical thinkers. They transform traditional learning methods, making critical thinking a core component of education. Students not only learn but also apply their knowledge in dynamic scenarios. This application fosters a deeper understanding and a more profound ability to analyze and solve problems. Educational games are not just tools; they are gateways to a world where thinking critically is both a skill and an adventure.

Fun logic games for kids

Develop critical thinking and logic reasoning skills with fun interactive games for children 6-13 years old.

What topics do our logic games cover?

Classification of objects, sets and subsets, sequences and patterns, logical judgements, coordinates, numbers behind masks, crossroads and bridges, false and true, magic squares, mathematical puzzles, equation problems, four reasons to develop logical thinking among kids, successful realization in life and profession.

Kids and teenagers need critical thinking and the ability to study new things with pleasure — at school, in everyday life, and their future professions.

Smart thinking and making conclusions

Both at school and home, young people need to know the reasons for the things happening and to guess what to do in different situations, even if they seem to be complicated.

Telling truth from lies and fake information

Logical thinking helps to find answers to the questions among the vast sea of information, see the main things and differ the truth among lots of lies and fakes.

Finding extraordinary ways of solving tasks

Creativity is undoubtedly one of the essential qualities in the modern world. Every human can develop it, but the earlier you start, the more effective the result is.

Try Edcraft educational logic games for free

Logic games for kids demo.

Check out our interactive logic games by yourself or together with your child. It only takes 10 minutes and does not require registration. Free of charge. No signup required!

In EdCraft kids develop their critical thinking and logic reasoning skills by playing fun educational games

WELL THOUGHT-OUT PROGRAM

Logic games are developed on the basis of the best sources, the expertise of subject experts, methodologists and psychologists.

INTERACTIVE GAME STRUCTURE

The child solves plot game problems and helps the heroes of the game, meanwhile, learning new topics and improving his or her logical thinking.

KNOWLEDGE TESTS AND REWARDS

At the end of each topic, the child goes through a final game to test and consolidate knowledge and receives a diploma if successful.

Playing math logic games kids develop their problem-solving skills, enhance creativity and critical thinking

Carefully crafted by experts in kids education.

Logic games are developed by subject experts from top US and international universities. Our games creators are doting parents, committed educators, and lovers of learning!

Develop your child's key thinking skills with our exciting math & logic games for elementary and middle school!

Why is it essential to develop logical thinking in your kids.

Educated people worldwide know that it is always better to start learning many things in childhood. Maths is the base for modern science, as well as for information technologies. Learning the basics of maths and logic while solving an amusing gamified tasks, your child will feel more confident at school and more independent in everyday life. If you start teaching your kids using interactive games, math tasks and lessons will seem to be easier and possibly more exciting and closer to your family’s everyday life. Maths and logic are not boring when learned in a way like this.

How can EdCraft help?

Our logic game for kids of different ages (6-13 years old) is both great fun and effective learning. Driving through the plot and helping the game’s characters solve the tasks, your children will learn to solve nonstandard logical quizzes, take their first steps in logical reasoning, and argue their point of view. The game is developed by skilled American scientists and university teachers and can be played from any computer, tablet, or smartphone anytime, starting from 10 minutes a day. Colorful illustrations, high-quality sound, and an easy interface will attract the players, and getting a diploma at the end seems to be an excellent visual achievement both for children and parents.

WHAT ELSE DO WE HAVE IN EDCRAFT?

Complete by yourself or together with your kid. It’s fun, educational and takes only up to 10 minutes for the demo lesson.

CHEMISTRY BASICS

explore the world of particles through gamified experiments

PHYSICS BASICS

learn in a simple way how objects and forces interact

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

learn to Improve communication and teamwork

FINANCIAL LITERACY

getting familiar with managing money in a fun way

SEX EDUCATION

topics covering relationships without awkwardness

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7 Games for Critical Thinking that Add Play to Your Day

Let’s talk about the importance of PLAY and games in our classrooms today. Do you agree with the following?

Learning should be fun.

Learning should be engaging.

Learning should be JOYFUL!

I thought so! For children (and adults) play is a key the way the brain learns. When our students complete puzzles, they are working on problem-solving skills. When they play a game with rules to follow, they are learning how to cooperate and interact with others. When they play against an opponent, they are learning how to develop strategies, predict outcomes, and use logical thinking skills.  What a better way to squeeze in play than with critical thinking games in the classroom? In this post, I’ll share seven of my favorite critical thinking games for primary students.

For your convenience, I’ve added links to the materials I talk about within the blog post. These are Amazon Affiliate links. This just means Amazon tosses a few cents my way if you make a purchase with the links – at absolutely, positively, no extra cost to you! These little links help me to continue sharing ideas, freebies, and giveaways with you on the site. 

Finding Time for Games in the Classroom

Time. It’s a four-letter word that teachers across the world have a love-hate relationship with. “There’s not enough time!” is a phrase one will frequently hear from a kindergarten teacher as much as a middle school teacher. We know that our students need time to play and have fun in school. We know that games promote SO MANY wonderful skills and brain-friendly challenges for our students.  In addition to Pinterest, teaching blogs, IG, and educational websites, I like to turn to the shelves of stores such as Target, Walmart, and Toys R Us for critical thinking games that my students will love to play! There are TONS of educational and high-quality games that you can find pre-assembled and ready to go- for a great price! So, when can we squeeze games into the classroom? Below are some of my favorite times to add board games and mind-challenging games into our schedule:

• Morning Work
• Small Groups
• Indoor Recess
• Friday Game Days (Use small group time or morning work time for games!)
• Math Centers
• Literacy Centers
• Word Work Centers

Teaching Students How to Play

It’s important to model how to play each game with your students. The critical thinking games I am going to share in this post take a lot of brain energy! They are designed to be fun- but challenging- for your students. As a result, don’t expect students to pick up how to play instantly and be able to independently play the games right away. I like to model and play the games with my students at the small group table. For example, every time I introduce a new Brainamin short or long vowel game as a word work center for my students, we play it at the small group table. I do this for math and literacy centers, too.  In this way, I can correctly show students the materials, the rules, and I can even play with them to model my thinking and let them hear what I am thinking as I strategize my next moves and make decisions throughout the game. When students have had ample time to play and see how the game works WITH you, they will be more confident and have more fun when they play with their friends and classmates.

Organizing Your Games

Whenever possible, I like to get rid of the boxes the games come in and put them into plastic tubs. The boxes just seem to deteriorate over time, and the lids on the plastic bins help us keep everything tidy and organized. I use many of my critical thinking games during morning work time on Mondays and Fridays and during math and literacy centers. (On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursdays we use my See, Think, Wonder, Write routine for morning work .) I will be sharing more about my morning tub time (or what I like to call, Brain Bins) in future blog posts. For now, you can find the bins I use to store my critical thinking games in the links below. You’ll find two sizes of bins. For games that have a board game to them, I like to use the larger, flatter bins. For card games or other critical thinking materials such as the toys and activities I mentioned in this post , I use the medium bins because they take up less space and are really deep!

Medium Bins:

Now, let’s get started learning about seven really fun games that you can use for centers in your classroom. These games will challenge your students’ minds, while encouraging them to use problem-solving, critical thinking, logical thinking, deductive reasoning skills, and most importantly, have fun learning!

Hoot Owl Hoot

If you teach little ones, Hoot Owl Hoot is a MUST. Hoot Owl Hoot is designed by a company called Peaceable Kingdom. This is an award-winning game that focuses on cooperative play. (The game won the  Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award.) The object of the game is to help the owls fly back to their nest before the sun comes up. Students use color cards to move the owls closer to the nest. If they draw a sun card, they are one step closer to daylight. The BEST part of this game? EVERYONE wins! That’s right. The students must work together to get all of the owls to their nest. Whether you have a preschooler at home or teach kindergarten or first grade, this is a great game for kids! On top of the cooperative play, students have to use problem-solving skills and shared decision-making skills to be successful. It’s truly a wonderful game that challenges little ones’ thinking skills while having fun with friends!

SEQUENCE LETTERS

Sequence Letters is a game designed for ages 4-7, making it the perfect literacy and word work center for the kindergarten and first-grade classroom. To play, students name the letter on their card, say the sound for that letter, and then match it to a picture on the board that begins with that letter sound. The object is to get five of your game tokens in a row on the board. Can we talk about how perfect this game is for an intervention group or kindergarten small reading lesson?! What I love even more is that the letter cards feature the letter in both uppercase and lowercase, so students are seeing both forms every time they play. Sequence Letters is a game that every primary teacher needs to add to their classrooms!

SEQUENCE FOR KIDS

Sequence for Kids is another version in the Sequence games line-up. This is a great critical thinking game for students who cannot yet read, and it makes the perfect indoor recess game for strategy skills! At first, the initial concept of the game seems TOO easy: Students simply place a token on the picture on the board that matches the picture on their card. When a player gets four tokens in a row, he or she wins. Don’t let this game fool you! There is a lot of thinking-rich strategy skills involved when playing this game. You see, in addition to the picture cards, there are also unicorn and dragon cards. A unicorn card allows you to place your game token anywhere on the board. A dragon card allows you to remove an opponent’s game token. Now, you’ve got a game that involves some “if this…then that” thinking! Which, my friends, are the games I love for kids! You can find Sequence for Kids below:

Brain-Freeze

If you don’t own Brain-Freeze , RUN and get it! It is not only engaging, fun, and child-friendly, but it is the perfect strategy game for young students ages 5 and up. Brain-Freeze reminds me of a cooler version of Guess Who for kids. It also builds mental skills such as memory, deductive-reasoning, and strategy skills. It received multiple awards for children and only takes about 15 minutes to play. That amount of playing time makes it an ideal game to place in a literacy center or math center for kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade students. To play, one child chooses a sweet treat off of the “menu” and circles characteristics of the treat on their game board. The other child guesses and asks questions about what the sweet treat is, just like in the game, Guess Who? Using a dry-erase marker, the player who is guessing crosses out and eliminates different choices based on the clues and the answers the first player gives. The object is to correctly guess the sweet treat the first player secretly chose at the beginning of the game. This game is also wonderful for asking questions and using inference skills! Find it here:

Let’s move on to some more challenging games. These next few games are great for second-grade and up. On the Dot is a challenging puzzle game that requires focus, creative thinking, and an ability to look at things from new perspectives. It’s a true brainteaser that students will love! To play, students choose two transparent cards. The cards have colored dots on them. The student must rotate, flip, turn, or overlap the cards in order to get the dots on both cards to match up. This game is great for building and practicing logical thinking, spatial reasoning, and problem-solving. With 60 different puzzles to match up, On the Dot is a game that can stay in your bins for a long time!

Swish is a game designed for ages 8 and up. It reminds me of On the Dot with transparent cards and colored hoops, or circles. Players take turns stacking and matching up the colored cards. When a match is made, the player keeps both cards. The player with the most matches wins. After playing this game a few times, I decided the Swish Junior game would be the best version to start with in the primary classroom. The pace would go faster and kindergarten and first-grade students would feel more confident and successful. In the Junior version (ages 5+), players layer or stack two or more transparent cards to make a match. The cards have shapes on them in various colors and sizes, making it a much better game for primary students! The Junior version would be great for building spatial reasoning skills and promoting shape recognition. You can find the Swish Junior version below:

For my last critical thinking game, I can’t get enough of my Brainamin games! In this post, I’ll feature the CVC-e and long vowel edition , but I also have a Brainamin Short Vowel Bundle and a B rainamin Vowel Teams Bundle available, too. This is one of the best games to add to a morning tub or literacy center, and it’s certainly fun to use as a small group warm-up game! If you have students who are struggling with  decoding and phonics skills, these games also make a nice change of pace for an intervention group. To play, students flip over two cards: a word card, and a picture card. The students will scan the cards and find the matching word and picture, as shown below:

There is only one match, so the students must think fast and be the first person to find it. The student who finds the match first gets to keep both cards in his or her pile. The student who has the most matches in his or her pile at the end of the game wins. (You can also just play for fun and not keep “score” using the matches.) Let’s play again. Can you find the matching word and picture in the cards shown below?

SO fun, right?! What I love MOST about Brainamin is that you can play with a group of students, or with just two students. In fact, students can even play against themselves as an independent game as they race to find the matches among the deck of cards. Brainamin not only improves phonics skills but it also works on visual discrimination skills, critical thinking skills, deductive reasoning, decoding, and fluency for word recall. You can find the different Brainamin bundles and games that I have available by below:

• Brainamin Short Vowels (cvc words)
• Brainamin Long Vowels (cvc-e words)
• Brainamin Vowel Teams
• …more to come in the future!

Try Brainamin for FREE!

You can learn more about critical thinking AND get a FREE Brainamin Short A game pack in a blog post I wrote by clicking HERE or on the blog post image below:

I hope you enjoyed learning about these seven games for critical thinking in the primary classroom! I know they will add fun, play, and lots of great thinking skills into your classroom routine. In order to save this post for later or share it with a colleague, feel free to use the image below to PIN IT on Pinterest !

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One Comment

Loved all the games which you have shared with us. Perfect way to engage kids in such fun games for long hours which helps to nurture their overall growth. In this world of technology. where kids are inclined more towards playing online or video games, which affects their physical as well as mental growth. I think it the responsibility of parents to involve kids in games or activities which helps to improve their overall development. Saved your entire list of games to incorporate these in regular kids play. Thanks for sharing such an awesome list of games with us.

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Puzzles Games

Play Word Detective Game

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Sneaky Shapes Game

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All Logic & Thinking Games

Cooking Adventure Game

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Brain-Boosting Games for Young Minds

Explore a world of fun and educational games that challenge young minds to think critically, solve puzzles, and learn while having a blast. Our carefully curated selection of games is designed to spark curiosity, enhance problem-solving skills, and foster a love for learning in kids of all ages.

What are Logic and Thinking games?

Logic and thinking-themed games are interactive activities designed to challenge young minds by requiring them to use critical thinking, problem-solving, and strategic reasoning. These games involve creative challenges that stimulate cognitive development, enhance decision-making skills, and foster a love for learning in children. They provide an enjoyable way for kids to develop essential life skills while having fun.

What are the Types of Logic and Thinking Games Online?

These games come in various engaging forms, each offering a unique cognitive challenge. Here are some popular types:

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Engaging in these games offers numerous advantages for young minds:

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Kids can enjoy these engaging these games on mobiles and tablets, combining fun and learning:

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Critical thinking definition

Critical thinking, as described by Oxford Languages, is the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgement.

Active and skillful approach, evaluation, assessment, synthesis, and/or evaluation of information obtained from, or made by, observation, knowledge, reflection, acumen or conversation, as a guide to belief and action, requires the critical thinking process, which is why it's often used in education and academics.

Some even may view it as a backbone of modern thought.

However, it's a skill, and skills must be trained and encouraged to be used at its full potential.

People turn up to various approaches in improving their critical thinking, like:

• Developing technical and problem-solving skills
• Engaging in more active listening
• Actively questioning their assumptions and beliefs
• Seeking out more diversity of thought
• Opening up their curiosity in an intellectual way etc.

Is critical thinking useful in writing?

Critical thinking can help in planning your paper and making it more concise, but it's not obvious at first. We carefully pinpointed some the questions you should ask yourself when boosting critical thinking in writing:

• What information should be included?
• Which information resources should the author look to?
• What degree of technical knowledge should the report assume its audience has?
• What is the most effective way to show information?
• How should the report be organized?
• How should it be designed?
• What tone and level of language difficulty should the document have?

Usage of critical thinking comes down not only to the outline of your paper, it also begs the question: How can we use critical thinking solving problems in our writing's topic?

Let's say, you have a Powerpoint on how critical thinking can reduce poverty in the United States. You'll primarily have to define critical thinking for the viewers, as well as use a lot of critical thinking questions and synonyms to get them to be familiar with your methods and start the thinking process behind it.

Are there any services that can help me use more critical thinking?

We understand that it's difficult to learn how to use critical thinking more effectively in just one article, but our service is here to help.

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Turn Game Time Into Brain Time

Kids Educational Game

May 4, 2005, by The Critical Thinking Co. Staff

Educational games have been used for ages to add spice to the sometimes dry world of academics. At best, they are a fun and exciting way to get students engaged in the process of their own educations. Not all educational games for kids, though, live up to that standard. Some products in this category focus more on the entertainment value than on educational value. This is not the case with Bright Minds educational games.

The Critical Thinking Co. is focused on providing parents with the tools they need to stimulate their children's educational development. The Critical Thinking Co. products are often used as supplements to formal, public or private education within the school system. It can be quite difficult to assess a child's educational development with only periodic report cards, or to expand on what they are learning in school without the proper tools.

The Critical Thinking Co. products are also used extensively for homeschooling. The Critical Thinking Co. produces core curricula for preschool through high school that exceed the federally mandated minimum standards. With course materials in math, science, history, language arts, and social science, The Critical Thinking Co. products come with an unequaled guarantee of higher grades and better test scores--or your money back.

The Critical Thinking Co. can make such a guarantee because they stress critical thinking, reasoning, and logic in all of their coursework. They encourage students to find the answers to questions rather than just memorize facts for tests. By teaching learning skills along with the subject matter in their coursework and educational games, The Critical Thinking Co. prepares students for higher order thinking and retention of knowledge.

Use artificial intelligence to get your students thinking critically

When crafting online courses, teaching critical thinking skills is crucial. Urbi Ghosh shows how generative AI can shape how educators can approach this

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As educators, how can we craft questions that effectively encourage critical thinking? How can we write the right questions? And how can we use artificial intelligence to link concepts and foster critical thinking among our students? 

At the core of critical thinking lies the skill of posing deep and thought-provoking questions. In the changing landscape of online learning, redesigning the ways in which we approach reasoning, analysis and synthesis is paramount. Critical thinking skills are particularly important in the online courses as they enable students to analyse information critically, evaluate sources effectively and make informed decisions independently in a digital learning environment. 

• AI and assessment redesign: a four-step process
• How can we teach AI literacy skills?
• Embracing generative AI as a co-design partner for designing and developing courses

AI can create engaging and effective learning experiences for educators and students. On one side, educators can use generative AI to tailor instruction, automate tasks and provide personalised feedback, freeing up valuable time. On the other side, students can use AI to connect, explore diverse perspectives and visualise complex data.

But how can generative AI help educators and students focus on the higher-order skills needed to evaluate and reason though complexities? Here, I’ve identified five ways to do so.

Using AI to connect ideas

Critical thinking entails assessing, integrating and examining information to make well-informed choices, guided by criteria and connections. AI technology helps to connect ideas, merging them to create stronger concepts and produce a wide range of ideas quickly. 

For example, in a genetics course, providing a paper with a critical thinking question on researching genetic engineering across different fields. Use this example prompt to generate an assignment for students to answer and make connections: 

"Genetic engineering techniques have advanced rapidly in recent years, allowing scientists to precisely edit genes and modify the genetic make-up of organisms. With these powerful tools, we can now alter the genetic code of organisms in once unimaginable ways. Your task is to use an AI system to explore the potential applications and implications of genetic engineering in various fields, such as agriculture and food production, medicine and human health, creation of a new species and environmental conservation.” 

Throughout the process, for example, the students could document the initial ideas and the connections made between concepts, or observe the similarities and differences produced. Then they could reflect with their own analysis by comparing their thoughts on each area. Students could use Chat PDF to interact with research articles and analyse the information within the article, using AI critically. 

Effective critical thinking involves constructing well-reasoned arguments supported by evidence. Towards the end of the course, students should be able to critically evaluate emerging technologies and their impact on society and the environment.

Synthesis, visualisation and practice

Educators can empower students with instructional methods that integrate synthesis and visualisation of assignments. Generative AI can assist students in analysing and visualising complex scientific data, helping them identify patterns, trends and anomalies, which are crucial for developing critical thinking skills in the sciences. For example, Google’s Gemini can generate images with text, using prompts such as “visualise the virus particle that causes rubella”.

Create AI-powered presentations

Thinking critically is an ongoing process of questioning, analysing and refining one’s understanding. Gemini’s ability to quickly generate and modify slides, based on new information or feedback, can facilitate this iterative process. It can now create PowerPoint slides complete with speaker notes for educators and students alike. 

For instance, the speaker notes feature can prompt students to articulate the logic and evidence behind each slide, fostering their ability to build and communicate sound arguments. As students explain their reasoning in the speaker notes, they can practise organising their thoughts, anticipating counter-arguments and strengthening their justifications, all of which are essential critical thinking skills. 

Educators can require students to use Gemini to explore alternative perspectives, incorporate additional evidence or restructure their presentations with AI. The iterative cycle can reinforce the habit of continuously re-evaluating and improving one’s thinking, essential for developing robust critical thinking skills. Other AI tools that can help make presentations include Gamma AI , Canva , Visme AI presentation maker and Tome . Not all the programmes are free.

Develop virtual learning

Critical thinking often involves visualising abstract concepts, relationships and processes. For instance, freely available online animations or YouTube videos can provide visual simulations of enzymes interacting with substrate. These visuals can help educators teach the importance of rates of reaction and enzyme substrate specificity. Animations such as these, along with generative AI critical thinking questions, can make customised virtual critical thinking assignments, which can be modified to different course levels. 

Synthesis and research

Generative AI could be used to do some of the initial research on a given topic. Researchers could use a prompt such as: “I am in search of some cutting-edge research papers related to [insert topic] that have been published in the last five years. It would be great if you could direct me to some innovative and informative papers that could help me gain a deeper understanding of the topic.”

Generative AI can be a powerful tool for supporting critical thinking in online courses. Educators can move beyond rote memorisation and ignite the critical thinking skills students will need to thrive in our constantly evolving world. Students can leverage AI to challenge assumptions, connect disparate pieces of information and reinforce foundational concepts. We have the opportunity to harness the powers of new technology to equip the next generation with the skills to assess their world critically – let’s not waste it.

Urbi Ghosh is a science faculty member in General Education at CSU Global.

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,  sign up for the Campus newsletter .

Additional links

1. Harvard business Review (July-August, 2023), “How Generative AI Can Augment Human Creativity”, https://hbr.org/2023/07/how-generative-ai-can-augment-human-creativity

2. Harvard Business Review (December 13, 2023) “Generative AI Can Supercharge Your Academic Research” https://hbsp.harvard.edu/inspiring-minds/generative-ai-can-supercharge-your-academic-research

3. Harvard Business Review (May 26, 2023) “AI Can Help You Ask Better Questions – And Solve Bigger Problems” https://hbr.org/2023/05/ai-can-help-you-ask-better-questions-and-solve-bigger-problems

4.Bioman’s Enzyme Game, https://biomanbio.com/HTML5GamesandLabs/LifeChemgames/enzymatichtml5page.html

5. Harvard University, The Derek BOK Center for Teaching and Learning, Pedagogical Best Practices https://teachremotely.harvard.edu/

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Teachers, Try This: A Method for Navigating Political Debates in Social Studies

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Emily Glankler, a Texas educator with a popular TikTok account, teaches the general public the history she feels they need to know. She uses that same insight to inform what and how she teaches U.S. History to her high school students.

Here, she shares what that looks like, and how she navigates some of the divisive issues that make their way into her social studies class amid the current political climate.

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Critical Media Literacy for Global Competencies (4 weeks)

Mastering media through critical thinking.

Critical thinking is one of the most vital skills to cultivate for academic and workplace success. In this four-week program, international undergraduates will learn how to use critical thinking skills to “read” and produce media more knowledgeably and skillfully in order to successfully navigate their personal and professional lives. Designed for university students of all disciplines, this program focuses on helping students develop critical thinking, media literacy and global competency skills, as well as increasing their English language proficiency.

Program Benefits 

This engaging program is designed to help students gain awareness of the social and cultural context in which media operates, learn how to deconstruct messages embedded in media, develop tools to purposefully construct their own media messages and increase their understanding of U.S. society by examining social media. Program benefits include:

Create a Custom Group Program

All of our Short-Term Content-Based Programs can be customized to fit your needs. For more information on how to set up a custom, content-based program, contact Xin Chen at  [email protected] .

• Learning how to analyze media for the messages it produces
• Increased understanding of how students portray themselves in their own media production
• Exploration of U.S. society through social media
• Improved English language fluency and technical vocabulary to discuss topics related to media production and media literacy
• Tools and skills to produce media messages
• Development of collaborative skills as students work in groups to produce a short film that promotes intercultural understanding  

Program Details

This four-week program consists of four classes with 16 hours of instruction per week. Classes are held Monday through Thursday in our state-of-the-art International Center. On Fridays, students will attend a guest lecture series. Students are grouped based on their level of proficiency to ensure the best possible learning experience. The program features:

• Highly qualified teachers
• Small classes (about 15-20 students) 
• Technology-driven classrooms, including a multimedia learning center
• UC Davis students as conversation partners both in and out of class
• Daily recreational, cultural and social activities 
• Optional weekend trips 
• No F-1 Visa required 

Program Courses

Media production technology .

This is a crash course in how to produce a short film. Students will learn about all the elements that make up a film, such as lighting, effects and music, as well as how a film creator uses them.

Critical Media Literacy

Students learn how to examine messages in media, gain an awareness of how they portray themselves in their own media, and develop an increased understanding of ownership and responsibility as producers of media. Students will also develop critical and ethical thinking skills about media.

Understanding Society Through Social Media 

Through an exploration of social media, popular apps and the notion of “going viral,” students will build appropriate vocabulary and become familiar with tech leaders and tech platforms. They will learn to apply critical thinking to the role of social media, its use in spreading fake news and how to be more critical consumers of media. Students will also examine the docudrama The Social Dilemma to explore themes of conspiracy theories, negative effects on mental health and manipulation.

Capstone Media Production Project

In this final course, students will work in collaborative teams to create a storyline, plan and produce a short film, demonstrating the competencies gained in the program. The team will explain their objectives and creative process in making the film and include an explanation of how they used what they learned to critically mediate messaging and ensure ethicality.

Participants must have a high-school diploma or be at least 18 years old to enroll in this program.