thinking skills, toddler

I found some recommendations here
http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_par_2436_think

Thinking Skills: 24 to 36 months

In this third year, you will see a big jump in your child’s thinking skills. …

Spend lots of time pretending

The ability to pretend marks a big leap in the development of thinking skills. When children pretend, it means that they understand symbols—that a block can become a car, a shoebox can become a home for stuffed animals, and that a word stands for an object or an idea. Understanding symbols is important for the development of skills such as math, logic, writing, and science.

What you can do to build your child’s imagination:

Make the time for pretend play.  Let your child be the “director.” This helps him develop his own ideas. It also strengthens his thinking skills as he makes logical connections in his stories: The dog has to go back in his house because it’s raining. You can help him develop his ideas by asking questions:  What is the doggy feeling?  What is the doggy trying to do?  Why?  What might happen next?

Offer lots of props that help him act out the stories he’s creating—hats, dress-up clothing, toy dishes, child-sized brooms, pads of paper, blocks, play food and household objects like big cardboard boxes, blankets, pillows, etc.

Build your child’s logical thinking skills

As children get closer to age 3, they begin to understand how things are logically connected; for example, that you need to eat in order to grow. They use their increasing language skills to ask questions about what they see, hear, and experience in the world. That’s the reason it seems that every other word 2-year-olds speak is “Why?” The ability to think logically—to put 2 and 2 together—is critical for thinking through problems and being successful in school and life.

What you can do:

Don’t answer your child’s questions right away. Ask first what he thinks the answer is. This gets his wheels turning.  Listen carefully to his response and acknowledge his ideas.   You can then offer the correct answer.  For example, if he says he thinks it gets dark at night so people can sleep, you might respond: Yes, it is easier to sleep when it’s dark, and then go on to explain as simply as possible about the sun setting and rising each day.

Ask lots of questions during your everyday play and routines.  As you go through your day together, ask your child “why” questions.  Why do you think the leaves fall from the trees? Why does it snow?  This gets your child’s mind working and also lets him know that you are interested in and value his ideas.

Figure out what objects do and how things go together.

Older toddlers go beyond just exploring objects to using them as tools. For example, they might use a shoe box as a garage for toy cars. They also explore the world in more complex and creative ways. You may see your toddler’s active mind at work as he:

Digs through the sand to find hidden toys

Makes play dough creations

Builds elaborate constructions from blocks

Acts out stories in his play

Takes things apart, stacks, and sorts objects

Inspects the parts of toys that move (wheels/doors of a toy truck)

What you can do:

Watch your child and see what he is interested in.  Ask questions about what you are seeing and experiencing together:  What do you think we will find when we dig in the sand?  Where do you think the butterfly is flying to?  Wonder about things together:  I wonder how many legs are on that spider?  I wonder how many stairs there are to get up to the front door?  I wonder where the rain goes when it lands on the ground?  By noticing and building on your child’s natural curiosity, you are nurturing her love of learning.

Offer lots of chances to explore in creative ways. Take nature walks. Play with sand and water. Give your child objects he can take apart and investigate.  By working with familiar (and not-so-familiar) objects, children figure out how things work.  This type of problem-solving is critical for success in school.

Notice patterns and connect ideas.
Toddlers can use their memories to apply past experiences to the present. They see a cloudy sky and know that this might mean rain is coming. This also helps them understand how the world works–the rain comes from the gray clouds. You see this new ability to detect patterns and connect ideas when your child:

Laughs at funny things

Asks grandma for a cookie after mom says no.

Remembers that Aunt Sheila can’t come to the party because she lives far away

Tells you it is raining and that he will need an umbrella

What you can do:

Make connections between past and present.  Make the logical connections in your child’s life clear to her: She has to wear mittens because her hands get cold if she doesn’t.  She needs to bring a towel to the pool so she can dry herself off. 

Use everyday routines to notice patterns.  Using language to explain these patterns helps your child become a logical thinker and increases her vocabulary.  “Do you notice that every time the dog whines he has to go out to do his business?”  “When the buzzer goes off, the clothes are dry.”  

Sort and categorize as you go through your day together.
Older toddlers can sort objects by their characteristics (all the plastic fish in one pile, all the plastic birds in another). They are also beginning to understand more complex concepts of time, space, size and quantity. You will see evidence of these new thinking skills when your child:

Tells you her age

Organizes objects in a logical way (plate next to cup; car next to dollhouse)

Asks questions like how many? or when?

Sorts beads by color or size

Acts out stories in his play, especially common scenarios he sees at home (like saying good-bye to mommy in the morning)

Completing 3- or 4-piece puzzles

What you can do:

Sort and categorize through the day. Do laundry together.  Your child can separate colors from whites and make piles of socks, shirts, and pants.  He can help set the table and organize the forks, plates and spoons.  At clean-up time, have him put the cars on one shelf and books on another.

Help him grasp a sense of time.  Use an egg timer to help him put together the concept of time with the experience of time (to help him know what 5 or 10 minutes feels like.) This also gives him some sense of control over knowing when a change will happen. (He can look at the egg timer and see the arrow moving closer to the “0” which is when he has to stop playing and get in the car.)

Think and talk about feelings. Two-year-olds are getting better at recognizing their own feelings. Some may even begin to label their own feelings: I’m mad! I’m sad. I’m happy. But they are still learning how to manage them. (Tantrums continue to be very typical at this age.) Two-year-olds also know that other people have their own thoughts and feelings. You see this awareness of themselves and others when your toddler:

Uses words to describe feelings—“happy” or “sad”

Recognizes and names feelings in pictures from books (sadness, fear, anger)

Comforts others when they are upset or hurt

Recognizes others’ feelings: Mama sad?

Role-plays caregiving and comforting with dolls or stuffed animals

What you can do:

Talk about feelings.  Help your child develop a feelings vocabulary. Put words to what you think she might be feeling. You are so mad that we have to leave the park.  You feel sad when Grandma has to leave. This helps your child understand and cope with her feelings.

Talk about what others might be feeling. That little girl is jumping up and down and smiling.  Do you think she is happy?  When reading books, ask what she thinks the characters might be feeling.  Do you think he’s afraid of the dark?

Test out new ideas and concepts to solve problems.
Two-year-olds solve problems by using trial and error. You may see your older toddler solving problems by:

Bringing others into her play: “You be the princess”

Peeling paper off a crayon that is getting dull in order to continue coloring

Turning puzzle pieces in different directions to complete the puzzle

Making up words and songs

Acting out stories, changing the plot to suit her purposes (not always logically)

What you can do:

Help your child test out different solutions to problems. When she is stuck, suggest other ways to approach the problem.  For example, suggest she try different openings to fit the shapes into. If she needs a wand for pretend play, ask her what household object she might be able to use.

Make up songs.  Instead of Rain, Rain Go Away, suggest it can be Snow, Snow Go Away, or, Birthday, Birthday Almost Here. Ask your child what else he wants to make the song about.  Change the words to the song to match his ideas.  This helps your child learn to think logically and make connections between ideas.

currently I continue to google-search using keywords “encourage logical thinking toddler”. so many interesting articles, I recommend you to search the same :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

Frukc-
Thanks for the ideas!

Alex has two some fun ‘workbooks’ thatI use for lots of ideas…you might really enjoy them!

Lollipop Logic books (several levels): http://www.prufrock.com/Lollipop-Logic-P185.aspx

Ed Zaccharo books at Hickory Grove Press: https://smartmall.net-smart.net/challengemath/categories.cfm?ID=5
We have several books from them. Challenge Math is exceptional!

Thank you for starting this thread Frukc - I think this is a really important topic.
My 3y5m DD spends most of her day role playing various games and likes to involve us in them as well in all kinds of complex ways, it is fascinating to watch her. She is fairly disinterested in the TV (whether educational or non-educational) and will usually turn it off herself after a short while in favour of a creative game. Whilst this is great, it is also quite difficult to engage her in EL at times because she loves to be creative and set the rules for the game herself. I would like to find some creative ways to tap into her natural creativity and somehow tie this into EL as well, there are some good ideas here and I’d like to extend this much further, so if you find any more information, please let me know.

Keri - thanks for the book suggestions. Lollipop logic looks good and we may well try this.
I was also wondering about http://www.criticalthinking.com/all-abilities/preschool_academics.html?code=c
Have you used this? I’m wondering how it compares with the others you mentioned.

Thanks!

Izp11-
We LOVE several of the books by Critical Reasoning Co! I really should have mentioned them! In my opinion, the Critical Reasoning Co books are almost exactly one level above the Lollipop Logic books…we have the Mathematical Reasoning 1 and 2, and they really are a lot of fun!
Some of the activities are almost he same… If I was to choose one? The Critical Thinking books are by far MY face, definitely more well-rounded… Alex however, LOVES the look and layout of Lollipop Logic! They actually really complement ach other quite well…
But honestly? For a slightly older child like yours? I would go with the Critical Reasoning Co… They are definitely more inclusive!

I have found the Crititcal Thinking Company very pricy. But maybe one day we will get a few books.

As a much cheaper alternative I have found these workbooks by flashkids. From what I can tell, the books are out of print and are becoming hard to find. I found the Pre-k book at my Barnes and Noble and paid the full $8.95 price. Totally worth it! They cover things that are very different from every other workbook James has. And they are quite challenging. I went online to the Barnes and Noble site and I was able to purchase the Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade books all for less than $2 each.

The link below may be of the only one they have in stock.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gifted-talented-flash-kids-editors/1101968744

My bad, I found more I just couldn’t search for them the other day.

Pre-K
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gifted-talented-flash-kids-editors/1101968744?ean=9781411403215

First grade
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gifted-talented-flash-kids-editors/1101968744

kindergarten
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gifted-talented-flash-kids-editors/1101968744?ean=9781411495586

Third Grade
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gifted-talented-flash-kids-editors/1101968744?ean=9781411495555

Fourth grade
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gifted-talented-flash-kids-editors/1101968744?ean=9781411495548

I received an offer from Homeschool Buyers Coop today with a free offer from Critical Thinking Company if you want to give them a try!
http://www.criticalthinking.com/company/free_gift_download.jsp
Enjoy…

Ah THANK YOU Keri!

This is so great - an opportunity to try out logic activities and books with my DD who is not keen on workbooks! So good to have a chance to try for free.

I had a look at the books and there are many pages suitable for young children - I will probably print out selected pages one or two at a time to avoid overwhelming her.

Thanks again for sharing :slight_smile:

thank you for all these links!
I did some free ebook search after them.
Could you please evaluate these links :slight_smile:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/30792537/Gifted-and-Talented

http://tknerr.de/ebooksearchr/home?cx=008836104266179945027%3As5ntw3b1uvk&cof=FORID%3A11&q=critical+thinking&sa=Search&siteurl=tknerr.de%2Febooksearchr%2Fhome.html&ref=&ss=4183j1272675j17

Helping kids learn math and science: Why kids benefit when they teach others
© 2009 -2013 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved

Want to help your kids learn math and science?

Ask them explain—or, better yet—teach what they are learning in their own words.

This simple tactic can help kids master new material.

You’ve probably experienced it yourself. People become better problem-solvers when they are asked to explain how or why a solution is correct.

Explaining is an especially effective learning aid when people try to teach another person. But it’s also helpful if they merely explain their reasoning to themselves.

For instance, a study of novice chess players found that individuals who were told to explain a computer’s moves became better players than people who simply observed the computer’s moves (de Bruin et al 2006).

And here’s another example: In a study of 9th graders, students were presented with a new geometry theorem. Some students were trained to “self-explain” as they studied. Other students were allowed to study in their usual ways.

When the teens were tested on their overall comprehension, the “self-explainers” had the advantage. They were better able to solve new problems that were superficially different, yet conceptually connected with the assigned theorem (Wong et al 2002).

Explaining appears to help younger kids, too. In one study, Bethany Rittle-Johnson and her colleagues (2008) gave 5-year olds some pattern-detection problems to solve.

Each problem consisted of a sequence of 6 plastic bugs—e.g.,

And kids were asked what comes next (e.g., a red spider).

After each child gave his answer, the experimenter told him the correct answer. Then the experimenter asked the child to explain the correct answer.

Compared to kids who were asked merely to repeat the right answer out loud, the “explainers” went on to become better problem solvers. When they were asked to solve a new set of pattern-detection problems, they were more likely to get the right solutions.

and more
http://www.parentingscience.com/kids-learn-math-and-science.html

:slight_smile:

Wow, great post, thank you.

Very informative posts,all of them
Thank you, people for your contribution.

Thanks for sharing the article!

My little guy is pretty young still, not yet three, but I have started trying to work on thinking skills. I’ve found some sequencing puzzles and he’s been enjoying mazes. Amazon also has some thinking skills workbooks for only a few dollars each.
http://amzn.to/17SXHFa
http://amzn.to/1ejxMas

I am also very influenced by
http://www.brainy-child.com/article/thinking-skills-for-children.shtml
http://www.brainy-child.com/article/critical-thinking-skills.shtml
and other articles from http://www.brainy-child.com/article.shtml

It is easy to share links and copy articles but now I would like to discuss what we really are doing with our kids :slight_smile:

I started to think about thinking a year ago :slight_smile:

As I explained earlier, I am not a chatty person, and I try to compensate my unchattiness with “better” talking. Since that, I try to discuss “why” type questions with my 2 - 3 year old. When he was not talking fluently I tried to find something in our surrounding to explain about. I just tried to find if there is something to ask “why”. When his talking was good enough he finally was able to participate in conversations about global subjects like time, age, what is alive, what is human and how the time is going. I was happy to discover his opinion about these subjects; his opinion differs from mine :smiley: I do not say that he is wrong; I am very curious about his opinion and observations :slight_smile:

After one year of such talking (not all the time; just by occasion) I think that there are results. I definitely see that he continues to think about our conversations also later. His talking shows that he is not repeating what he has heard; he is processing all the information and comparing the new information with his knowledge. Sometimes I think that he has very analytical way of talking.

In http://www.brainy-child.com/article/thinking-skills-for-children.shtml you can read:
"Enhancing thinking skills in your kid can be real fun and thrilling. Nothing can be more effective than asking the right type of questions in an easy going manner. Questions that you ask should have simple and proper wordings. When you ask questions that lead to a mental stimulation of your kid’s thought process, it can be really good for you as well as your kid. "

Well, might be in contradiction to “input only” approach recommended by Doman. However, recommendations of Doman are aimed mainly to babies and on particular subjects. Currently I think that asking questions is very good if these questions are kind, easy and fun. I am not testing; I am asking for opinion.

There is some more talking which can be called as exercise.

At home, we have names for most of toy animals and dolls. I also remember at which occasions we got every toy. I use to remind these occasions to my kids. Later I ask questions"do you remember how we got this toy?". A present from friend, a purchase in excursion etc. Than I can continue my questions about a particular occasion. What did we do in that excursions? Do you remember what guests you had in your birthday party? And so on.

I always did it with my first kid (6 years old) and now I found that this is an exercise for long-term memory. My first kid really has a very good memory, especially long-term memory. It seems that she remembers everything.

With my 3-year old, I also often ask “what happened today” and “what happened yesterday”. Half year ago, he mixed everything together in his answer but now he answers almost properly.

Sometimes we play “common and different” game. What is common and what is different for two things. With 3-year old, I ask easy questions, and often answer by myself. With 6-year old, it is challenging. What is common for electricity and old socks? Answer: the shock :smiley:

After the recommendation of Testing Mom, we play “I went to the shop” game. This is short-time memory game and it can also be used as party game. I went to the shop and purchased milk. I went to the shop and purchased milk and bread. And so on; everyone is repeating all the chain and adding one more.

I this forum, we usually discuss teaching with various materials and applications. Teaching without materials is challenging but interesting, and it can become a habit. My 6 year old is copying my talking and also changing her playing with her brother; she is better as I am :smiley:

Well, this is not much but it took some time to gather and adapt these exercises. Probably you have also something to recommend.

Very interesting Frukc. Thank you for sharing!

http://testingforkindergarten.com/book/questions-to-make-your-child-think

  1. How are water, milk and orange juice alike? How are they different?
  2. Which of these can be worn? Hat, boot, fish, ring, worm, belt, kite, lemon, bib, wristwatch, applesauce, robe.
  3. Which has more legs, a bird or a cow?
  4. Name something that is smaller than a tooth?
  5. Where around you do you see a circle? A triangle? A rectangle?
  6. Why do people grow gardens?
  7. When you make a sandcastle, would you use wet sand or dry sand? Why?
  8. Which are longer, your arms or your legs?
  9. How many of these have you seen today? Frog, cup, mirror, apple, yo-yo, teapot, bus.
  10. What is your favorite game to play with someone? What is your favorite game to play by yourself?
  11. Rumble, rumble. Name two things that might make that sound.
    12… How many numbers are on a clock? Are the numbers the same on all clocks?
  12. Name something you can make with clay and something you cannot.
  13. Would you rather use a fork or a spoon to eat ice cream? A boot or a slipper to keep your feet dry? Why?
  14. What does it mean to rest?
  15. A sponge absorbs water. Name something that doesn’t.
  16. How are bubbles like balloons? How are they different?
  17. What could you find by using a dictionary? A road map? A phone book? A globe?
  18. Coconut, cucumber, papaya. Besides being names of foods, what do these words have in common?
  19. Which neighboring state is closest to your home?
  20. “My birthday party is going to have an animal theme,” said Lucas. Name some things besides parties that might have themes.
  21. How is your image in the mirror different from your image in a photo?
  22. Name something that scares you. What makes that fear go away?
  23. Tell something you know about a career as a teacher. A plumber. A photographer. A songwriter.
  24. Name some things that affect how much an item costs.
  25. How do people find out what is happening in the world? Name as many ways as you can.
  26. When might you like someone’s help? When might you not?
  27. “That’s amazing, but no one will believe it,” said Devon. What might Devon have seen?
  28. Why might museums need to keep some documents and paintings in climate controlled areas?
  29. What has been your proudest moment? Why?

==================
http://www.thinkfun.com/smartplayblog/?p=1109

  1. Ask questions about concepts.

If your kid is playing with shapes, ask, “Why doesn’t this shape (triangle) fit in this slot (circle)?” If you’re at the park, take animals into consideration. Ask, “Why isn’t this animal (bird) the same as that animal (dog)?”

  1. Ask questions to get kids analyzing and reasoning.

The next time you help your child put on a rain jacket, ask, “Why do we need to wear a rain jacket today when we didn’t wear one yesterday?”

  1. Ask questions to link thoughts across activities.

When learning about fruits or vegetables, take children into the kitchen and have them observe (or help, if they’re capable) the process of cooking a snack or dinner. Ask, “What can we use this tomato for?”

  1. Ask questions to help kids apply concepts to real life.

Try drawing different types of graphs with your child about how many days in the last week it rained, how many dogs they saw at the park over the week, how many red, white, black, blue, and green cars they saw on the way home from the grocery store, etc.

  1. Ask questions to inspire creativity.

Encourage brainstorming by asking questions like, “How many ways can we get to the park?”

  1. Ask questions to spark observation skills and judgment.

If your child already knows the story of the three pigs (or while reading the story to your child), ask, “Why would you want to live in a straw house? How about a brick house? Which one might protect the three little piggies from the big, bad wolf better?”

  1. Ask questions to inspire self-reflection.

Get kid to think about the very process of thinking. This encourages critical thinking skills and even gives them very necessary ego boosts. The next time your kid shows evidence of analysis or creativity, ask, “How did you know that?”

======================

https://www.reviveourhearts.com/articles/23-great-questions-to-ask-your-kids/

23 Great Questions to Ask Your Kids
by Sharon Jaynes

  1. What do you think heaven looks like?

  2. What does Dad do at work?

  3. Who is a person you know that seems the most Christ-like?

  4. What do you think your wife (husband) will be like?

  5. If you were going to spend one year on a desert island and could only take three things with you, what would they be?

  6. Who is your favorite aunt or uncle and why do you like him or her so much?

  7. What sounds and smells do you think Joseph and Mary experienced in the stable on Christmas night?

  8. What is the nicest thing I ever did for you?

  9. When is a time that I hurt your feelings?

  10. When is a time that you were really mad at me?

  11. If people followed the Golden Rule, think of all the things we wouldn’t need. Can you make a list?

  12. If you could be in a movie that you’ve already seen, which one would it be? Would you be a character that is already in the movie, or would you be one that you would add?

  13. How is love different for a Christian couple than it is in the movies?

  14. What is the difference between being smart and being wise?

  15. What is your favorite outfit?

  16. What is the hardest part about being (fill in your child’s age)?

  17. What has been your favorite childhood memory?

  18. When you pray, how do you picture God?

  19. What is your favorite Bible verse? Why do you like it?

  20. If you could be an animal for a day, which one would you be?

  21. If you could go in a time machine, what era in history would you like to visit?

  22. What person in history would you like to visit?

  23. What is the most important decision you will ever make?

upd.
anyone has this book?
http://www.amazon.com/Day-Kids-Three-Year-Journal/dp/0307952967

A journal for parents and children ages roughly four to ten (although age range is flexible) to share the evolution of thoughts, feelings, and dreams over the years. Also great for kids who want to keep a time capsule of their own whimsical thoughts and serious ideas about the world.

Inspired by the previous bestselling Potter Style title, Q&A a Day, this journal is the perfect family keepsake. A question by children’s author Betsy Franco is featured for each day with only a few lines provided for a response, making this journal the ultimate no-fuss record keeper. Simply turn to today’s date and record your child’s answer. When you finish the year, move on to the next section. As the years go by you’ll notice how your child’s answers evolve, sometimes silly, sometimes precocious, but always interesting. The diary can be started on any day of the year and makes a terrific keepsake or gift for parents.