Thinking is a complex process that involves a variety of skills that are often used together when confronted with a new and interesting situation. Sharing the process of thinking with a child in meaningful and playful situations supports the development of thinking skills. It is also a fantastic opportunity for an adult to become more aware of children’s understanding and knowledge of the world, how they make sense of what is happening around them, how they communicate their thoughts and what they can do with the ideas in their minds.
Thinking skills are about how knowledge is acquired and how to use this knowledge. They include an element of knowing about thinking called ‘metacognition’. Metacognition is the knowledge of your own thinking process, evidenced by planning an approach to a learning task, monitoring your understanding and evaluating the whole process to completion. Being motivated to continue with the task, however difficult it is, is part of metacognition too.
Thinking skills are related to encouraging children to learn to think for themselves, learning through real situations in a highly motivating environment. The thinking skills which constitute the generic term ‘critical thinking’ are enquiry, information processing, reasoning, evaluation, problem-solving and creative thinking (see box below). Being aware of these different thinking skills enables adults to provide safe, creative environments and play situations where thinking can be sustained.
