How to teach our children to think

The process of thinking is an act of association of ideas that allow human beings to live and coexist. The world around us has infinite possibilities to be discovered and used for our growth and development.

Our role as fathers, mothers and/or guardians has a wide range of possibilities to teach our children to think. And although it is true that new technologies are driving modern societies to make children and young people learn faster through them, it is also true that the use of thinking functions is gestated in the womb, they are born in the home. and they grow in society.

The new education that is being proposed seeks to ensure that children stop being “repositories” where we place knowledge, and that they become active minds that reflect on different patterns and understand the world around them. We adults can greatly help children and young people by following simple recommendations on a daily basis:

– From 0 to 3 years:

In short sessions, show different colored sheets of paper with large letters or images and name them.

Breastfeed for as long as possible .

-Play music and dance at the same speed rhythm as it plays. Take their little hands and make the movements faster or slower.

-Do not speak for him/her. Allow him to make his own words out of it and express himself.

– Play hide-and-seek games (hide things or someone). They are excellent for creativity and imagination.

-Acquire educational games, specific for this stage. There are many materials and for different learning areas.

-Inaugurate a   thinking chair (thinking place) . It is the place where the child, throughout his childhood, will sit to reflect on inappropriate behavior. Before getting up he must say out loud a commitment to improve. When you are away from home, choose a quiet, secluded place.

– From 3 to 7 years:

-Surely he already goes to kindergarten or the first stage of primary school. Keep an eye on your schoolwork, but don’t do it to yourself . If you see that you don’t understand, do something similar on another sheet.

-Puzzles are excellent allies. Acquire it according to the child’s level and try to get him to do it on his own. It is not necessary to finish it in the same session.

-At this stage, children already perceive the reason for many things. If your parents are wrong about something, it is very educational for them to sit in the chair or thinking place and state their commitment.

-Avoid NO’s. Preferably indicate the correct options they should choose and explain why they are better.

-NEVER SCREAM. NEVER INSULT. These are forms of abuse that are justified with: “my patience was exhausted.” If you feel like you can’t control the situation, calm down and get everyone to think.

– From 7 to 12 years:

It is the primary stage itself. New experiences. Difficult subjects and several teachers per classroom. Make sure he organizes his free time and homework well. At the end of the day, ask him if he has completed his assignments and ask for something to congratulate him on.

-Strictly regulate video games and hours of TV, they can lead to serious learning and behavioral problems if their use is excessive.

-Remember that reward and sanction are very important for achieving certain objectives. The best reward should be the personal satisfaction of having done the right thing, but it may come with certain privileges. Sanctions must be met, so think carefully (severity, duration, etc.) before placing them.

-Food is very important. Avoid foods that may be harmful to your health or daily diet and include energetic foods with high nutritional content. Consume them and explain to yourself why you do it. The child will tend to imitate because he will have understood its convenience.

– Organize excursions and walks so that contact with natural environments allows you to perceive how life and the environment work.
At all stages of childhood, the most important factor is learning the knowledge necessary to survive. It is very important to transmit the law of cause and effect to children, and for them to understand that everything they do or say has consequences. Therefore, it is very important to have times for reflection with them , which can be on very varied topics. The intelligent, sincere, loving and calm approach between parents and children is the basis of a just, balanced and dignified society.