Every parent wants to set their kids up for success, and a great way to do that is by teaching critical thinking. Pairing critical thinking lessons with history is also an amazing way to bring history to life and make it relevant to the modern era.
After all, as Winston Churchill once said, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” But there’s good news! Lessons about history and critical thinking don’t have to be boring. With a little bit of planning, you can take your kids on the adventure of a lifetime through lessons they won’t forget!
PHOTO: Tuttle Twins
Books that Teach Critical Thinking
Some of the best books for homeschool families include the Tuttle Twins series, which not only teach American history for kids but also critical thinking. The Tuttle Twins history books transform educational time into an exciting journey of discovery as kids learn to think critically about history and form their own views of it.
The Tuttle Twins series includes lots of books that teach critical thinking from a historical perspective, earning these titles a spot among the best books for homeschool families. From engaging fictional stories about the twins’ exploits to textbooks about American history for kids, the Tuttle Twins series will take your kids on a fun romp they’ll want to read over and over!
Encouraging Active Listening
In addition to using books that teach critical thinking, look for ways to encourage active listening in your kids. After all, the more they’re engaged, the more they will take in and learn.
To encourage active listening, ask probing questions while you’re reading books that teach critical thinking or talking about historical events. Emphasize how important it is to listen to multiple views and understand the reasoning behind those views.
Look for other ways to push your kids to dig deeper than the surface and explore the logic of different arguments while understanding the assumptions that led to those other views.
Simulating Historical Events
A great interactive way to get your kids engaged in critical thinking as they learn about history is through simulations of historical events. Talk about some of the great debates of the past and help your kids step back into history through roleplaying. Through these simulations and roleplaying, you’ll even learn alongside your kids!
You can also use simulations to relate history to today’s world. Look at today’s current events and use them to draw out different threads from history that have affected the way things are today. Think about how history has impacted today’s events and model critical thinking for your kids.
Nurturing Empathy in Your Kids
Critical thinking is about more than just understanding different viewpoints. History is full of events that provide important lessons about things that should never happen again.
Such events often warrant empathy even though they happened in the past. In fact, history continues to affect us each and every day, so understanding these threads are an important part of fostering empathy for yesterday’s problems that have become today’s key issues.
Reinforcing Lessons Through Books that Teach Critical Thinking
Equipping your kids with the critical thinking skills they need to be successful may seem like a challenge, but it’s also an adventure you and your kids will enjoy embarking on together! The Tuttle Twins series and other books that teach critical thinking skills will bring you full circle to help reinforce what you’ve been teaching.
With books and these other engaging activities in your toolbelt, you and your kids will love your journey through history and into the modern world!
