Unlocking Children's Potential with "Logical Thinking Skills" - How to Develop Them

Perhaps you've heard the saying, "Smart kids excel at logical thinking."

Logical thinking is said to be a skill that can be honed through conscious, daily training. What exactly is logical thinking, and how can we improve it? This time, we'd like to explore this topic together.

What is logical thinking? 

 Logical thinking, also known as "logical thinking," is "the ability to think about things in a coherent and structured manner.". 

When you develop strong logical thinking skills, you can organize complex matters, identify problems, and lead them to solutions.  

The National Institute for Educational Policy Research, Curriculum Research Center, defines the activities deemed necessary for high school students to think logically as the following six points: 

① Understanding and applying rules, definitions, conditions, etc. 

② Extracting and analyzing necessary information 

③ Grasping and evaluating the purpose and claims 

④ Gaining insight into the relationships between phenomena 

⑤ Forming and testing hypotheses 

⑥ Judging the structure of arguments and proofs 

If high school students are able to achieve these points, they can be considered to have strong logical thinking skills. 

However, for young children, it's difficult to apply the above criteria, so it can be hard to tell if they are developing logical thinking skills. 

For example, for children around kindergarten age, before they enter elementary school, let's observe them from the following perspectives to see if they have a foundation for logical thinking. 

Perspective ①: Distinguishing between fantasy and reality 

For example, when it rains, they understand that rain is a phenomenon caused by scientific mechanisms, rather than thinking "the sky is crying." 

Perspective ②: Possessing necessary information 

For example, they know the appropriate price range for a tomato, rather than saying something unrealistic like "one tomato costs 1 million yen 

Perspective ③: Knowing the relationships between things 

For example, they can deduce rules or conclusions from the commonalities of multiple events, like understanding that "Tuesday comes after Monday," "Wednesday comes after Tuesday," and so on, leading to the conclusion that "a week has seven days." 

What are the advantages of children with strong logical thinking skills? 

Logical thinking is considered a skill that should be developed and enhanced from childhood, and the reason for this lies in the benefits your child can gain. 

When a child's logical thinking ability improves, they can convey their thoughts smoothly to others. They will also be able to understand the feelings and thoughts of others. 

As a result, their communication skills will improve, allowing them to build smooth interpersonal relationships. 

Furthermore, their comprehension skills will also improve, leading to better academic performance. 

How to improve logical thinking skills 

So, what should we be mindful of in our daily lives to improve logical thinking? 

Here are some specific methods you can practice at home. 

Method ①: Encourage extensive reading 

By reading a lot of books, your child can be exposed to the author's logical and multifaceted opinions, and learn patterns of thinking. 

Also, a rich vocabulary is crucial for explaining one's opinions in a logical manner. 

Books offer various situations, allowing children to learn patterns of usage through simulated experiences. 

Method ②: Ask questions using 5W1H 

When talking with your child, try to ask questions using the 5W1H framework. 

When asked "When?", "Where?", "Who?", "What?", "Why?", and "How?", your child will think about how to answer the questions accurately. 

By incorporating this into daily conversations and repeating it frequently, your child's logical thinking skills will naturally improve. 

Method ③: Stimulate their curiosity 

To find many topics to think about, try to stimulate your child's curiosity. 

To enable them to apply their thinking skills in school, it is important to enrich their thinking ability itself. 

By going on family trips or participating in events, your child will likely find things that make them want to "know more" or "think about this." 

Method ④: Encourage the habit of self-research 

To obtain the necessary information for logical thinking, encourage your child to develop the habit of looking things up for themselves. 

For this, it is recommended to place dictionaries and encyclopedias in the living room. 

If they are still too young to research on their own, show them how by researching together using books or searching online.

By doing this together and having fun, they will gradually develop the habit of self-research. 

Method⑤ Play games that enhance logical thinking skills 

Let's enjoy games that enhance logical thinking skills together as a family. 

Games like Sugoroku and The Game of Life involve playing according to rules, which helps develop the ability to understand and apply rules, definitions, and conditions. 

Also, puzzles and building blocks foster the ability to understand relationships and structures. 

Let's take a break from digital devices once in a while and enjoy games that sharpen our thinking skills while communicating with family.