The early years of education are wild and wonderful. Jam-packed with many “firsts”, those first few years in the classroom are pretty special. As a kindergarten teacher, I’m always amazed by just how much my students change from the beginning of the year to the end! One of the things in particular that amazes me is student growth in critical thinking skills. It’s almost like you can see those wheels turning faster with each passing day! Today I’m sharing some of the fun ways I target critical thinking skills in my classroom so you can see those wheels begin to turn too!
What Are Critical Thinking Skills?
First off, what exactly am I talking about here? Critical thinking skills refer to the ability to observe, analyze, evaluate, infer, communicate, and problem-solve. In the primary classroom, these skills are put to the test every day! Whether you’re discussing a social topic, analyzing a set of data, or brainstorming a solution to a classroom problem – children have many opportunities to put those critical thinking skills to good use!
In my room, it’s very important to me that I weave these in wherever I can, and present them in as many ways as possible. This is because all children learn differently. What might make that lightbulb go off for one student, may not have the same effect for another. That’s why it’s crucial to think about how and when you’re presenting children with opportunities to engage in critical thinking. Here are some of the times I often ask kiddos to engage in critical thinking skills:
- Morning Meeting: This is when children may work on many different skills, with a big emphasis on communication. I like my morning meetings to be active and collaborative for this reason.
- Morning Centers/Tubs: Games, puzzles, and activity mats will be your best friends when it comes to engaging those little learners in critical thinking skills during this part of the day! Make sure to use lots of different activities to target a variety of skills.
- Read-Aloud Time: This is a wonderful opportunity to ask open-ended questions, target problem solving and strengthen skills like inferencing with your students.
These are just a few times during your day when critical thinking skills can play a role. Once you start actively looking for opportunities to weave these skills into your day, I think you’ll find that you can add them in anywhere! For today, however, I want to focus on targeting these skills during center time. This is often the trickiest place to weave them in since students will be working independently. Luckily for you though, I’ve got 2 secret weapons that will make it a breeze!
Pattern Blocks and Snap Cubes for Critical Thinking Skills
If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you likely noticed that I’m a fan of engaging, hands-on activities for learning. In particular, I adore snap cubes and pattern block activities. As a kindergarten teacher, I know that these activities have more buy-in from my students. Plus, my go-to resources for these manipulatives are super simple to prep and store, meaning I can pull them out whenever I need a fun activity for students. Perhaps the BEST thing about these resources though is that they develop critical thinking skills in a way that simply feels like play for students!
As children work through each of the prompts on the different mats, they’re met with questions that have them comparing, contrasting, counting, evaluating, and analyzing. These key skills help work those thinking muscles and engage their minds through independent activities. I love this because it means that while I’m spending some focused time with a small group, I can rest easy knowing my students are working on important skills at the same time. It doesn’t get better than that, right?! Let’s take a closer look at these activities and how they can help your students too!
1. Math and Phonics Snap Cube Mats
This first option is probably my favorite because it offers options for both math and literacy skills. I love being able to target a variety of skills with just one resource! I also love that these activities can be used all year with different themes, holidays, and lessons we’re working on. Each mat in my Math and Phonics Snap Cube Bundle follows a predictable pattern. This means that once students have had the opportunity to work with them, they can be fully independent! Targeting critical thinking skills during center time couldn’t be easier with these mats!
Inside the bundle, you’ll find individual resources for every season and holiday you can think of. Each resource focuses on 4 specific skills, including 10 mats for each one. Kiddos will work on:
- Letter Recognition – Using the color code on the side of the mat, students will determine the letter represented by each color and place the matching snap cubes on the correct letter on the mat.
- Beginning Sound Recognition – Using the color code, students will determine the letter sound represented by each color and place the matching snap cubes on the correct picture to show the beginning sound on the mat.
- Number Recognition – Using the color code, students will determine the number represented by each color and place the matching snap cubes on the correct number on the mat.
- Subitizing Dot Patterns – Using the color code, students will determine the number represented by each color and place the matching snap cubes on the correct dot pattern on the mat.
I love these activities because they target SO many different critical thinking skills, while also working on important math and phonics skills too! Students will need to look closely to analyze their mats, use visual discrimination skills, problem-solve, and evaluate if they’re correct. Not to mention, the fun themes make these activities engaging too! Students will love revealing a whimsical picture after completing each activity. These work wonderfully for morning tubs as children trickle into the classroom, but I also love to use them during center time and for early finishers too! You can’t go wrong with these activity mats!
2. Math Mats for Critical Thinking Skills
Now let’s talk about another favorite of mine that is designed specifically for working on math skills. These Roll, Snap, and Frame Mats are a frequent flyer on my lesson plan for many reasons. First, they help my kiddos get really comfortable with rolling dice and filling in tens frames. Second, they are low-prep and super engaging! Third, they ensure my kids are working on those critical thinking skills, even without my oversight and guidance. I love that these mats encourage many different problem-solving and analyzing skills during independent work time!
To use, kiddos will use dice to roll a colored snap cube. Then they will find a matching snap cube and place it on the mat. Next, they will color in one square on the ten-frame recording sheet beside the matching color.
Students will keep rolling, matching, and coloring until the mat is full. When they are finished, a fun seasonal or holiday shape is revealed! I have these mats for Back to School, Winter, and even fun themes like the Olympic Games! No matter what you’re looking for, there’s something fun inside the bundle for you!
These math mats also come in another variation that focuses on graphing instead of filling a tens frame. The Roll, Snap, and Graph Mats are a fun way to work on recording and analyzing data in a bar graph. To use, students will use dice to roll a colored snap cube. After rolling, they find a matching snap cube, place it on the mat, and color in one square on the graphing recording sheet above the matching color. Students will keep rolling, matching, and graphing until the mat is full. Once the mat is full, students can compare each column of the graph to see which color is the greatest and the least.
My kids love these mats so they’re easy to work into our schedule for center time, independent workstations, or as an extra time-filler!
3. Pattern Block Mats
Last on this list are my pattern block activities! These are just as easy to prep as the snap cube mats (just print and laminate) and they use another favored manipulative! These Spin and Match Pattern Block Mats are a fun way for students to work in pairs or independently. They effortlessly target critical thinking skills and best of all – they’re super fun for students!
Children will use a paper clip and a pencil to place on the spinner and spin a shape. The student will then name the shape, find a pattern block of the same shape, and place it on the mat. They continue this process until the mat is full. If your kids are working in pairs, have them switch off each time and observe their friends while they wait. Once the mat is all filled in, they will count how many of each shape they used and write the answers on their mat. I like to laminate these mats and give students dry-erase markers to fill in their answers.
Another option to try are these Roll and Match Pattern Block Mats. The process is the same, except instead of a spinner, kids use dice. They will choose a block according to the number they rolled. Either way, there are so many opportunities to practice critical thinking skills in a fun way with these activities! Both of these resources come in black-and-white options as well. These mats come in handy if you need a print-and-go way to practice, no laminating necessary!
Critical Thinking Skills Made Easy!
I love using these activity mats all year long to easily target critical thinking skills in my classroom. My students really enjoy the active, hands-on style of these mats and I love how versatile they are! Plus, it truly gives me peace of mind knowing that my kids are working on SO many important skills during center time. Math, literacy, problem-solving, analyzing, and more! If you’re looking for a simple and effective way to work these skills into your lesson plan, I encourage you to check these activities out!
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