Okay, there’s still snow on the ground in some places, but spring is officially here! It’s a time for newness, for awakening, and there’s no better way to celebrate with a little thinker than playing with some really fun spring-themed big questions.

Critical thinking is one of the most important skills you foster in a kid. You could even go as far as saying it’s a survival skill for the 21st century. However, given the sheer volume of information floating around out there (and given the fact that the pile keeps getting bigger), critical thinking on its own may not be enough anymore.

There may only be one International Women’s Day, but you don’t have to wait until it comes around to take on big questions with a little thinker. Wonderful conversation and the critical thinking skills that result from it are always reason to celebrate.

The more we look, the more we find, and the bigger the thinking community (past and present) becomes.

Women’s History Month is a fantastic time to start exploring these historical thinkers with your child, but it’s really meant to be a year-round pursuit.

It seems like such a big, complicated topic, because it is. Thinking about how, when, where, what and even why we think is one of the more complex things we can ponder. It’s also one of the most important, and yes, it is doable with kid thinkers too.

Ask pretty much any parent, particularly those with small children, and they’ll tell you as much. What parent hasn’t been ambushed by a million bouts of “why”? Who hasn’t been minding their own business, going about their daily tasks, only to have the little in their house hit them with a truly difficult question for which there is no easy answer (if there’s any answer at all)?

Grab a cup of tea, put your feet up, throw out a big question, and (with sincerity) ask “What do you think?” In this case, silence is gold

We’d like to remind parents, caregivers and teachers: you deserve this feeling too, this comfort, this connection. You deserve to be able to admit you don’t know. You deserve to have time and space to ask big questions, and to bond with others through dialogue. You deserve to the security of knowing that, like the many, many humans before you who have lived through trying circumstances, that there are ways to think your way through things, to come out on the other side with even bigger and better ideas.

Philosophy encourages the development of many 21st century skills and promotes social-emotional learning. The development of patience is a benefit that shouldn’t be overlooked. Whose kid couldn’t use a few moments to sit and reflect now and then? Whose kid wouldn’t benefit from a break from the frantic speed of their current lifestyle? What adult, for that matter, wouldn’t like to take a breath and slow down every so often?

Kids have never been privy to so much at such an early age as they are now, and they very badly need to know how to filter and find what’s true, what’s important, what’s helpful, and pass on things that are just interesting. They need to know when and how to act on this information.

Perhaps when we shy away from teaching critical thinking to our kids, it’s because we’re seeing it through the smoggy lenses of our grown-up definition. We’re so afraid of our kids not trusting us, talking back to us, and being unhappily skeptical about everything that we forget what it feels like for a little thinker to be critical. For a child, critical thinking is an exploration, a collaboration, and even an adventure.

What a year it’s been! We’ve tried new things, met new people, and had many wonderful adventures in thinking.

Your kids’ extra screen time doesn’t have to be a source of guilt or a disaster. If your kids go for quality over quantity, there are fun and enriching ways to turn television, movies, games, and apps into learning opportunities.

Ah, the holidays… visits from family and friends, sumptuous meals, thoughtful gifts, and for many families, a whole lot of time with kids who would ordinarily be busy at school. How does a parent with an already-hectic schedule keep little hands occupied, while keeping young minds supple and ready to go back to class in the new year?

Philosophy may have a reputation for being all about essays and debates, but when it comes to young thinkers, it needn’t be limited to just one or two avenues of learning. There are as many ways to approach big questions as there are children to ask them.

We’ve kicked off the season with a countdown of big questions, and we’ve already put up eight of them on our social media channels. In case you need to catch up, here are the ones we’ve posted so far. Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for more! There will be a new question every day until we ring in 2023.

Experiences outrank simple stuff any day of the week (or any time of the year). They tend to stick better than the latest toy trends, and they have more widespread, lasting benefits to a child. We’d like to humbly suggest that this year, you give your child something that really will keep on giving: philosophical dialogue.

It’s surprising how the right big question, asked in an engaging manner, and discussed in a safe learning environment, will inspire a young learner to participate.

What needs to be established isn’t whether children can do philosophy, but how they do it. Needless to say, philosophy is different when it comes from the mouths of babes.

The season of snow has begun, and holidays are just around the corner! As we tiptoe (or stomp) into winter, there are so many opportunities to engage little thinkers in some big thinking.