Dinnertime conversations are precious to parents for multiple reasons. How was your day? What did you do? What are you learning in school? These are all common questions parents ask their kids, and while they’re important in helping you stay connected to what’s happening to them, much more is possible with those dinnertime conversations. And it all comes down to reading the right books!
That’s what Daphne learned when reading the Tuttle Twins books with her kids. Not only was she shocked about how well they responded to the Tuttle Twins series, but she also noticed that the books offer inspiration for parents wanting to draw their kids into educational discussions!
PHOTO: Tuttle Twins
Start with the Right Books
The easiest way to start educational discussions with your kids is by reading books that teach critical thinking, like the Tuttle Twins series, with them. Books that teach critical thinking will give your kids the skills they need to be able to develop answers to the questions you ask. After all, there’s nothing more frustrating for some children than being asked questions they can’t figure out the answer to!
Books like the Tuttle Twins series teach critical thinking by presenting situations in which the characters must think their way out of a problem. By observing how the characters in the story develop solutions to their problems, kids will naturally begin to learn how to do it on their own.
The Tuttle Twins series and other books that teach critical thinking are also good launchpads for educational discussions. When you read the Tuttle Twins books with your kids, you can begin to ask them the types of questions that will have them thinking critically about the story and coming up with alternate solutions to the problem presented.
PHOTO: Tuttle Twins
Ask Open-Ended Questions
Once you’ve read some books that teach critical thinking, you can start triggering educational discussions about those books. Books that teach critical thinking like the Tuttle Twins books will help you learn how to talk to kids about government, money, and other important topics that have fallen into the gap between what kids learn at school and what they need to learn to become successful, productive adults.
Here are some open-ended questions you can use with the Tuttle Twins series and other books that teach critical thinking:
· What do you think about the ending? How did it make you feel?
· What are some other possible endings to the story?
· What alternate solutions could the characters have come up with?
· Which character did you relate to the most and why?
· How can you relate the story to your own life or experiences?
· What were some of the biggest surprises you had about the story?
· If you could change one thing about it, what would it be?
Remember to avoid yes or no questions and give your kids time to process their answers. Don’t jump in with more questions until they’ve had time to think because it might take them some time to think through these questions and develop critically thought-out answers.
Are you part of the always-educating movement? These are the parents whose kids will be most likely to get ahead in life and be set for what the future holds. These parents spend time addressing the gap that’s been left in their kids’ education by triggering educational discussions at home to fill that gap. You can set your kids up for success in the same way with educational discussions like these!