You likely use your critical thinking skills in both your personal life and in the workplace. Everyday situations arise that force us to use logic and reason to make a decision or come to a conclusion about a problem we may be facing. Maybe your exercise program is failing, a project at work is going in the wrong direction, or your child is dealing with a challenge at school. No matter the situation, improving your critical thinking skills may help you reach a satisfactory result.
Benefits of Improving Critical Thinking Skills
Improving your critical thinking skills can provide a number of important benefits that have a direct affect on your daily life. Strong critical thinking skills give you greater ability to make smart choices. This can be advantageous when making big decisions that affect your home, relationships, family, or career.
A Sought After Skill From Employers
By improving your critical thinking skills, you can also achieve career success. Critical thinking is a unique skill set that many top employers are looking for in job candidates. With these skills, you are able to analyze information, generate solutions, think creatively, plan strategically, and share your ideas and work with others in a way that everyone can easily understand.
Coping With Day-To-Day Problems
Critical thinking can also help you better cope with problems that may cross your path from day to day. Without strong critical thinking skills, every small issue can be blown out of proportion, causing unnecessary stress. Critical thinking skills can help people better deal with issues with a clear head.
How to Improve Your Critical Thinking Skills
Want to know how to improve your critical thinking skills in a fun and creative way? Try the following games and activities.
1. Sudoku Puzzles
Sudoku puzzles are an excellent tool for building critical thinking skills. In addition to employing logic by encouraging players to figure out the numbers that fit in each square, sudoku also increases confidence which affects attitude and performance. Logic activities like sudoku, word searches, and crossword puzzles help activate parts of the brain that may not be used as often as other parts. If you consistently exercise this area of the brain, you can achieve enhanced skills, like improved critical thinking.
2. Chess
The game of chess has been found to have a significant impact on critical thinking and cognitive skills. Chess is all about thinking strategically and having the ability to foresee possible consequences of your actions. It is also about weighing your options and making decisions that may or may not result in your intended way. Through chess, players can develop the skills needed to take on any move that an opponent throws their way. Chess can also help improve other important skills too, such as attention, visual memory, and concentration, all of which are important life skills to strengthen.
3. Clue
Tabletop games continue to be popular among children and adults of all ages. These games are well-known for promoting friendly competition and face-to-face communication which has become harder to find due to the rapid growth of online gaming. Games like Clue are especially great for improving problem-solving and logic skills as it requires players to figure out three main facts relating to a murder, including the murderer, the murder weapon, and the murder location. This is achieved by moving around a mansion and gathering evidence.
4. Escape Rooms
Escape rooms have become a big hit in cities across the U.S. Not only are they a lot of fun and promote quality time with friends and family, but they also help enhance your critical thinking skills. When you arrive at an escape room, you will be “locked” inside a themed room. You and your group will then need to use your critical thinking skills to find clues, solve puzzles, and use various codes to “escape.” Escape rooms are not just great for children, but adults can also benefit. Many employers are also using escape rooms to encourage their employees to work together and better develop their skills.
5. Mancala
Mancala is a type of count-and-capture board game that has existed for many centuries. The ancient game involves placing small stones, seeds, or beans into rows of holes in a game board or in ancient times, pits in the earth. The main objective of mancala is to capture all of your opponent’s pieces before they capture all of yours. Playing mancala can help build a wide range of skills, including mathematical skills, strategic thinking, concentration, and critical thinking.
Book Your Escape Room Adventure Today
Looking for a great way to improve your critical thinking skills? Have a memorable time while you build critical thinking and problem-solving skills when you book an escape room adventure. For more information or to learn how you can book an escape room, contact Bond’s Escape Room today.