Decision making is a daily affair for our children and quality decisions are a function of critical thinking. How can we equip them with tools and strategies that will make them successful at this?

Here are some of the strategies we can employ:

Ask the “Why” questions: Usually, every behavior has an underlying reason and this is what you should find out whenever your child does anything. Children will take a pause, think and then provide answers when they are asked “WHY”.

Give room for expression: Beyond finding out the reason for an action or behaviour, you should give room for your child to demonstrate their thoughts through other actions like play, remorse, change of attitude, etc

Take responsibility: Irrespective of the outcome of the decisions and the reasons behind them, encourage your child to own and be responsible for their decisions. When the outcomes are positive, encourage by celebrating and acknowledging the efforts and when it is negative, you should have a conversation on what can be done differently.

In making decisions, children are influenced by a myriad of factors ranging from the obvious to the subtle. These factors may not always be apparent in the making of a quality decision, but they are nevertheless present and need to be taken into account.