Teach Your Kids Critical Thinking
Our interactive courses, worksheets, and lesson plans help kids develop the skills to communicate clearly, think logically, and make well-informed decisions.
Education Website
★★★★★— Liliana for Fallacy DetectorsI've been doing this myself as an adult and I find them easy to understand and entertaining. My eldest child, (8y.o.) started watching with me and said...
★★★★★— Jessica A. for Fallacy DetectorsThis [Fallacy Detectors] was so easy to comprehend for my child and was so engaging both us parents did it together with him. It took us by surprise how...
★★★★★— Megan, parent for Fallacy DetectorsMy 8 year old son LOVED [Fallacy Detectors] part 1 and had so much fun doing the quizzes! I also had a great time watching it and talking about it.
★★★★★— Adèle, 9 for Fallacy DetectorsI learned about different types of fallacies which help me to identify them when having a conversation. I've been able to identify LOADS of circular reasoning!
★★★★★— Anonymous for Fallacy DetectorsThe videos are great! They're fun, engaging, and in just a few days, my son is understanding logical fallacies so much better than he was before, after like a year of lessons!
★★★★★— Nino, parent for Fallacy Detectors[My daughter] followed the entire Fallacy Detector Part 1 and immediately asked to do the other classes as well ... we had a very long discussion about what she learned over dinner.
★★★★★— Ben, 15 for Fallacy DetectorsCritikid is an all-around great tool for children and teens who want to develop their analytical skills.
★★★★★— Dominika, piano teacherThe reason why we are so confused in life is because we just consume and never really chew information. Critikid is a fabulous website that addresses the most important skill that anyone should have, CRITICAL THINKING.
★★★★★— Dr Amy for Fallacy DetectorsI did this course to assess critical thinking content for kids, as I feel it is sorely lacking generally in school curricular and may be one of the reasons...
★★★★★— Kiron for Statistical OdysseyI am a university teacher and I am trained in statistics...and my score was not perfect :)
I loved the course, learned from it, and am recommending...
★★★★★— Denali, 14 for Statistical OdysseyWhat a fun way to learn statistics!
★★★★★— Krzyftosz for Statistical OdysseyIt was a cool little text adventure game. Perhaps it would benefit from some kind of branching in the story that would lead to dead ends or some humorous...
★★★★★— Clinton Laird for Fallacy DetectorsI am exploring critical learning techniques for young students and am curious about the structure used.....seems consistency in delivery is...
★★★★★— Gleb for Emotional IntelligenceI've tried emotional intelligence course with my son. We made in 2 days, I liked it, it is not a solution but more like a path to discovery how to...
★★★★★— Tessa, 9 for Fallacy DetectorsI always like doing math and puzzles, but The Fallacy Detectors was extra fun. And I spotted a fallacy in a book the other day!
★★★★★— Tiffany F. for Fallacy DetectorsFallacy Detectors has provided so much clarity for my child; he's had the best time running around using his newfound understanding of logical fallacies.
★★★★★— Aylin, 17 for Logic for Teens[Logic for Teens] was a more fun and relaxed introduction to logic than I had with truth tables. The final quizzes were probably my favourite bit, because...
★★★★★— Elaine F. for Emotional Intelligence[My granddaughter] was very invested in getting all the answers correct. I think that the most interesting part was the stories of the children feeling...
★★★★★— Paul V. for Social Media SimulatorI'm working though the pages with my grade 5 class and they are having a great time trying to figure out the problems and logical fallacies in the...
★★★★★— John Furr for Social Media SimulatorI love this. You’ve gamified critical thinking in a way that’s not just smart, it’s essential. If we’re going to raise a generation capable of surviving...
★★★★★— Rifki for Social Media SimulatorOver two nights, [my sons and I] went through 8 lessons, and they loved it. They are 16 and 17, so they were more likely to hit on the right answers, but...
Fallacy Detectors
Develop the skills to tackle logical fallacies through a series of 10 science-fiction videos with activities. Recommended for ages 8 and up.
A Statistical Odyssey
Learn about common mistakes in data analysis with an interactive space adventure. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Logic for Teens
Learn how to make sense of complicated arguments with 14 video lessons and activities. Recommended for ages 13 and up.
Emotional Intelligence
Learn to recognize, understand, and manage your emotions. Designed by child psychologist Ronald Crouch, Ph.D. Recommended for ages 5 and up.
Social Media Simulator
Teach your kids to spot misinformation and manipulation in a safe and controlled environment before they face the real thing.
Worksheets & Lesson Plans
Logical Fallacies Worksheets and Lesson Plans
Teach your grades 3-7 students about ten common logical fallacies with these engaging and easy-to-use lesson plans and worksheets.
Symbolic Logic Worksheets
Worksheets covering the basics of symbolic logic for children ages 12 and up.
Elementary School Worksheets and Lesson Plans
These lesson plans and worksheets teach students in grades 2-5 about superstitions, different perspectives, facts and opinions, the false dilemma fallacy, and probability.
Middle School Worksheets and Lesson Plans
These lesson plans and worksheets teach students in grades 5-8 about false memories, confirmation bias, Occam’s razor, the strawman fallacy, and pareidolia.
High School Worksheets and Lesson Plans
These lesson plans and worksheets teach students in grades 8-12 about critical thinking, the appeal to nature fallacy, correlation versus causation, the placebo effect, and weasel words.
Statistical Shenanigans Worksheets and Lesson Plans
These lesson plans and worksheets teach students in grades 9 and up the statistical principles they need to analyze data rationally.
Critikid’s Story
My name is Stephanie Simoes. I started Critikid because I noticed a shortage of online critical thinking resources for children. I had been teaching children about logical fallacies and cognitive biases for a while, so I knew that not only could they understand those topics, but they loved learning about them!
I am funding this project through my savings, so a current priority is keeping costs down. Fortunately, my husband is a web developer and designer, so he takes care of the technical work. I'm covering living expenses by teaching, so all money made from Critikid's sales will go towards funding more content. I don’t have a marketing budget at this time, so if you want to support this project, it would help a lot if you spread the word!
Critikid’s Mission
These days, we have access to more information than ever before but lack the ability to properly understand it. We can interact with more people than ever but have trouble communicating effectively.
Critikid's resources give kids and teens the skills they need to rationally think about and discuss controversial issues without telling them the conclusions they should draw. My goal is to help kids and teens build a critical thinking toolkit that they can use to wisely navigate an increasingly confusing world.
What is critical thinking?
Critical thinking is careful thinking. It is the process of rationally analyzing information, arguments, and even our own thought processes. It lets us distinguish between logical and flawed reasoning in order to communicate clearly, even when communicating with ourselves.
Why is critical thinking important?
Firstly, critical thinking makes us better communicators. Logical fallacies frequently find their way into conversations, and when we can’t identify them, they tend to derail discussions and make them unproductive. The ability to recognize when you or your conversational partner is committing a logical fallacy can help get the conversation back on track.
Critical thinking also makes us better decision-makers. Understanding cognitive biases means understanding our minds. When we can recognize our cognitive biases, we can get a better idea of why we make the decisions we do.
People who try to sell us products or ideas know all about logical fallacies and cognitive biases, and they know how to use them to their advantage. The ability to think critically helps us to defend ourselves against manipulation.
At what age should kids start learning critical thinking?
Children can do activities to develop their critical thinking skills even before they can talk. A toy that lights up when a button is pressed teaches cause and effect, peek-a-boo teaches object permanence, and nesting toys help develop problem-solving skills.
Once kids can talk, they can start to do simple experiments. For example, a parent might ask, “What do you think will happen when I mix the red and blue paint?” The child can make a prediction and then test it by mixing the paints. In the future, I'll post critical thinking activities for kids on this site.
Critikid will offer various levels targeting different age groups. Fallacy Detectors is aimed at children ages 8-12. The formal logic course that I am now working on will target kids 13 and up.
I’ve been teaching critical thinking to children for years now, so I know that they are not only capable of understanding it, but they love it. What kid wouldn’t find it amusing to hear about the silly mistakes that even adults can make? Moreover, childhood is the best time to strengthen the mind’s defenses and teach it to recognize its biases. It only gets harder as you get older.
What's next
Fallacy Detectors Part 2
Coming soon! - The fallacy-busting quest continues with 10 more fallacies to defeat.
Cognitive Biases
Coming Soon - Discover the sneaky tricks your brain plays on you and become a better decision-maker.
Media Literacy
Coming Soon - Learn to navigate the online world safely and rationally.