In a world where we’re all wondering what jobs our children are going to have when they grow up as automation and artificial intelligence are transforming industries at a rapid pace, what skills are really going to matter?
At Debutots, we believe it’s the so-called soft skills. The World Economic Forum consistently ranks analytical thinking, complex problem-solving and adaptability among the most in-demand skills globally. These are not subject-specific abilities but cognitive competencies.
Knowledge will always matter. Literacy and numeracy remain fundamental; however, evidence from workforce research, education studies and developmental science all point in the same direction: human thinking skills and particularly critical thinking will remain irreplaceable. These skills begin developing in the early years.
Our children are growing up in an information-saturated world. We know that children are accessing online content at increasingly younger ages. Devices and Ed tech have opened the doors to readily available information that can be absorbed. Exposure to information is no longer the challenge; interpreting, evaluating and questioning it is.
In exercising critical thinking in live, in person exchanges and situations, children are laying the foundations for lifelong learning and success they learn to:
- Analyse
- Compare
- Question
- Justify
- Adapt
- Imagine
- Cooperate
- Reason
Why the early years are foundational
“Creating and thinking critically” is explicitly recognised by the Department for Education as a core element of early development.
Developmental neuroscience shows that early childhood is a period of extraordinary brain plasticity. Working memory, cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control all underpin critical thinking. Research demonstrates that these systems begin developing in infancy and are highly responsive to environmental input.
This means:
- Repeated reasoning strengthens neural pathways.
- Early opportunities to problem-solve improve later academic outcomes.
- Habits of thinking become embedded patterns.
The earlier children practise structured reasoning, thinking, analysis and questioning, the more automatic it becomes.
Practical ways to develop critical thinking skills in the early years
At Debutots we use our original stories and unique drama techniques as the framework for gently coordinated, cooperative and child led play. Children have the opportunity to test ideas, predict outcomes, identify patterns and solve real life problems in a safe environment.
On a daily basis we can incorporate helpful mechanisms to develop critical thinking in the early years…
1. Ask Open-Ended Questions
Move beyond questions with one correct answer.
“What do you think will happen?”
“Why did you choose that?”
“Is there another way?”
2. Model Thinking Out Loud
Children internalise adult reasoning patterns.
“I’m not sure that will work. Let’s think about it.”
“I’m wondering why that happened.”
3. Encourage Multiple Solutions
Avoid presenting tasks as having only one acceptable outcome.
“What else could we build?”
“How many ways can we solve this?”
4. Use Stories as Thinking Tools
Books provide structured opportunities to analyse motives, predict outcomes and evaluate decisions.
“Why do you think the character did that?”
“What might happen next?”
Critical thinking matters now, more than ever.
The future labour market will continue to change, technologies will evolve and job titles will shift; however, the need to have the ability to analyse, question, evaluate and adapt will remain constant.
When we prioritise dialogue, exploration and reasoning from the early years, we are not preparing children for a single assessment or job pathway; we are equipping them with the cognitive architecture to thrive in whatever world they inherit.
