85 Fun Critical Thinking Questions for Kids & Teens
Have you ever thought about using fun questions to practice critical thinking?
Students may need a little guidance to think their way through questions that lack straightforward answers.
But it is that process that is important!
How the Right Questions Encourage Critical Thinking
Every parent knows how natural it is for children to ask questions.
It should be encouraged. After all, asking questions helps with critical thinking.
As they grow older, however, training them to answer questions can be equally beneficial.
Posing questions that encourage kids to analyze, compare, and evaluate information can help them develop their ability to think critically about tough topics in the future.
Of course, critical thinking questions for kids need to be age-appropriate—even better if you can mix a little fun into it!
That’s what I hope to help you with today. I’ve organized the questions below into three different ages groups:
- Upper elementary
- Middle school
- High school
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Upper Elementary
Students in upper elementary grades can be reluctant to put themselves out there, especially with answers that seem weird.
In some cases, such hesitancy is actually fear of differing from their peers (and a barrier to critical thinking ).
But that’s exactly why it’s important to practice answering ambiguous questions.
We want our children to stand firm for their beliefs—not cave to peer pressure.
Additionally, students may feel uneasy about answering serious questions, uncertain of tackling “big” problems.
However, with careful use of creative questions for kids, it’s possible to engage even the most reluctant children in this age group.
The idea is to simply get them interested in the conversation and questions asked.
If you have an especially reserved student, try starting with the funny critical thinking questions.
Humor is a natural icebreaker that can make critical thinking questions more lighthearted and enjoyable.
Of course, most younger kids just like to be silly, so playing upon that can keep them active and engaged.
With that said, here are some great questions to get you started:
1. Someone gives you a penguin. You can’t sell it or give it away. What do you do with it?
2. What would it be like if people could fly?
3. If animals could talk, what question would you ask?
4. If you were ice cream, what kind would you be and why?
5. Do you want to travel back in time? If yes, how far back would you go? If no, why not?
6. What could you invent that would help your family?
7. If you could stay up all night, what would you do?
8. What does the man on the moon do during the day?
9. What makes something weird or normal?
10. Can you describe the tastes “salty” and “sweet” without using those words?
11. What does it feel like to ride a rollercoaster?
12. What makes a joke funny?
13. What two items would you take if you knew you would be stranded on an island and why?
14. Do you have a favorite way of laughing?
15. What noise makes you cringe and cover your ears? Why?
16. If you could be the parent for the day, what would you do?
17. If you could jump into your favorite movie and change the outcome, which one would you pick and why?
18. If you could be invisible for a day, what would you do?
19. What makes a day “perfect”?
20. If you owned a store, what kind of products would you sell?
21. If your parents were your age, would you be friends with them?
22. Would you still like your favorite food if it tasted the same as always, but now had an awful smell?
23. What would you do if you forgot to put your shoes on before leaving home?
24. Who would you be if you were a cartoon character?
25. How many hot dogs do you think you could eat in one sitting?
26. If you could breathe under water, what would you explore?
27. At what age do you think you stop being a kid?
28. If you had springs in your legs, what would you be able to do?
29. Can you describe the color blue to someone if they’re blind?
Middle School
At this point, students start to acquire more complex skills and are able to form their own conclusions based on the information they’re given.
However, we can’t expect deep philosophical debates with 12 and 13 year olds.
That said, as parent-teachers, we can certainly begin using more challenging questions to help them examine and rationalize their thought processes.
Browse the fun critical thinking questions below for students in this age range.
You might be surprised to see how receptive middle school kids can be to such thought-provoking (yet still fun) questions .
30. What would happen if it really did rain cats and dogs?
31. What does it mean to be lucky?
32. If you woke up in the middle of a dream, where would you be?
33. Is it ever okay to lie? Why or why not?
34. If you were solely responsible for creating laws, what one law would you make?
35. What makes a person a good friend?
36. What do you think is the most important skill you can take into adulthood?
37. If you had to give up lunch or dinner, which would you choose? Why?
38. How much money would you need to be considered rich?
39. If you knew you wouldn’t get caught, would you cheat on a test?
40. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?
41. What is your greatest strength? How is that an asset?
42. If you had an opportunity to visit the International Space Station, would you do it?
43. Is it better to keep the peace or speak your mind?
44. Imagine yourself as your favorite animal. How would you spend your day?
45. Would you be friends with someone who didn’t have the same values as you?
46. How much screen time do you think is too much?
47. Can you describe your favorite color without naming it?
48. If you suddenly became blind, would you see things differently?
49. Would you ever go skydiving?
50. Describe the time you were the happiest in your life. Why did this make you happy?
51. If you had a million dollars, what would you do?
52. If you had to move to a new city, would you change how you present yourself to others?
53. What do you need to do in order to be famous?
54. If you could rewrite the ending of your favorite book or movie, what changes would you make?
55. How would you tackle a huge goal?
56. How would you sell ice to an eskimo in Alaska successfully?
57. What makes you unique?
High School
Critical thinking takes on an entirely different role once students reach high school.
At this age, they have a greater sense of right and wrong (and what makes things so) as well as a better understanding of the world’s challenges.
Guiding teens to delve deeper and contemplate such things is an important part of developing their reasoning and critical thinking skills.
Whether it’s fun questions about hypothetical superpowers or tough critical thinking questions about life, older teens typically have what it takes to think their way to a logical conclusion .
Of course, use your discernment as you choose discussion topics, but here are some questions to help get you started:
58. How can you avoid [common problem] in the future?
59. Do you think it’s okay to take a life in order to save 5, 10, 20 or more people?
60. If you could go back and give your younger self advice, what would it be?
61. Is it better to give or receive a gift?
62. How important is it to be financially secure? Why?
63. If it was up to you, what one rule would you change in your family?
64. What would you do if a group of friends wanted to do something that you thought was a bad idea?
65. How do you know that something is a fact rather than an opinion?
66. What would it take to get you to change your mind?
67. What’s the most important thing in your life?
68. If money were of no concern, what job would you choose and why?
69. How do you know if you’re happy?
70. Do you think euthanasia is moral?
71. What is something you can do today that you weren’t able to do a year ago?
72. Is social media a good thing or not?
73. Is it right to keep animals in a zoo?
74. How does your attitude affect your abilities?
75. What would you do if you found out a friend was doing something dangerous?
76. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Why?
77. What will life on Earth look like in 50 years?
78. Which is more important, ending world hunger or global warming?
79. Is it a good idea to lower the voting age to 16? Why or why not?
80. If the electrical power went out today, how would you cook if using wood wasn’t an option?
81. If you could magically transport yourself to any other place, where would that be and why?
82. When should teenagers be able to stay out all night?
83. Does the number zero actually exist?
84. What defines a generous person?
85. Does an influential person influence everyone?
Feel free to print out these fun critical thinking questions and incorporate them into your homeschool week!
will your children recognize truth?
About the author.
Jordan Mitchell
Fun Critical Thinking Activities
Learning to evaluate information, find credible sources, and prepare for counterarguments is an important skill for people to learn, especially in the modern age of information. Here are 10 great critical thinking activities designed to develop your critical thinking skills.
With so much information on the internet, parsing through what’s true and what isn’t can be a difficult challenge that relies heavily on your ability to think critically . The rest of this article will discuss 10 fun activities to improve your critical thinking skills.
Worst Case Scenario
In this first scenario, you’ll want a group of friends to bounce ideas around. The premise works by assuming that you and a group of friends are in a worst-case scenario. This might be the classic stranded on a desert island trope, but you can also change it up with something like being trapped in a spaceship with hostile aliens aboard.
In this exercise, you’ll be required to think both creatively and critically to evaluate what your best course of action is, how to allocate resources, and who should take on what roles and responsibilities.
Creative Construction
This exercise works your critical thinking muscles by forcing you to evaluate the resources you have on hand, what you can build out of them, and how you’re going to go about constructing it with the tools you have.
Story Telling
A very popular game that’s still worth its salt for adults, this activity starts with a series of random images. You can pull these straight from pictures on a browser and put them into a slideshow. Get a group together for your favorite storytime.
Not only does this create some hilarious stories, but it allows you to develop your critical thinking skills by evaluating how the image you’re given and the story might pair up.
Pragmatic Problem Solving
Where applicable, you can convert this idea into action by sharing your plan with public officials or starting a petition to inspire the change you want to see. Considering how different perspectives and resources play into this quandary is a powerful thought exercise that can help you develop your critical thinking skills.
Critical Analysis
Another great and dead simple exercise to develop your critical thinking skills is analyzing a popular piece of literature. Read it carefully and evaluate the author’s opinion, the biases behind them, and how you would either agree or contradict their viewpoints.
Controversy Conundrum
Not only do you have to present and uphold your viewpoint, but you’ll be obligated to address and respond to opposing viewpoints. To make this a twist, consider which side you’d take in the question and force yourself (and all participants) to defend their opponents’ points of view.
Alien Vacation
An entertaining premise puts you in the role of a tour guide for an alien on vacation. Evaluate something you take for granted, like a baseball game, and try to explain every aspect about it in a way that an alien would be able to comprehend. To add some humor, take turns on this exercise and have a friend play the alien to ask those probing questions.
Prison Promises
Competitor compromises.
Not only is this exercise good for developing critical thinking , but it’s a good way to think about your business. Consider your greatest business rival and assess how you could help them succeed further in their business without detrimentally affecting your own.
Final Thoughts on Fun Critical Thinking Activities
There are lots of great critical thinking exercises you can partake in, whether you want to get a group of friends together or just sit down with a pen and a pencil. Developing these skills is a dynamic and valuable way of improving your ability to solve problems.
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