As a survivor of communism in Europe, Patricia knew the importance of teaching real history to her kids. And teaching it in such a way that they could fully understand everything that happened. Part of complete comprehension is being able to not only explain what happened but also think critically about it and express arguments for or against those events. Thanks to her background and the Tuttle Twins history books and the rest of the Tuttle Twins series, Patricia’s kids can now understand the problems with communism and think critically about this political structure.
PHOTO: Tuttle Twins
Books That Teach Critical Thinking Through History
Thinking critically about the past is, well, critical, because it turns dates and events that would otherwise be the subject of rote memorization into a framework for understanding society. Books that teach critical thinking through the lens of history prevent kids from just blindly accepting narratives filled with bias. Books like the Tuttle Twins history books also help kids learn how to analyze evidence, gain an understanding of multiple perspectives, and avoid repeating previous mistakes.
Books that teach critical thinking like the Tuttle Twins series show kids how to source stories and corroborate them. They learn how to study who wrote something, why they wrote it, and then discover how to compare a variety of different records to uncover what really happened.
Importantly, no historical account is fully neutral. Kids who can think critically about the past can spot any assumptions made within the text, propaganda, and hidden agendas inserted into texts and even their own worldview. The Tuttle Twins history books and those like them help kids understand the context of history so that they don’t just learn what happened, but also why things happened the way they did. This enables them to come up with potentially better solutions than the decisions that were made in the past.
Books that teach critical thinking also help kids connect the dots between historical events. After all, history is generally a series of cause-and-effects rather than isolated events. Every decision made in the past has reverberated through time, leading to the consequences we still feel today.
PHOTO: Tuttle Twins
A Better Way to Teach History
Many parents are discovering that to teach critical thinking as part of history, they need history books that tell the events of the past in narrative or story format rather than as a list of events and dates. The Tuttle Twins history books do a good job of this, feeding into the growing movement of parents teaching their kids history through narratives rather than rote memorization.
Parents are emphasizing storytelling in history because it encourages an emotional connection with the past, engaging both the heart and mind. Children remember stories about the past better than they do a list of events and isolated dates.
Storytelling also connects the past with the child’s life, boosting engagement and critical thinking. Parents also have the opportunity to introduce narratives missing from the history books they’re using, including a wide range of perspectives and those from marginalized voices that traditional textbooks don’t cover.
With America 250 just past, this is an excellent time to dive into American history with your kids through books that teach critical thinking like the Tuttle Twins history books. There’s even a new entrant in the Tuttle Twins series of history books, which extends the learning to 1849!
