How to develop verbal and logical thinking in children and adults

What is this?

Verbal thinking (verbal-logical) “gave” man such concepts as love , happiness, conscience, honor - everything that is impossible to see.
At the same time, everyone puts their own meaning into these concepts, based on previously obtained sensory and visual experience, research and patterns. This type of thinking is constantly being formed, improving throughout life, just like other forms of thinking.

Operations

The formation of the verbal-logical (verbal) type of thinking occurs gradually.

The basis of such thinking is learning, thanks to which a person masters various techniques of mental activity, including acting “in the mind,” subsequently analyzing his reasoning.

The main operations of verbal thinking are:

• Analysis is the decomposition of one complex object into several simple component parts in order to highlight certain aspects, elements, connections, properties, relationships.
• Synthesis is a transition from parts to the whole. It involves combining components into a single whole. (Analysis and synthesis, as a rule, cannot exist separately; they are inseparable).
• Comparison is a comparison of phenomena and objects (their properties, relationships) in order to identify differences or commonalities between them.
• Generalization is the process of combining several objects (phenomena) according to a common characteristic in order to find something in common between them.
• Classification is the process of grouping objects according to certain characteristics.

Signs of thinking

Thinking has a number of characteristics:

1. Mediocrity. It means that the thinking of a particular individual is mediated by the experience of all humanity. Only after mastering it can you bring something new, your own. It is not without reason that socially isolated children (“Mowgli children”) are not able to think like a normal child of the same age.
2. Focus. Thinking has a purpose. For example, there is a goal - to make a birthday cake. To do this, a person thinks about the necessary ingredients, decides which store to buy them in and when to start cooking. But these thoughts will not arise without an initial goal.
3. Generality. Thinking is the search for connections between the characteristics of one object, their generalization into a single whole. When we say the word “car,” we assume a generalized concept that includes various brands of cars. They are united (generalized) by a number of features: four wheels, an engine of different power, a body of different coatings, additional devices depending on the purpose, etc.
4. Arbitrariness. Thinking requires a volitional effort that a person makes when a specific task or problem arises.

The importance of development

In children

The development of verbal and logical thinking in preschoolers is an important component of preparing children for school.
It will be extremely difficult for an unprepared child to master subjects in high school that are based on logic. The negative consequences of weak (underdeveloped) verbal thinking often include :

• inability to formulate and express thoughts;
• difficulties in understanding the material and completing tasks and examples;
• obstacles in establishing contact with the teacher and other children.

You can develop verbal thinking in a child from an early age with the help of:

• retellings of cartoons and fairy tales;
• writing stories;
• solving logic problems;
• solving riddles;
• explanation of the meanings of proverbs and sayings.

At the same time, it is extremely important that the parent is always nearby and helps the child in every possible way with leading questions, tips and words of support, developing positive thinking. Read how to think positively here.

For practical lessons on developing verbal and logical thinking in children, watch the video:

In adults

For an adult, developed verbal thinking is the ability not only to think logically, but also to skillfully use words . For example, every day in your life you are faced with the need to express your thoughts correctly.

It is important that people can correctly and clearly formulate their thoughts and convey them to others so that they understand the essence.

Positive thinking

Positive thinking is much more than just an optimistic attitude about everything. This is not ignoring existing problems, not running away from them with your head in the sand. This is the ability to see many solutions even in seemingly hopeless situations. The power of positive thinking lies in the fact that it is one of the effective methods of dealing with stress, and the ability to cope with it is the key to maintaining health. The reason for this is:

1. Reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Stress is one of the causes of the development of hypertension and vascular atherosclerosis.
2. Increased resistance to colds. For example, students with low adaptive capabilities often begin to get a cold after a stressful event such as a session.
3. Individuals with positive thinking are more likely to lead a healthy lifestyle (regular physical activity, proper nutrition).

The impact of positive thinking on everyday life

Imagine a situation in which you meet a bear on the path. You will feel fear and your brain will program a certain action - to run away from the threat. On the one hand, this is an evolutionarily useful feeling that helps a person cope with an extreme situation. But on the other hand, it limits the range of ideas that can come to your mind. Negative emotions narrow your mind and focus you on specific actions. At that very moment, you may have the opportunity to climb a tree, grab a stick, but all this will seem out of place when a bear is standing in front of you.

This is a useful instinct if you are trying to escape, but in the 21st century a person does not face such situations. However, the human brain remains programmed to experience negative emotions in a way that limits the range of ideas that can come to mind. For example, when we have a large list of things to do in the evening, we experience irritation, which seems to paralyze us and prevent us from starting to carry them out rationally.

You have negative thinking if:

• After a productive day at work, you are praised for your work, you come home and, instead of being sincerely happy for yourself, you start thinking about how to complete even more tasks.
• When something bad happens, you only blame yourself. For example, a meeting with friends was canceled and it seems to you that they simply don’t want to see you.
• A cup of tea spilled on your clothes makes you think your whole day is going to waste.

Optimistic individuals tend to think positively. But pessimists can also think optimistically if they master certain skills.

How to promote formation?

There are several methods for forming and studying thinking, and each of them must be approached with the utmost seriousness, patiently practicing over a long period:

• Let's take the book. It is desirable that this be a work with a well-known plot. And we begin to read his text from end to beginning (in reverse order), trying not to lose the essence and sequence of events.
• We choose one of our friends and begin to imagine in vivid colors how he would react to a certain event. We play out a variety of scenarios in our heads: negative, joyful, neutral. You can remember the people with whom you had to communicate during the day and once again “scroll” the conversation with each of them in your head, without missing a single detail (looks, facial expressions, gestures, intonations, movements, etc.).
• We come up with as many contradictions as possible (dry water, sweet salt, etc.).
• We select any object and begin to name its functions. (A chair is needed to sit, to get an object from the height of a cabinet, etc.). You can also come up with several functions that are not inherent to this item, but be sure to visualize them.
• We come up with abbreviations for phrases (abbreviations). Very different, and the more, the better.
• We divide the sheet into two parts: on one we write nouns, on the other we write adjectives. Then we select a pair for each that suits the meaning.
• We choose any letter and write on paper the maximum number of words that begin with it.
• We remember some important event in life. We restore in memory emotions, vivid details, unusual moments and highlight the most amazing plot from all this. We come up with an unusual name for it and visualize the picture in our mind.
• Let's draw. You can choose pencils, markers, paints, crayons - anything! The main thing is to depict an object or person on a sheet of paper or canvas so that its character is visible at first glance.

An interesting game for developing verbal thinking on video:

Exercises and games

Special exercises and games will help improve verbal and logical thinking . Also, such activities contribute to the development of imagination and intelligence. The main thing is to remember that to get results from any activity, a system is important.

This is why you need to do exercises regularly and efficiently.:

• Getting rid of monologues in our thoughts . Each person conducts an imaginary monologue throughout the day, which is based on various thoughts and reasoning. But in order to give the consciousness at least a little rest, it is very important to regulate the “flows” of monologues, especially if they are based on negative feelings and fears.
• Training your inner voice . To do this, you need to choose one phrase and say it to yourself throughout the day. Moreover, this must be done by changing the tempo, emotional coloring, volume, etc. You can also “pronounce” it as different people (acquaintances and strangers) would pronounce it. At the end of the exercise, you need to imagine the phrase in the form of three-dimensional letters that slowly float before your eyes to “examine” each of them.
• We read quickly . High reading speed allows you to cover a large amount of the page with your eyes, as your eyes “jump” from one phrase to another. This approach stimulates analytical processes. And therefore, it contributes to the development of thinking.
• We carry out cluster analysis . To do this, we identify one existing problem, write it down on a separate sheet of paper and circle it. Then we listen to our feelings and write down all the associations caused by this problem, and also circle each of them. After this, we connect the circles with arrows, thereby connecting our own thoughts into one whole.
• We are conducting an entertaining activity . Several people must participate (children can be invited). We take small pieces of paper or cardboard, write any words on them and mix them. Then we give each participant to draw one such card. Task: take turns reading a word and quickly come up with a sentence with it.
• We read tongue twisters . The participants of the game sit in a circle and take turns reading the word-plexes. Moreover, each new task should be even more confusing (difficult to pronounce) than the previous one.
• Let's play "dissent" . The activity perfectly develops abstract thinking and is especially popular with children. Its essence is to name things in an unusual way (carpet - bedding, chair - nurse, etc.). The basis is taken from the objects that are in the room.
• Let's play aliens . The essence of the game is to imagine that a person is communicating with an alien creature that has no idea about the life of earthlings. And the main task is to explain to him the most ordinary things, feelings and phenomena so that he understands what we are talking about.

Such techniques will be interesting and useful for both children and adults. But for classes to bring results, they should be carried out regularly and efficiently.

To diagnose (assess) the level of verbal-logical thinking, you can use the methods of O.A. Fedoseeva. “Generalization of Concepts”, K. Goldstein “Classification of Objects”.