“The whole world is novel to a child. and in order to learn most efficiently, curious children need opportunities to explore, experiment and play, in order to get to know their surroundings.” – Wendy L. Ostroff

As parents in 2026, we’re navigating unprecedented territory. Our children are growing up in a world where artificial intelligence can answer almost any question in seconds, write essays, solve math problems, and even generate creative stories. It’s remarkable technology, and it’s also raising important questions about how our children learn to think.

The Concern Many Parents Share

A recent survey revealed that 61 percent of parents worry that the increasing use of A.I. will harm students’ critical thinking skills. If you share this concern, you’re not alone. Even A.I. developers are grappling with these questions as they raise their own children.

In a candid New York Times article titled “I’m an A.I. Developer; Here’s How I’m Raising My Son,” one parent in the field acknowledged: “I agree with the concerns that large language models tend to short-circuit a child’s thinking processes with easy, unearned answers. The instant gratification doesn’t encourage children to solve problems or take pleasure in difficult tasks.”

The question isn’t whether A.I. will be part of our children’s lives, it already is. The question is: How do we ensure our children develop the thinking skills they need to use these tools wisely, rather than letting these tools do their thinking for them?

Why Critical Thinking Cannot Be Replaced

Critical thinking is the foundation upon which all meaningful learning is built. It’s what enables children to:

• Ask “why” and “how” instead of just “what” – moving beyond surface-level understanding to genuine comprehension
• Evaluate information – distinguishing between reliable sources and misinformation in an increasingly complex digital landscape
• Solve novel problems – applying knowledge creatively to situations they’ve never encountered before
• Think independently – forming their own conclusions rather than passively accepting answers
• Persist through challenges – developing resilience and finding satisfaction in working through difficulty

When children rely too heavily on A.I. for quick answers, they miss the cognitive workout that comes from wrestling with problems, making mistakes, trying different approaches, and eventually experiencing the deep satisfaction of discovery. These mental muscles, like physical ones, only develop through use.

The Early Years: A Critical Window

The neuroscience is clear: the early childhood years are when critical thinking pathways are being established. Research on the neuroscience of curiosity reveals that novel experiences, free play, and question-asking stimulate the release of dopamine, a hormone that reinforces learning and motivates children to keep exploring.

Young children are naturally wired to be scientists. They observe, hypothesize, experiment, and draw conclusions about how the world works. When a toddler drops a spoon from their high chair again and again, they’re not being difficult, they’re conducting physics experiments about gravity. When a preschooler asks “but why?” for the twentieth time, they’re building neural pathways that will serve them throughout their lives.

This natural curiosity and exploratory learning cannot be replicated by a screen providing instant answers. The messy, inefficient process of figuring things out is the learning.

The Stepping Stone School Approach – Balancing Innovation and Development

At Stepping Stone School, part of our role is to ensure they develop strong thinking skills, creating a foundation that will allow them to use technology wisely throughout their lives.

Creating Inquiry-Driven Environments

Our classrooms are designed to spark curiosity and invite exploration. Rather than presenting children with pre-determined answers, we create rich learning environments where children can:

• Discover patterns and relationships through hands-on materials
• Test their theories through experimentation and play
• Learn from both successes and “failures” in a supportive setting
• Develop questions that drive their own learning

When a child asks, “Why do some things float and others sink?” our teachers don’t simply provide the answer. Instead, they respond with enthusiasm: “That’s a great question! How could we find out?” Then they gather materials and create opportunities for the child to explore, predict, test, and discover.

Modeling Curiosity and Critical Thinking

Our educators understand that they are models of thinking, not just transmitters of information. Throughout the day, teachers:

• Think aloud, demonstrating their own problem-solving processes
• Ask authentic questions that invite deeper thinking
• Celebrate curiosity and the process of discovery, not just correct answers
• Create space for children to explain their reasoning and thinking

This modeling is powerful. When children see adults who approach problems with curiosity rather than certainty, who ask questions, who think carefully before acting, they internalize these approaches as their own.

Nurturing Problem-Solving Through Play

Free play is not downtime, it’s prime time for cognitive development. During play, children:

• Negotiate social situations and develop emotional intelligence
• Imagine scenarios and think flexibly
• Encounter and solve authentic problems
• Make decisions and experience their consequences
• Build executive function skills like planning and self-regulation

Our play-based approach ensures children have abundant opportunities for this essential work of childhood, building thinking skills that no technology can replace.

Developing Information Literacy Early

While we limit screen time for young children, we also recognize that today’s children will need to navigate a technology-rich world. As children grow, we begin introducing age-appropriate concepts about:

• How to question information rather than accepting it at face value
• The importance of multiple sources and perspectives
• Understanding that not everything we read or see is accurate
• The difference between asking a question to spark our own thinking versus asking for an answer to avoid thinking

What This Means for Your Family

As parents, you can support your child’s critical thinking development by:

Embracing the process of learning. When your child struggles with a puzzle or problem, resist the urge to immediately help or provide the answer. Your patience with their process builds their persistence.

Celebrating questions as much as answers. When your child asks “why,” try responding with “What do you think?” Their reasoning, even when incorrect, reveals developing thinking skills.

Providing unstructured play time. Boredom is not the enemy of childhood; it’s often the precursor to creativity and imaginative problem-solving.

Modeling critical thinking yourself. Let your children see you:

• Questioning information you encounter
• Thinking aloud about decisions
• Admitting when you don’t know something
• Being curious about the world

Looking Forward

A.I. will undoubtedly play a role in our children’s futures. The A.I. developer mentioned earlier plans to introduce his son to these tools eventually, but with careful guidance on fact-checking sources and understanding the limitations of what computers “learn” from the internet.

This balanced approach is key. We’re not preparing our children for a world without A.I.; we’re preparing them to be thoughtful humans who can use A.I. as a tool. The goal is not to avoid technology, but to ensure our children have the critical thinking skills to use it wisely.

The most important gift we can give our children in this rapidly changing world is not more information, it’s the ability to think deeply, question thoughtfully, and learn continuously. These are fundamentally human skills that develop through time, experience, and the guidance of caring adults who understand that the journey of learning is just as important as the destination.

At Stepping Stone School, we’re committed to nurturing curious, capable thinkers who are prepared for whatever the future holds. We invite you to visit and see our Future Strong™ approach in action.