Why reasons and arguments matter
Giving reasons is at the heart of philosophy for children. When children say “because...”, listen to other reasons and weigh them, they are learning skills they will use in every subject and in everyday decisions.
Older students go further, building arguments from evidence, spotting missing links, answering objections fairly and telling apart reasoning that aims at certainty from reasoning that aims at likelihood.
Free activities to download
Ready-to-run EduTrend Contents philosophy enquiry workshops for primary, middle and high school. Each free download includes a step-by-step session plan, facilitator notes, three student worksheets and an assessment checklist. Full 20-week programmes are available in EduStore.
Because...
Primary · Ages 5–7
Foundation · 30 min
Young children play a “because” game, giving reasons for simple choices, then enquire into what makes a reason a good one.
Reason Tug of War
Primary · Ages 8–11
Developing · 45 min
Pupils place reasons for and against a statement along a rope according to their strength and enquire into what makes a reason strong.
Build an Argument
Middle School · Ages 11–13
Intermediate · 50 min
Students build arguments from claim, reasons and evidence cards on the question “Should school start later?”, then test them.
Objection!
Middle School · Ages 12–14
Intermediate · 50 min
Students practise raising the strongest objection to an argument and replying to it, learning to treat opposing views fairly.
Deduction and Induction
High School · Ages 15–18
Advanced · 60 min
Students distinguish deductive and inductive reasoning, test examples and explore the problem of induction.
Liked the free activities? Go further with a 20-week programme.
Each free activity comes from a full EduTrend Contents programme: a Family Guide or Teacher's Guide with one-page session plans for 20 weeks, plus an Assessment Toolkit with rubrics, trackers and certificates. Choose the one for your child's age or your class below. Instant PDF download after checkout.
P4C-231 · 20 WEEKS · $29
Good Reasons at Home
Family · Ages 5–11 with a grown-up
Giving and weighing reasons at home.
P4C-232 · 20 WEEKS · $39
Reasons and Arguments Enquiries
Primary · Ages 5–11
Class enquiries on reasons, evidence and arguments.
P4C-233 · 20 WEEKS · $39
Argument Lab
Middle school · Ages 11–14
Building arguments, objections and induction.
P4C-234 · 20 WEEKS · $45
Argument Enquiry Leaders
High school · Ages 14–18
Lead argument enquiries for younger children.
Photos: Michael Starkie, Rewired Digital, Taylor Flowe, Abhinav Anand, Zac Bowling / Unsplash
Reasons and Arguments
Build better reasoning with five free printable philosophy activities, from the because game and a reason tug of war to building arguments, answering objections and deduction versus induction. For longer learning, choose a 20-week programme for families, primary, middle or high school.
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Reasons and Arguments
