Hard and Soft Thinking

Roger von Oech, author of A Whack on the Side of the Head, distinguishes between hard and soft thinking. Soft thinking is playful, spontaneous, dreamlike, and less concerned with finding the answer as compared to hard thinking. Soft thinking is a necessary part of creativity. But hard thinking is also part of the process. Creativity may thrive on spontaneity but order and analytical thinking is important to be successful.

Hard Thinking       Soft Thinking

certainclose down

one right answer

exact

fast

looking

black and white

analysis

logic

differences and categories

rational

precise

serious

familiar

doubtfulopen up

many right answers

approximate

slow

waiting

many shades of grey

hunches

intuition

similarities and connections

dreamlike

diffuse

playful

new

Creativity and thinking skills are often assumed to be something that a child is born with, but both are partly learned skills. Allowing children to explore and discover the world at their own pace is vital. Play and playfulness are part of both creativity and thinking. Knowing when to use different types of thinking is important for thinking and creativity. Yet the differences are rarely explored with children.

Keeping awake the sense of wonder in the world is achieved with soft thinking. This thinking is like think diving into an ice cream. Soft and slowly melting kind of thinking. Hard thinking is more like diving into the ice cream cone – precise and exact shape.  The cone has the same shape while the ice cream flavours are changing depending upon your ideas and wishes. You are never really certain that you picked the right flavours, while the thinking about the cone is more certain and you either want a cone or not.

Have some fun when you explore the world together and rather than ask your child to think  or be inventive, describe what you kind of thinking that might be needed. Letting children find their own way and showing them ways to be their true self, are both necessary to allow them to blossom into adulthood. Giving children permission to think extraordinary things and to think in creative ways,  enhance not only their lives but also yours. Learning together is the base for teaching and for parenting. And marvelling at what possibilities that can be explored by using our brain is a journey that deepens through our life experience, beginning when we are young.

Photo: “Kid Eating Delicious Ice Cream” by Stuart Miles