The impact of mind and intelligence games on fifth-grade students' critical and creative thinking skills

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of mind and intelligence games on fifth-grade students' critical and creative thinking skills. The research was conducted during the 2024–2025 academic year with a total of 48 students enrolled in two public schools in Tavşanlı, Kütahya, Türkiye. The students were selected through a purposive sampling method and were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups based on existing classroom structures. A pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design with a control group, one of the quantitative research methods, was employed. The independent variable of the study is mind and intelligence games, while the dependent variables are critical and creative thinking skills. During the eight-week implementation process, only the experimental group received structured instruction through various mind and intelligence games, while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Critical Thinking Test (Eğmir & Ocak, 2016) and the Creative Thinking Battery for Children (Tatlı, 2017), and were analyzed using parametric statistical techniques (paired samples t-test and independent samples t-test) via the SPSS software. Findings indicated that students in the experimental group showed statistically significant improvements in both critical thinking and the sub-dimensions of creative thinking (originality, divergent thinking, and elaboration). However, no significant difference was observed in the fluency sub-dimension. In contrast, the control group showed no significant improvement in either domain. These results suggest that mind and intelligence games can be effective pedagogical tools for fostering higher-order cognitive skills in students.