Best Practices of Futures Thinking Integration in Primary Education: Perspectives, Trends, and Implications

Amidst the fast-changing learning ecosystems, integrating futures thinking in primary education is increasingly deemed essential in preparing learners for future uncertainties. This paper studied the best practices for embedding futures literacy into school curricula, especially on how foresight, scenario planning, and systems thinking can hone students’ readiness for an unpredictable world. Drawing from peer-reviewed literature, the study identifies six significant themes for implementing futures thinking: Futures-Oriented Pedagogical Approaches, Teacher Preparedness and Professional Development for Futures Thinking, Curriculum Integration of Futures Thinking, Student Engagement in Futures Thinking, Technological Integration in Futures Thinking, and Assessment and Evaluation of Futures Thinking. This study highlights the demand for interdisciplinary approaches and shows educators’ challenges in delivering future-oriented practices. Additionally, it emphasizes the need for policy interventions to support integrating futures thinking across educational institutions. By analyzing findings from different studies, this research offers recommendations for educators, policymakers, and researchers to cultivate a futures-literate educational system that empowers students with global competencies in the future. The article emphasizes the demand for continued investment in education reforms and teacher development to make futures thinking a part of modern educational practice.