4 secret skills that kids need to succeed today
How to learn from failure
Remember a major disappointment or failure from you own childhood?
Trying out for a team or a group and not making the cut?
Not getting included in a party invitation or missing out on a special occasion?
Losing a friendship or a loved one?
Bet you remember the details of those times like it was yesterday… It’s events like these that shape our lives in ways that success and positive experiences never will. What you learned and how you handled those situations will forever influence the decisions you make in the present.
Much of the focus of education today is teaching and measuring academic skills that children will need as they enter the work world in the 21st century. However the world is changing more rapidly than ever and it’s a good bet that the facts that we teach today won’t even matter much in the work world of tomorrow.
What can we teach kids that won’t change with the times? Interpersonal skills and character building traits is the answer hands down. These are skills that will be useful regardless of how much the world changes.
Here are some critical skills that kids need to learn at school, at home and in their communities:
- Integrity- Developing a sense of honesty and a moral compass. Helping children question and establish their beliefs about others and the world is critical to the conscientious adult they will become.
- Grit–Learning to handle failure and disappointment. Unfortunately, life is full of disappointments and developing the resolve to handle them will determine whether your child powers through them or gives up when faced with challenges.
- Problem solving and Critical thinking skills-Learning to think outside the norm and to consider different options is a key ability for children do develop. Children who always expect the adults in their lives to fix problems will grow up to be adults who look outside themselves for others to fix problems when they are faced with them. And lets face it…no one lives in a problem free bubble.
- Growth mindset-Always be a learner. Children who early on develop a love of learning become adults who are continually growing into all they can become.
Here’s a great book to teach all the above concepts to kids
Wyatt the Wonder Dog Learns about Mindset
Wyatt the Wonder Dog didn’t make it on the All Star baseball team and he feels like a loser. All his friends will be playing baseball this summer, while he and his pesky sister, Callie, visit grandparents at the beach. How Wyatt learns to handle disappointment and failure will be an important lesson for the future. Will he give up trying new things? Will he have the confidence to try again? Are there some things that take more practice and persistence to learn than others.
Grab a copy here: Wyatt the Wonder Dog Learns about Mindset
Here’s what readers say about the book:
Lynne has created another book for my kids to love and learn from. It’s a simple story that will help your kids live a better life.
~Andy Traub
This book is funny! It’s dogs doing things that only people do! I learned to try new things. Samuel Traub, age 6
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