Every parent is protective and wants the best for their kids, but here’s an undeniable fact – parents cannot stay with children 24*7 and throughout their entire life. As kids grow, they develop a social life of their own. Some change cities for higher education, while some relocate to a new country for better job opportunities. Eventually, your kids will have to live independently to grow in life. But are you equipping them with relevant skills and knowledge to lead a highly successful and independent life ahead?
While many parents stress on their kid’s academic growth, they unknowingly overlook fostering valuable skills essential for navigating life’s challenges. At Excelsior American School, a well-known international school in Gurgaon, we follow the IGCSE board curriculum to help students develop such skills. We value holistic development over mere academic success because the former looks after every aspect of an individual’s life. All our teachers and staff are driven to prepare students for their life ahead, and not just score good marks every academic year.
We firmly believe that educational institutes play a significant role in preparing kids for facing life’s challenges. However, another unavoidable fact is that parent’s active participation is also needed for optimal results. We would thus like to urge the parents to begin working in this direction if you aren’t doing that already. And just in case you’re wondering what skills you need to inculcate in your kids to prepare them for the life ahead, you can start with the following:
- Encourage Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking
We at Excelsior American School believe that problem-solving and critical thinking are two of the most crucial life skills every kid must learn. These skills nurture kid’s ability to analyze different life situations, ask relevant questions, and explore innovative solutions. The focus should be on teaching them the art of independent thinking so they can begin making informed decisions and adapt to changing life situations.
Our IGCSE curriculum ensures all students get educational material, resources, and guidance that helps them think critically instead of simply memorizing information to score well in tests. The teaching methods also align with laying strong foundational knowledge that supports critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
- Teach Emotional Intelligence
In today’s competitive landscape, individuals cannot excel with mere academic prowess. They must be strong at all levels, especially mentally and emotionally, because it is where they will operate from. For the uninitiated, emotional intelligence refers to the ability to recognize, understand, and manage one’s emotions and those of others.
Equipping your kids with emotional intelligence empowers them with resilience, empathy, and interpersonal skills. Some effective ways to instill emotional intelligence in kids are open communication, empathizing with their emotions, and teaching them age-appropriate ways to identify, express, and manage emotions.
- Promote Independence from a Young Age
Independence is more about giving kids autonomy and age-appropriate responsibilities to prepare them for the future. It helps them build unshakable confidence and gives them a real-world experience of what it feels like to function independently.
If your kids are big enough, encourage them to help you with meal preparations. Smaller kids should be given the independence to create personalized study routines. You can develop numerous such activities based on their age and maturity level.
If your kids depend on you for everything, start making small changes. For example, you can ask them to clean their room, organize their study table, choose what clothes they want to wear, pick healthy meals of their choice, etc. All these activities will foster a sense of empowerment, instilling resilience and an enhanced sense of self-worth in them.
We understand you, as parents, may find it tempting to always shelter and protect your kids, but trust us, teaching them to care for themselves will help them more.
- Teach Resilience
This is one skill that we at Excelsior American School always pay special attention to for the betterment of our students. Our curriculum encourages plenty of outdoor activities, team sports, and other playful adventures to make our pupils experience both setbacks and success. It teaches them to win graciously and lose gracefully. Teaching kids how to enjoy success and rebound from setbacks is important because it helps them keep going, regardless of their life situations.
As parents, you can adopt various methods to foster resilience in your kids. For example, if your kid faces difficulty finishing homework, sit by their side and help them overcome it. Teach them there is a solution to every problem; it only needs a clear mind and critical thinking to find solutions. Activities like these can make them resilient, helping them face even the most pressing life challenges.
Conclusion
Nobody’s life is devoid of challenges. Everybody has their own share of problems and challenges to cope with. It is hence best to prepare your kids for the same. We at Excelsior American School, a renowned international school in Gurgaon, firmly believe that all human beings have an innate ability to rise above every adversity; they only need the right guidance and relevant skills to thrive. It is where our role as caregivers shines out. Both educational institutes and parents must work together to equip kids with all the skills needed to navigate life’s challenges. If you’re wondering what skills to develop, start with the ones discussed in this blog post.
