How to Raise Confident & Independent Lifelong Learners
What Are Our Goals for Our Children?
With our children at home during the pandemic shutdowns, it has become clearer than ever that they are lacking in some essential learning and life skills. It is critical that we help raise our children to become confident and independent lifelong learners so that they can grow into competent and conscious leaders. We just need to take deliberate (but simple!) actions to teach them the skills to be better learners, workers, leaders, and humans; these skills range from internal self-awareness to external community action. In changing the way we communicate and interact with our children, we will see that their mindset, motivations, and behaviors will consequently change. This will make school (and life!) so much more manageable for them (and you!). Just remember: “Small changes lead to BIG changes.”
What are the Skills Our Children Need to Acquire?
METACOGNITION:
Metacognition is simply thinking about one’s thinking. This involves assessing variables in personal knowledge, the task at hand, and the strategies for completion. Children should learn metacognition to better plan, monitor, and assess their understanding and performance.
EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS:
Executive Functions involve the skills to manage daily life, such as working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. Children with good executive functioning are better able to focus, follow directions, and handle emotions.
INTERPERSONAL SKILLS:
Interpersonal Skills are the non-technical personal attributes and skills needed for success in school/work. These “soft skills” help children to better interact with their peers, creatively solve problems, and make changes in their world and the world around them.
How Can We Teach These Skills to Our Children?
By raising confident and independent lifelong learners, we are setting them up for long-term success. Check out this guide for how to teach our children vital skills, such as:
- Self-Awareness and Emotional Self-Regulation
- Growth Mindset and Goal Setting
- Organization and Focus
- Planning, Prioritizing, and Time Management
- Monitoring Struggles and Mistakes, Evaluating Task Completion and Success, and Building Resilience
- Curiosity, Critical Thinking, and Creative Problem Solving
- Advocacy and Collaboration
Consider hiring a tutor with WorldWise Tutoring to help teach your children these vital skills.
