Building Your Child Up For Success

Every parent has hope that their child will achieve success in life. While the definition of success may differ for each parent, most of them share a desire for their child to become a kind, engaged, and productive member of society, along with excelling in their professional career.

In the next ten years, automation and robotics will significantly transform most industries. This means that skills that differentiate us from machines will become more crucial than ever. As robots and algorithms handle the majority of repetitive tasks, abilities such as creativity, adaptability, and emotional intelligence will become essential for achieving success.

How do you develop these skills in your child? How do you set them up for success in the future?

Challenge them and yourself

As parents, we often have the expectation or desire for our child’s life to mirror their own experiences. However, it is important to recognize that the future will bring significant changes, and as parents, we ought to think creatively and consider what choices made today will put our children on the path to a successful future.

Formal education will continue to provide the intellectual foundation for most careers. However, it will be crucial to look beyond it in order for your child to thrive in the coming years. The ability to memorize and recite information, which is the primary focus of many educational institutions, will no longer be sufficient in a world where robots and algorithms can do that much better than humans. As a result, most jobs will be lost to automation. Therefore, the ability to think creatively and learn continuously will become essential in almost all fields.

Developing a creative and flexible mindset is crucial for a child’s growth. One way to do this is by encouraging them to step out of their comfort zone and learn new things continuously. If you never had the opportunity to study abroad or work/volunteer in a foreign country, consider investing in your child’s ability to do so. Take their unique interests and temperament into account when challenging them with opportunities that will prepare them for the dynamic future ahead.

Teach them to adapt

Engaging in experiences that challenge your child beyond their comfort zone will significantly enhance their readiness to confront the future.

Cultivating greater adaptability prepares young individuals for careers with boundless possibilities. The future’s most successful workplaces and teams are anticipated to be exceptionally fluid, remote, and flexible. Therefore, a workforce that is well-prepared and adaptable will be essential.

Adaptability nurtures the appropriate mental flexibility, self-assurance, and a commitment to ongoing learning, even prompting a readiness to switch careers if necessary. A highly effective method for cultivating adaptability in your child is to encourage them to study or work abroad. Embracing life in a new city, forming new friendships, and immersing themselves in a different culture and way of life all cultivate an openness that will benefit them greatly.

Teach them Social Skills

In a world where artificial intelligence is threatening to take over the labor market, good social skills are essential to success in life.

Teach your kids how to communicate effectively, listen actively, and resolve conflicts in a positive way. 

Encourage them to make friends and build relationships with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. These experiences will broaden their perspective, help them become more empathetic, and prepare them to join the workforce. 

Help your children become confident and empathetic. This will improve their personal well-being and lead to opportunities and success in all areas of life.

Help them connect

The ability to bridge various barriers already distinguishes the most accomplished leaders, scientists, business people, and artists. Given that global challenges demand global solutions, tomorrow’s leaders will require even higher levels of emotional, social, and cultural intelligence.

Discover the world

Traveling is an excellent method to cultivate a sense of connection and enhance social skills, but studying or working abroad surpasses it. This provides your child with a profound understanding and experience that a brief sightseeing trip cannot offer. Additionally, it grants them the chance to learn the local language, the most effective tool for building bridges to new cultures and perspectives.

Value Languages

Research indicates that being proficient in two or more languages enhances mental flexibility, strength, and resilience. As more than half of today’s newborns are expected to live up to 100 years, strategies that maintain mental agility and youthfulness are crucial. Foreign language skills, particularly in English, offer more than just cognitive benefits. The ability to communicate effectively across diverse global communities is invaluable.

Celebrate their achievements

Parents should embrace change and applaud personal growth as vital elements for their child’s future success. While ensuring academic achievement and university admission are crucial, it’s equally important to gaze beyond the immediate goals and recognize the significance of skills like creativity, adaptability, emotional intelligence, and intercultural aptitude in a rapidly evolving world.

Support them in Discovering their Purpose

It is not a mystery that people who are successful in life are the ones who have a definite purpose. Kids have many dreams and desires. Encourage your kids to explore their interests and hobbies. Help them identify their strengths and weaknesses. Support them in finding opportunities to pursue their passions, buy books, sign them up for extracurricular activities, and help them connect with people who think the same.

Let Them Practice Decision Making

As parents, we want to protect our children, but controlling or helicopter parenting can hinder rather than enhance a child’s development. Making good decisions requires practice, which can only come from experience.

Give children choices over non-safety and health-related things so that they can start learning how to choose. Instead of forcing them to follow your advice, guide them.

However, if they still want to do it their way, let them feel the natural consequences. Experience is the most efficient way to learn to make good, tough decisions.

Autonomy also allows a child to gain self-trust and self-esteem. 

A person cannot succeed no matter how well they are equipped if they don’t want to succeed. A person needs to be motivated to achieve greatness in what they do. Besides learning to make their own choices, having the freedom to choose is also a crucial motivator, especially with schoolwork. 

If kids cannot make their own decisions, they will lose motivation. A child’s ability to self-motivate to learn and achieve relies on having the autonomy to choose.