The Secret to Raising Future Leaders
While a good education is essential, teaching life skills is essential to prepare children for today's world, which is unlike the world their parents grew up in.
“The future success of children depends largely on their parents. The first thing every parent should prioritize is to create a supportive and nurturing environment for their children. They need to feel confident and know that failure and mistakes are okay as long as they learn from them,” says Dr. Shalini Aggarwal, an internationally certified soft skills trainer from India.
First, good communication skills are essential for children to discover how to express themselves effectively, says Shalini Aggarwal. Since children are naturally curious, be direct, honest and friendly with them. Keep communication open and ensure you encourage open dialogue and healthy debate. Teach them the art of listening.
Raising resilient, strong-minded children
If you are patient and empathetic, your child will learn these important skills from you. Children often learn to listen carefully and relate to other people's stories, says Shalini Aggarwal.
Problem solving is another important issue. If you ask children, “What do you think we should do?”, you are teaching them to be critical thinkers.”
Teaching children punctuality is especially important because it is a lesson that is deeply important in all cultures. Dr. Shalini Aggarwal suggests that tools like alarm clocks and periodic time checks can go a long way in teaching children how to break down a large task into manageable chunks and complete them before the final bell rings.
They will learn what to prioritize and what needs to come first.
“We definitely don’t need to be perfect. We just need to help children become the best versions of themselves,” asserts Dr. Shalini Aggarwal.
