Top 7 skills that your child needs to develop for success in the 21st century
/It is said that every generation of humanity faces more significant challenges than the last. Therefore, each new generation needs to be better prepared and equipped with smarter skills to meet the challenges of their time. Your children will have to navigate the complicated world of the internet and information technology as they grow up. In the 21st Century, children need more than the three R’s (reading, writing, and arithmetic skills) to survive and succeed.
The next generation parents must focus on developing these seven smart skills for their children:
Creative Thinking
Children are far more creative than grown-ups. Pushing them to focus too much on structured education can make their creative thinking fade away. Instead, as parents, we must encourage children to use their imagination and creativity. Regularly exercising creativity in arts or sciences from a young age develops creative thinking and imagination.
Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is an essential life-skill. Encourage your child to be curious and try your best to answer their questions. Playing problem-solving games together and discussing topics that compel children to think, helps develop their critical thinking abilities. Critical thinking is the capability to analyze and evaluate information.
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Public Speaking
Expressing your thoughts to an audience without fear is an essential life-skill for everyone. Public speaking for kids develops better speech, leadership skills, and confidence. Encourage your children to participate in activities like debates and storytelling competitions to help them overcome their fear of public speaking.
Communication Skills
Communication skills refer to the ability to communicate in-person and through technology. Meeting new people and learning to express themselves with clarity is essential for children in the 21stCentury. Instead of just spending time online for entertainment, allow your children to explore the internet for constructive interaction.
Social Skills
Social media and online networking have changed the nature of human interaction forever. But learning the skill of socializing well and forging relationships will always be relevant. Personality traits such as politeness, good manners and good conversation still play an important role in life.
Collaboration
Collaboration includes working together with others in a team, maintaining good relationships and co-operating with others. Encourage your child to do their share of household chores to help them understand the importance of joint effort, engage them in a team sport, and talk to them about the importance of cooperation.
Problem Solving Skills
The proficiency of comparing, contrasting, evaluating and applying their resultant learnings without the need of a teacher shows problem-solving skills in a child. This skill can be learnt over time. Discuss news and politics with children when you can to encourage them to find, analyze and evaluate details of important issues to develop better problem-solving skills.
Growing up in the age of digital technology is an excellent advantage for the children of our time. But this also subjects them to greater competition and higher standards for success. Developing some smart skills at the right age can go a long way to help your children to succeed in the 21st Century.
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Author Bio:
Samidha Raj works as part of the content marketing team at Planet Spark, a platform that provides online classes to K8 learners on "New Age Skills" like, English Communication, Public Speaking, Grammar, Creative Writing, Debating, etc. She is passionate about empowering the youth by educating parents about the importance of 21st-century skills. In her free time, you can find her watching documentaries or animated movies and organizing game nights (board games are her thing)!