Being a parent I am always looking for stategies to help my daughter to be productive and have much success and happiness. It’s not as easy as it seems. The tips below are worth a peek
Track Mom
By: Family First Staff
Are you teaching your children skills that will help them excel in life? According to Vicki Caruana’s book, Giving Your Child the Excellence Edge, parents have an integral part in how their children succeed — not only in school, but in their future careers and relationships as well. Caruana provides ten key strategies which parents can implement in the home to help their children lead productive, fulfilling lives.
Teach Your Children to Become Quality Producers.
Quality involves taking a competency or skill and improving on it. Teach your kids the importance of doing above what is expected of them. For example, if a teacher requires the minimum of two pages for a report, the student should submit at least two and a half. Or if your child’s weekly chore is to take out the kitchen garbage, encourage him to find other trash cans around the house that need emptying.
Teach Your Children to Become Independent Learners.
Teach your children how to be self-directed and to think for themselves. Encourage them to set academic and personal goals and to monitor their own progress.
Teach Your Children to Become Creative Thinkers.
According to Caruana, “Creativity is the power of the imagination.” Creative thinkers are able to define and solve a problem by evaluating choices and considering possible outcomes. Teach your children how to creatively solve problems by having them (1) define the problem, (2) evaluate the possible solutions, (3) develop a plan of action and (4) adjust the plan when necessary.
Teach Your Children to Become Critical Thinkers.
Discernment and reasoning play a large part in critical thinking. One way to raise critical thinkers is to encourage your children to apply the scientific method to daily problems. For example, in determining the best way to walk to school, your kids would first state the question, form a hypothesis (i.e. Elm Street to Maple Street is best), test it through experimentation (timing how long that route takes) and then drawing conclusions.
Teach Your Children to Become Information Managers.
Children need to know how to find information for themselves, whether through a phone book, dictionary, encyclopedia or Internet. They also need to know how to evaluate, store and use this information. For example, if your child has multiple projects for school, he could use file folders to store his notes for each project. Also help your child determine which researched information he collected is relevant to his project, and which is extraneous.
Teach Your Children to Become Cooperative Learners.
Cooperative learners participate in group learning experiences; are helpful to fellow students; can negotiate with a balance of assertiveness, consideration and flexibility; and show patience with those who do not learn as quickly as them. Essentially, these students get along well with their fellow classmates. In your home, be sure to instill this important lesson by teaching and modeling respect for others.
Teach Your Children to Become Effective Communicators.
Make sure your children understand the concept of tone, and that the way something is said can be just as important as the content of what is said. In addition to speaking effectively, a good communicator also focuses on respectful listening. Caruana suggests teaching your kids how to sit still and listen by having them listen to books on tape. Start at 5 minutes a day and gradually work up to 30 minutes per sitting.
Teach Your Children to Become Confident Leaders.
Confident leaders know how to listen to the opinions of others, are comfortable in their leadership style and have a defined vision. Be sure to model good leadership in your home and always treat others with respect.
Teach Your Children to Become Efficient Time Managers.
Help your children create a timeline with goals for completing tasks on time instead of waiting until the last minute. Teach your children the value of being on time and set consequences when they do not get themselves ready for school on time. Use your children’s chores to teach them about deadlines. And make sure your children are also effectively using their free time by engaging in a variety of activities (i.e. reading, playing outdoors) instead of just sitting in front of the television.
Teach Your Children to Become Self-Assessors.
Self-assessment skills will help your children know how to improve on their weaknesses and build on their strengths. They may find journaling helpful in identifying which areas of school they are struggling with. Have occasional parent/child conferences during the school year to check on their progress and to help your children identify areas needing improvement.
This article is based on the book Giving Your Child the Excellence Edge: 10 Traits Your Child Needs to Achieve Lifelong Success by Vicki Caruana. Click here to order this book.
This article courtesy of FamilyFirst.net (Click Here).
[...] Giving Your Child the Excellence Edge [...]