7 Important Tips to Raise Successful Kids – What To Do and What Not To Do
There’s no one definition of success. But what’s definite is that raising successful kids requires instilling values that push them to pursue a life and a career synonymous with positivity and happiness. Whether they make it to the top of the organizational hierarchy or choose to lead a life in service of the community – children can be successful when they are excellent leaders, teammates, and partners.
For children to succeed in life, they must be exposed to a favorable environment in their childhood. And as a parent, it’s is your responsibility to give them a nurturing environment. Successful parenting and a healthy relationship with kids can certainly set a solid foundation for future success.
But how to be a successful parent? How to raise a successful kid? We have some super important tips for you. Read on.
Teach Emotional Regulation
Emotional regulation is an important skill that helps people to not lose hope in challenging situations and approach them with a stable state of mind. And children learn this from their parents. So, when your child makes a mistake, do not yell at them or make them feel bad for it. Instead, take such opportunities to show them how they can fix it.
Moreover, children learn by watching their parents. So, master self-regulation yourself first. Watch yourself in difficult situations and be the role model your child needs.
Allow Them to Practice Decision-Making
As parents, we try to make all the decisions for our children, but that can only demotivate them. We must remember that freedom of choice is a critical motivator. Therefore, we must allow children to learn by choosing for themselves, for example, the outfit they wish to wear to the park or the movie they want to watch on a Sunday.
And when it comes to safety, instead of telling them what to do, guide them about how and why a certain thing should be done. This will help them gain self-esteem and self-trust, which, in turn, will make them want to succeed.
Do Not Use Reward and Punishment Strategies
Rewarding and punishing for certain things can only create extrinsic motivation. For example, if they do not like doing their homework, they will eventually quit doing it. So, try to create intrinsic motivation in kids so that they can genuinely enjoy tasks they didn’t like earlier. Come up with activities to make their chores or homework enjoyable. Try to motivate them and show them why learning is so important. Moreover, do all these things with them so that they do not avoid difficult tasks.
Praise Kindness, Effort, and Courage
Praise children to increase their self-esteem but make it a point to only praise them for things that are in their control. This is because successful kids exhibit a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset. So, make sure you praise them in a way that they feel motivated to grow and try even better.
For example, if your child does well in an examination, don’t say, “Wow! You are so intelligent”. Instead, tell them, “You did so well! I am really impressed with the effort you put in”.
Read to Your Child Every Day
According to one research, children whose parents read to them in their childhood and showed interest in their education exhibited lower rates of poverty in their adulthood. So, read to your child every day to create a habit of reading in them. You can also slowly encourage them to read by themselves; it will help them learn new words and improve their communication skills.
Let Kids Play to Their Strengths
All children are born with some advanced skill that may be different from others. For example, your child may be good at building Lego structures or an expert at solving problems. Identify these talents and skills, and use them to your child’s advantage.
Parents can do this by finding out what areas may leverage their skills best. For example, if your child loves solving puzzles, introduce them to chess. Or, if they display excellent motor skills, introduce them to physical activities they may enjoy.
Demonstrate How Hard Work Can Bring Extraordinary Outcomes
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates shared in a blog post that his father was one of the hardest-working and most respected lawyers in Seattle and that he was serious about learning. Successful kids require successful parenting. Therefore, make it a point to demonstrate to your child that accolades come with hard work. Show them that nothing is ever given away and that shortcuts do not help in achieving goals. If they see you working hard to reach your goals, they will be inspired to do the same.
To raise successful children, identify problems that are holding or may hold your child back. Work on the issues by being a good example for them and ensure the holistic development of children. And, make sure to not push your child too much and let them enjoy this development phase stress-free.
Author Bio
Samidha Raj works as part of the content marketing team at PlanetSpark, 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)!
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