To help your child become an autonomous and resilient learner:
Be sensitive to your child’s individuality and foster it, because there are many different ways to be successful.
Here are few tips from psychologist David Lubinski of Vanderbilt University, who has conducted extensive studies on learning and intelligence in young people.
- Emphasize the importance of hard work: Praise your child’s effort, rather than his/her natural abilities or high marks. This will help your child develop a growth mindset.
- Teach your child to embrace intellectual risks and failures: It’s important to learn by making mistakes, because you often make discoveries along the way. Kids should see challenges as something positive that can make them better.
- Offer kids different a variety of experiences and opportunities: If you can, present your child with a variety of learning experiences, from sports, to arts to science. Camps and classes allow kids to grow intellectually and emotionally and can help them make like-minded friends.