Resourcefulness makes children Future-Ready. It is one of three core skills our children will need in order to face whatever life may have in store for them. Resourcefulness is a skill children can learn. It is not an innate quality only the lucky ones get to have. So what can parents do to help children be resourceful? Let’s explore!
In order to do well in the future, children will need to be resourceful. Some will tell you that Resourcefulness is an innate quality. But that is not quite so. Your child does not have to get lucky in order to acquire the skills of Resourcefulness. It is something we can help them build.
But first, what exactly do we mean, when we say, “resourceful”? If you ask Google, the most basic definition you get for “resourcefulness” is “the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties.”
I don’t like the words “quick” and “clever” in this definition. When it comes to life skills, speed and originality are not nearly as important as the ability to do certain things on one’s own.
And that is where we should put the emphasis.
On the words “overcome” and “on one’s own.”
No matter what their future life may look like, no matter what they choose to do, children will face challenges and will have to solve problems. That is why they will need to be resourceful in order to do that successfully. And being able to solve challenges independently on their own means they will not have to rely on others or wait for help. Instead, they will be able to help themselves!
So what can parents do to foster resourcefulness?
There is a lot we can do as parents to support the child’s capacity for Resourcefulness. But guess what? You don’t need to memorize another long list of things you should do. You are doing enough already! Instead in this episode I show you how to do less by thinking less about what you need to teach, but rather giving your child opportunities to learn on their own.
And so, although the list below shows you the kinds of subskills that add-up to the quality of resilience, don’t look at it as a list of things to add to your to-do’s. As a parent, you are already doing a lot!
- Out-of-the-box thinking
- Boredom
- Challenging the “normal ways”
- To “MacGyver”
- Sharing perspective & seeking perspectives
- Playing “what-if” games & scenarios
- Looking for more than one perspective
- Asking questions
- Making choices & decisions
- Seeing others solve problems (modeling)
- Patience
Less Doing, More Allowing
Don’t look at this list as something you have to find time to teach. Instead, look at it as a list of opportunities your child needs to have in order to develop their capacity to be resourceful. So can you ask yourself:
- Does my child have opportunities for boredom?
- Do I welcome their opinions and out-of-the-box thinking?
- Is there space for my child to ask questions?
- Does my child have opportunities to make their own choices and decisions?
And so on. It is all about keeping in mind one principle — independence and autonomy. Are we allowing these things to happen? Are we creating opportunities and are we letting our children be independent in their thinking and doing? In doing so, we are helping children develop their Sense of Agency, which comes from the sense of autonomy.
Tune into today’s conversation and explore with me why resourcefulness is one of the three core skills for the Future and how we can help children be more resourceful.
In another episode on what makes children Future-Ready, I gave you an overview of each of the three skills and my reasons why they are the most important for future success. No matter what the future brings, no matter what our children choose to do with their lives, they will need Self-Regulation, Resilience, and Resourcefulness.
Additional episodes on a similar topic:
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