BALTIMORE, Md (Ivanhoe Newswire) — We live in a world of on-demand everything, but are we raising kids who can only consume resources or kids who can create and adapt them? Cultivating resourcefulness might seem old-fashioned, but it could be key to a child’s future success. Cultivating resourcefulness in your children will equip them to navigate challenges, embrace creativity, and become adaptable, confident adults. Resourceful kids
11-year-old Kai Swanson is beginning his journey to independence.
“You can go so much faster than like you would normally go,” he said about his bike.
His little sister Katja is also starting to explore ways to be more eco-friendly.
“Maybe you have a rotten banana peel. That’s not trash, that’s compost,” she told Ivanhoe.
Their dad, Chris Swanson, hopes that by leading by example his kids are learning how to become more resourceful.
“I think there is a level of awareness,” he said.
“We absolutely know that parents are important influences in their children’s life,” explained social psychologist Kristin Anderson Moore, PhD.
She believes parents play a critical role when it comes to minimizing our impact on the environment.
“It is certainly not your lectures, but it is what you are doing. And so, if you do things like recycle and turn out the lights and put on a sweater rather than turning up the heat, that’ll just be how they approach life,” stated Moore.
Keys to teaching resourcefulness: first, coach, don’t control. Instead of stepping in and doing the task, coach your child through it. Also, support the struggle. Allow them to work through challenges and give them time to come up with solutions.
“Talk to your child, show them things, discuss them, spend time,” Moore told Ivanhoe.
A simple way to teach resourcefulness. Make mindful decisions to be conscious consumers. Choose sustainable clothing, locally sourced food and products with eco-friendly packaging. All things they can practice now and throughout their lives.
“You want to have your children grow up thinking about what they can do, have agency to have a sense of action,” said Moore.
Also, teach self-encouragement. Saying things like “practice makes perfect” and “I think I can” teaches children they can keep going even when they feel defeated. By teaching your child how to be resourceful, you are fostering critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and resilience.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Executive Producer; Matt Goldschmidt, Videographer; and Bob Walko, Editor.
Produced by Child Trends News Service in partnership with Ivanhoe Broadcast News and funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
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