Non-academic skills our children will need, to be future ready

We often focus more on what our children learn within the pages of their textbooks. From mathematical formulae to science experiments, our mind races to know all about the curriculum our children will learn from. But are we often missing the bigger picture? Is education confined to just the four walls of their classroom? What about the skills they will eventually (have to) learn from life that will make them future-ready?

Harvard's Center on the Developing Child states 5 skills that are deemed essential to help children navigate life's challenges as they grow. And these are beyond the regular academic and grade-related skills that we often focus more on. The 5 skills mentioned in the study are:

• Planning: being able to make and carry out concrete goals and plansFocus: the ability to concentrate on what's important at a given time

• Self-control: controlling how we respond to not just our emotions but stressful situations

• Awareness: not just noticing the people and situations around us, but also understanding how we fit in

• Flexibility: the ability to adapt to changing situations.

Experts across the globe agree that the modern-day education system needs to focus on the four Cs – critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity.

Popular Historian Yuval Noah Harari, who has authored best-selling books such as Sapiens, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, and Unstoppable Us, has written about the information overload that our children are currently exposed to and what they will actually need to help prepare better for their future.

“Instead, people need the ability to make sense of information, to tell the difference between what is important and what is unimportant, and above all to combine many bits of information into a broad picture of the world.”

- 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari

A University of Cambridge study on the essential non-academic skills that the world is slowly moving towards.

Earlier, we asked on our LinkedIn page what skills today’s parents deem important to help prepare their children for an uncertain and constantly evolving future. Here is what they replied:

• Public speaking

• Leadership

• Mindfulness

• Self-awareness

• Ability to create

• Ability to care for self and others

• Ability to commit to self-improvement

At Yeti, my friend, the aim is to help foster critical thinking and character building in children centered on real-world topics, e.g., environmental awareness, values education, differentiating fact vs opinion, nutrition, diverse abilities, and other topics that are increasingly relevant in an evolving world. Through these stories, Yeti focuses on critical thinking and character building in children while providing a playful, calming, and nurturing learning environment.

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