What Skills Will Help Your Child Thrive?

We don’t know what the future holds for our kids, but we can help them get ready for it. That means building skills that matter in life, school, and careers. The key is to do it gradually, in age-appropriate ways, and with steady support from adults.

🚀 What Are “Skills for the Future”?

They’re more than knowledge. These are abilities that help us live and thrive in a fast-changing world. Often called ‘soft skills’ or ‘life skills,’ they include things like critical thinking, emotional and behavioral regulation, communication, and creativity. These skills matter at every age and in everyday life, not just at work.

Ages 7–10: Learning to Understand Ourselves and Others

At this age, kids are just starting to recognize their emotions and figure out how to be part of a class, a sports team, or an activity group. It’s important for them to understand what they feel and what others feel so they can build healthy relationships and learn to cooperate.

• Emotional intelligence: recognizing and naming feelings, understanding others’ emotions, and showing empathy. This is the foundation of strong relationships.
• Communication skills: knowing how to listen, ask for help, speak up respectfully, and express opinions without aggression.
• Self-regulation: learning to manage behavior means patience, persistence, and following through.

✅ How to support: Play “guess the emotion” using facial expressions or tone of voice. Talk about your own feelings and explain why you feel that way. Reflect on tricky situations together: “What did you feel? What could we do differently next time?”

Ages 11–13: Thinking, Exploring, and Planning

Tweens are starting to seek more independence and make sense of the bigger world. They ask more questions, push boundaries, and want to understand how things work. It’s the perfect time to build thinking skills, develop a sense of planning, and explore digital life safely.

• Critical thinking: questioning what they see, analyzing information, and not believing everything at first glance.
• Planning and independence: setting goals and working toward them, like doing homework without reminders and managing daily tasks.
• Digital literacy: navigating the internet safely and responsibly, telling facts from fakes.

✅ How to support: Watch and discuss posts, videos, or news together: “What do you think, is this true?” Talk about their weekly plans: schoolwork, hobbies, rest. Try out privacy settings and data protection tools together. Make a simple “My Week” planner or use habit trackers made for kids.

Ages 14–17: Looking Ahead and Trying Things Out

Teens are beginning to seriously think about their future. They want more independence and are figuring out where they fit. They try new roles, make decisions, and take on responsibilities. The more supported and confident they feel, the easier it is for them to adapt, explore, and grow.

• Responsibility: taking ownership of tasks at home, at school, on a team.
• Self-discovery: figuring out what they’re good at and what interests them are the first steps toward career choices.
• Flexible thinking: considering different solutions, adjusting plans when needed, and adapting to change.

✅ How to support: Give them real-life tasks like grocery shopping, helping younger siblings, or working on a shared project. Talk about what excites them and why. Support their efforts to try new things through clubs, internships, or volunteering. Help them through failures: “What did you learn? What can we try next time?” Don’t rush to fix everything. Ask questions, listen, and guide.

Learning Takes Time

Skills don’t show up overnight. They grow with time, practice, and encouragement. And most of all, learning is so much easier when kids have adults nearby who believe in them, support them, and offer a helping hand.

Praise their effort. Let them make mistakes. Instead of giving ready-made answers, help them find their own, one question at a time. Be their steady ground when it’s hard, and a source of inspiration when it’s scary.

The most important thing? Being there.

References:

• The Future of Jobs Report 2023, World Economic Forum, 2023
• Defining the skills citizens will need in the future world of work, McKinsey & Company, 2021
• Future of Education and Skills 2030: OECD Learning Compass 2030, OECD, 2019