By Naadiya Adams

As we become adults, we realise that there are so many things we didn’t learn as children that would assist us in everyday life.

I remember thinking to myself when faced with doing my taxes for the first time, how come they never taught us this in school? That Theorem of Pythagoras is really coming in handy now, I thought sarcastically to myself.

Beyond that though, there was never an importance placed on soft skills. What are soft skills? They’re skills we need as humans to navigate our way through everyday life.

They’re what we would call people skills. It includes empathy, listening and communication skills, your ability to make decisions and solve problems.

As children, we ought to learn these skills and hone them as we grow, but if we’re never taught how to communicate, for some it catches up with you later in life.

The idea of kids growing up and succeeding in life is a concern parents face daily, but education alone is not sufficient.

Soft skills are imparted and built through experiences, role-modelling and of course real-life challenges and learning. This entails teaching them compassion, self-worth (which is so important), how to laugh at themselves, how to pick themselves up when they are down and how to work with others.

The real world comes with challenges you don’t learn in school. Successful job candidates are usually those who have soft skills which usually relates to a positive attitude, making them more employable, more successful in the workplace and giving them a head start in the journey of life.

In our opinion, these are the top skills your child should hone as they go out into the world.

Communication

The ability to communicate well is at the core of your child’s success. Teaching them how to, is one of your most important tasks.

Charisma

This falls under that guise of communication, but charismatic people tend to get ahead in life a lot faster than the rest of us, its all about the charm and how well you are able to articulate.

Resilience

The ability to bounce back.  Resilience as a skill shows that one is able to cope with and rise to the challenge. It shows determination and reliability.

Ability to plan

Having foresight and peaking into the window of the future will go a long way in achieving goals.

Adaptability

Adaptability means you are able to constantly learn new skills and behaviours in response to the constantly changing circumstances.

Problem Solving

A good skill to pass onto your children is the ability to solve problems efficiently and timeously. Handling problems with a calm approach rather than panic is also important.

Decision-making

Decision making as a skill will poise your child as a future leader, starting with roles such as class captains, sports captains and prefects.