What is Growth Mindset?

In simple words, it is just a readiness to believe that you can grow and improve your potentials.

For a better understanding, just go through the following set of sentences:

  • Maths is not my cup of tea- Maths has been challenging for me.
  • I’m not good at swimming- I have not learned how to swim.
  • I’m just bad in sports- Well, it’s not a priority for me to learn it right now.

Get more Educational Game Apps (Check out Now)

These sentences may seem similar to you. But they are not. The first set of sentences is delivered by a person with a fixed mindset and the latter by a person with a growth mindset.

Teaching and learning are two main ways to foster the growth mindset. But since our kids are more interested in games than studies, it is our responsibility to mould them to good learners.

Funny and Challenging Activities for kids

Games and activities indirectly play an important role as detoxing centers. Besides this games also provide an opportunity to engage with their kids.

Here Goes Some of Them:

1) NEGATIVE TO POSITIVE

This is a language based brain-storming mind game where your kids will be given a set of negative sentences and they have to change it to positive ones. In between, we are supposed to teach them how to convert negative sentences to positive.

For example, look at the sentences below:

  • I don’t believe in myself- I believe in myself
  • I’m not smart enough to do that- I can do that
  • I don’t have good ideas- I have a plethora of ideas
  • In doing so, they will understand how to improve their language while speaking.

2) FAMOUS FAILS

This activity will let your kids to learn from mistakes.

In this they will have to research about some of history’s most famous failures. They can make it easier by finding answers to the following questions:

  • How did these people fail?
  • How did they come back to accomplish their goals?
  • What were their strategies to achieve the goal?

This will help them to discover who those personalities were, and how they overcame the hindrances to achieve the goal.

3) HOW CAN I CONTRIBUTE?

This is a thought provoking game, where we can create kids into groups and then assign a role play topic related to social activities. Some of the ideas can be:

  • Arrange a group discussion about the ways to increase women’s safety.
  • Volunteering at an orphanage or an old age home.
  • Cleaning a public place

Through these topics they can express their ideas, which can help them to build strong relationships and healthy communities, thus developing their growth mindset.

4) 1-2-3… SHOOT

1-2-3 Shoot game is a kind of rapid fire game, where we can ask the students to shoot what they have learned in that particular day. This can be done only as a last activity.

We can ask them questions like:

  • What have you learned today?
  • Name a good habit that you have planned to start from tomorrow to help others.
  • Is there anything that you still have in your mind, and that which you haven’t spoken out yet for the well being of our society?

  5) CRUSH THE PAPER EXERCISE:

Through this exercise our kids will learn  the ability to see mistakes in a positive light.

For this, we can ask our kids to write  a mistake that they have recently made, in a piece of paper. Next, let them crush the paper and throw it on a wall with the concept that they won’t repeat it again. Then, we can guide them that mistakes are human instincts and that everybody makes it, no matter how old or rich the person is.

And finally, just for a fun factor, we can make them scream out words like “Goodbye”, “Get lost” etc., symbolizing that the mistake this past.

6) KINDNESS WEEK CHALLENGE:

To develop an altruistic value of being kind to others is the aim of the game.  So, here we can let our kids to keep a journal of the kind activities they do in a week. Suggestions for activities can be like:

  • Donating clothes to the needy.
  • Helping an old lady to cross the road.
  • Treating a sick puppy
  • Providing food to the poor.

This will develop a growth mindset to help others and be kind to social acts.

7) POSITIVE WORD HUNT:

As to teach our students about growth mindset, we can give them opportunities to find such words.

For this, we can first pair them into groups and then give them charts and sketches to draw colorful pictures about positive thoughts and then ask them find words related to it.

By letting them to explain about such words, they will have a better understanding of the concept of every word described.

8) ‘I HAVE A GROWTH MINDSET OF’ POSTER:

This is basically a  self-appreciating game, where we can ask our kids to create a poster of words or phrases describing their growth mindset.

We can give them examples with phrases like:

  • I can do hard things
  • I can train  my brain
  • This may take some time and effort but still I can make it out.
  • I’ll always improve myself and will keep trying for the best.

9) PLANNING TO MAKE IT BEST

As our kids learn more about the growth mindset, they will develop a tendency to learn more about planning the activities. Here, we can let them come with ideas to plan a positive action. This activity is really important as leaving room for them to think will help them grow.

Here are some of the action plan questions:

  • What is the purpose of the action?
  • How can we improve the action?
  • How the duties can be assigned?

10) ‘WHAT AM I’ CHECKLIST:

This is an activity which will increase a strong sense of growth mindset in them.  Through this they will improve their strengths and weaknesses.

This can be done by giving them a worksheet with questions like:

  • I feel I am strong in the areas of __________
  • I learn best when I _____________
  • I think I am weak in the areas of __________
  • I find that _________ makes me uncomfortable.

Playing Games can actually enhance the child’s growth and development. How????

>>Better Decision-making:

It has been found by the scientists that games make our mind faster and sharper. Let’s know it through an example,

When your child plays ‘shooter games’, he is actually going through a road where he is not aware of the villain’s entry. So, throughout the game he has to be smarter to win it.

This is how gradually he’ll develop his decision making skills.  This has been scientifically proven where gamers won over non-gamers.

>>Improves Memory:

There are many brain training games which improves memory and hence may reduce the risk of dementia.  Studies have shown that memory based games can even solve problems which are precursors to Alzheimer’s disease.

Apart from boosting the different aspects of child’s memory, such games help them to learn strategy, force them to think and improve their reflexes.

The memory game can be taken as an example to prove it. For instance, the simple sequence memory game, where there will be a person to speak of certain words and then the children have to remember the words in the correct sequence.

Certain quick memory games can also be practiced as if we are travelling in a bus, then we can just recite the alphabet backwards, or count backwards the multiple of a number.

>>Reduces Mental Problems:

In a recent research, it has been found that specially designed games, can be used as a curing option for reducing mental stress.

Imagine that your child is playing the game, ‘build the home’. In this he will be busy with building colonies, homes, roadways, hunt zombies etc. He will be lost in that virtual world, where he can escape from his mental stresses.

Get more Educational Game Apps (Check out Now)

Games have actually awe-inspiring powers. They are often criticized for being violent, loud or anti-social. But a new era of gaming is emerging with many new titles, focusing on a stress-free atmosphere, which will develop a growth mindset. And I hope that these activities will help to increase a growth mindset in your child.

Intrinsic Motivation is a natural motivational tendency where you do something for your own enjoyment, rather than relying on external factors. An increase in perceived description and self-determination are the two main factors essential for intrinsic motivation.

Examples of Intrinsic Motivation

You have actually experienced a lot of intrinsic motivation throughout your life, without giving it much thought. Let’s go through some of them

  • Drawing a picture as you feel relaxed, rather than drawing it with a thought of selling.
  • Exercising regularly as you love to be physically fit and not because you want to lose your weight.
  • Learning a new language because you enjoy experiencing new things, and not because you need them for your existence.
  • Volunteering because you have a sense of self-satisfaction, rather than doing it to meet a work requirement.
  • Cleaning your room only because you like to keep it clean, and not because your mom asked you to.

Factors that Promote Intrinsic Motivation:

Intrinsic Motivation fosters lasting and stronger motivation. You are best motivated when you work towards personally motivated goals.

Here are the 3C’s responsible for Intrinsic Motivation:

1) Curiosity:

The spark behind every great idea is curiosity. Intrinsic motivation can be built only by being curious about the things in your environment.

Intrinsic motivation will be promoted only if you ask the question-“I wonder what it is all about”.

2) Challenge:

Challenging a situation will help you to set personally meaningful goals. It will help us to relate goals to our self-esteem.

3) Control:

This defines the urge of humans to control what happens to them. Regardless of this controlling factor, you should actually free your mind to choose what it needs.

How to Practice Intrinsic Motivation?

  • Try to find out the fun in the activities you do. Make it more enjoyable as that you can engage yourself with it.
  • Find the aim of the task and know its value or how it may help others.
  • Set attainable goals to challenge yourself to master a skill you love.
  • Before beginning to start a new task, recollect the moments where you felt proud of yourself and focus on those feelings to conquer your new task.
  • While participating in a competition, focus on your performance, rather than judging your peers.
  • Make a bucket list of your favorite to-do things, and choose one among them to do whenever you feel uninspired.

Benefits of Intrinsic Motivation

1) Persistence:

Your persistence is directly proportional to the intrinsic motivation in you.

2) Creativity:

The more creative you are, the higher will be your interest, enjoyment, satisfaction,  and challenge of the work.

3) Conceptual understanding:

Intrinsic Motivation is flexible thinking, which paves the way for an active information process, leading to a conceptual way of learning.

4) Optimal functioning and well-being:

This motivation gives us greater self-actualization, self-esteem, subjective vitality, reduces anxiety and depression.

Also Read: 35 Inspirational Quotes For Teacher Appreciation

5) Internal satisfaction:

Doing something for pure enjoyment is only because of intrinsic motivation. And this gives us a positive emotion with internal satisfaction.

What are the ways to cultivate Intrinsic Motivation in Students?

1) Avoid the fear of punishment in students:

Doing something out of the fear of punishment is different from that of doing something out of excitement. Evoking fear is easier than enjoyment. And the results will be different too.

2) Inculcate the feeling of being capable in everything:

One of the major problems that a student faces is the feeling that ‘he can’t do it’, even before trying it. So, it is an important point to make them feel capable to boost an intrinsic motivation in them unknowingly.

3) Give them the freedom to choose what they want to learn and how they will learn:

Rather than suggesting a topic, you make them to choose it themselves, as we don’t know what their real taste is. But if they find it difficult to choose according to their likes, you can make them undergo a psychometric test, with which they can know their real taste.

4) Talk about the difference between Extrinsic and Intrinsic motivation:

Generate at least a rough idea about the difference between Extrinsic and Intrinsic motivations, so that they will be aware of what is the difference between them.

5) Give Authentic Student Feedback:

Never give false feedback to encourage students; this will, in turn, lead them to the wrong pathway.

6) Free-thinking day:

Create a free-thinking day, where you can give time to think for your students as if they can do whatever they wish to in terms of creative productivity. It is said that the most lucrative ideas are born then.

7) Say NO to negative motivation:

Fear of failure is the biggest obstacle in achieving a goal. Fear never leaves space for genuine interest or understanding the research opportunity as such.

The responsibility of carving a better society lies on the shoulders of teachers and parents, as they are the ones to mold the future kids into good humans.

In this, intrinsic motivation plays a big role, as this deal with doing thing out of total satisfaction, and if one learns to do things disregarding the reward factor, he’ll do his best.

In this rapidly changing world, being creative and innovative is the key to make an impact and get along with the changes.

Some of you might be wondering about what actually is creativity and innovation and how it differs.

These terms are very familiar in our discussions and some people even use both these terms for the same contexts interchangeably.

Creativity is something related to imagination whereas innovation implies more about implementation.

Creativity is something that refers to conceiving or visualizing a fresh plan or idea whereas innovation is about introducing something new or the first time.

Both creativity and innovation are inevitable in today’s fast-paced modern workplace.

Definition of Creativity and Innovation

A person is creative when he comes up with fresh ideas, solutions, alternatives or possibilities in a different and unique way.

In most cases, it will be exciting, expressive and imaginative. The ideas should be original but unpredictable.

It is a mind-blogging and brainstorming activity which brings up thoughts beyond imagination.

Creativity is always subjective giving no way for measuring it. One can be creative in any context as a way of solving problems or as a form of expression.

A person is innovative if he can apply a fresh idea into the society, organization, government or business that can make an impact or create some value. Innovation is always about a smarter and better way of doing things.

One can define it as doing something fresh for the first time. When talking on a business perspective, it can be a change that can make a new edge to the productivity and performance.

Also Read: 20 Amazing Books on Creativity and Innovation

Innovations can always be radical or incremental.

Key Differences Between Creativity and Innovation

  • While creativity is about being imaginative, innovation is about being productive.
  • Innovation is quantifiable in most cases; but creativity is not quantifiable.
  • Creativity is all about thinking something new whereas innovation is more about introducing something new.
  • Money consumption is not involved in creativity but innovation involves money consumption.
  • There is no risk involved creativity but innovation is always associated with a considerable risk.
  • Creativity is associated with terms like ideas, imagination, thoughts, and expression, concepts, brainstorming and creative process. Innovation is associated with terms like process, value, invention, doing, action, implementation, enable, useful, change, new and measurable.
  • In a business organization, creativity comes up with new plans so that they can give a competition and be more flexible in the market. On the other hand, innovation is about taking up these novel ideas and developing on it to create useful and practical solutions. In simple words, innovation is converting theory into action.

In modern competitive business conditions, the term creativity is often overlooked but they fail to understand that creativity alone doesn’t make a difference but innovation does.

Examples

In a workplace, there can be brainstorming meetings where employees come up with new ideas that is unique and original.

Then there is another team that considers these ideas to make positive changes to the company situation.

It need not be always about introduction of new products but about tweaks to existing products, processes, or interactions.

In another case, the electronics company LG released a novel screen type into the market which is known for its flexibility as it rolls up similar to a newspaper.

The thought of developing such a type of screen is creativity but its actual introduction to the market is innovation.

In fact, a device, process or product that never existed before is referred to as invention which is also an innovation. However, every innovation need not be an invention.

For instance, if your company went digital for the very first time and published a website, that is an innovation. But it is not an invention as several other companies already have a website.

Conclusion

To conclude, even when both these terms are different, innovation is very much tied to creativity.

In fact, pushing creative ideas into a productive action is innovation and the expectations are always positive.

Also Read: What is Moral Education? (Benefits Included)

Talking on a business perspective, both creativity and innovation is irreplaceable for the success of an organization.

One can be creative by asking questions, researching & exploring fresh ideas, drawing conclusions, and expanding the thinking arena. However, one can be innovative only by taking risks, asking questions, experimenting, and observing things.

On a run for trying to do things differently, companies are always in chase of creativity but what is lacking is innovation that puts ideas to work.

So encourage employees to be more creative by giving them flexible platforms to think aloud but at the same time develop a team to assess its risks and utilize its possibilities for better practical results.

College phase is one of the most important periods of a student’s life.

This is the time when they make new friends, learn more about their subjects of interest and build a platform for their upcoming career.

g

This is the place where you meet new people of different kinds, experience different tastes in life and ultimately grow up.

Moreover, this is the phase when they learn a lot of life lessons which would be valuable throughout their future.

It can be about the attitude, perspectives, relationships and importantly about how to live successful and happy.

Here let us have a look at some of the most interesting but impactful life lessons a normal college student learns during their college phase.

1. Time waits for Nobody

One of the best life lessons you learn in college is the significance of time management.

As you all know, time and tide wait for no man, and the campus experiences will be a platform that gives you a live lecture on time.

You will also come to know that time goes very fast and it is worthy to enjoy each moment of your life than thinking about the missed moments.

Get FREE Students Apps (Check it Now)

2. Proper Communication can make Situations Better

Communication is always the key to solve many situations in life and save many relationships. This is the key to express yourself better and understand people around you better.

3. Importance of taking Responsibilities in Life

Students will start to love taking small responsibilities which lays a platform for them to take important responsibilities in the future.

They will learn it by being part of organizing college events, handling a sports team or even through academic projects.

4. Know the worth of Relationships

The most important life lesson you learn in your college life is the value of relationships.

It is the time when you make healthy friendships which might last even for a lifetime.

They also understand that the value of family never fades and they will be the ones who stand with them in their ups and downs.

5. Don’t Be Afraid to Take Chances

It is high time to take chances in your life.

College life enables you to think that it is okay to take small risks in life if the results are overwhelming.

That is when they start to learn using new vehicles or machines or try a different sport which might be tough at the beginning.

Also Read:  Top 10 College Apps You Must Have For Your Campus Life

6. Importance of Perseverance in Life

Perseverance is the key to achieve what you want in life despite what all challenges life offers you.

The college exams are in fact real tests in life that ask you to be determined to study well to pass it despite whether it is tough or easy.

The ultimate aim of college life would be graduating and earning a job and this phase teaches you how to tirelessly work towards a goal.

7. Be serious about Financial Stability

Parents will be the source of finance for a school kid but the situation slowly starts changing when you enter college. Some parents even allow them a budget for a yearly college life which they have to use wisely. This enables students to think more seriously about the financial stability in life and work towards it.

8. Respect Your Body

This is the time when you should start thinking about your body. Some students tend to misuse the freedom they get and get involved in activities such as excessive drinking and smoking which can ruin your health. The phase teaches that health is the biggest wealth and triggers the habits of regular exercise and healthy food habits.

9. Don’t think Twice to ask for Help

It is not always necessary that you are perfect at everything. It is okay to get help from people around you. So learn to ask help from the nearest available sources when you feel that you need a help.

10. Take time for Reflection

It is good to take some time out for you in the middle of all busy schedules. Stay alone for some time for reflection when you can do a self analysis. Think hard to know if you are travelling to the right path and make necessary changes in your attitude. When you feel that everything is failing around you, don’t be panic but take a break to think and come out successful again.

11. Learn to say ‘Yes’ and ‘No’

The college phase also reminds students that it is high time to make decisions for your life. You need not say ‘yes’ to whatever your loved ones suggest you. Of course, you can listen to their advices but think for yourself and learn to say ‘no’ to the suggestions that won’t make you happy. It gives you the courage to think that you are no more a school kid but a grown up individual who can stand for you.

12. Follow Your Passions

Everybody will have a set of passions which they hardly care about. It might have been their tight study schedules or absence of proper backing from parents that have stopped them from stepping forward. However, college life teaches you to love you more and give importance to the areas that make you happy. And the best part among that is following your passions.

13. Always Challenge Yourself

Rather than sticking to your comfort zone, the campus life gives the spark to always try something new in life. Students will start enjoying challenging themselves on diverse areas which they feared in their early times. Once they graduate from college, they become self developed individuals who are capable of overcoming the fear of unknown.

14. Confidence is always the key: Just like perseverance and determination, confidence is another important element to succeed in life. Students are enabled to do what they love with confidence and stand for themselves. If you do something or say something with confidence, it can surely make a positive impact on the results.

15. Learn to Love Faithfully and unconditionally: Love is a beautiful feeling and it is awesome when it is not bounded with some conditions. The campus experiences enable students to love faithfully and without conditions to make world a better place to live. Be an active and attentive listener and make the best use of them to love greater.

16. Learn to let it go: Students will learn to let go off people and incidents from their life. It is okay to get hurt at times as a true world will be full of ups and downs. The life is too small to keep anger towards anybody. Enjoy the limited time you have in your life and try to make yourself and people around you happy.

17. Always Be True to Yourself: Love yourself more than anyone else do and invest some time in your life to make you feel good. Don’t stop doing anything that makes you happy for the sake of others unless your doings hurts them intentionally. Invest your time only for yourself and people who really care for you.

Get FREE Students Apps (Check it Now)

18. Enjoy your life responsibly

This is the time you tend to fly forward and free from under the shelter of your parents. Students are given opportunities to make a decision on various matters unlike in school when guardians will be the final decision makers.

However, this also comes with an added responsibility as you will be solely responsible for what you decide and what you do. This enables you to develop a mindset of enjoying your life responsibly.

19. Learn new things and Stay Young

College phase teaches you to be lifetime learners. Develop a mind to learn something new and this mindset helps you to stay young at mind always. You will come to know that there is literally nothing in this world to fear if you have that mindset to understand and overcome it.

These are just a few among the many life lessons every student come across once they come out of the college phase. Some students would consider this as an added boost to their shaped up character while some lessons can have lifelong positive impacts on certain students. This is even a platform for students to learn from mistakes and thus save many important situations in future.

However, the truth is that many of the lessons are learnt even without the feel that you are actually learning it. The handful of experiences in the college phase actually shapes a student as a better individual who can be a good asset to the society. These lessons are not learnt in classrooms but through campus experiences in the form of fun-challenges and more.

Also Read: 20 Motivational Activities for College Students

Building relationships is a fundamental part of every life. As humans, we are more evolved in understanding ourselves and others, which allows us to build relationships at every walk of our lives. But the same emotional maturity makes us fairly complex in terms of building relationships.

g

The life teaches us about relationships, but it doesn’t have to be a bumpy ride. Or at least, kids should feel ready to face the bumps of emotional growth in their lives.

The concept of relationship can prepare your kids to have healthy relationships as they grow up. Teaching this skill is one of the greatest gifts you can give to your child.

What is the Concept of Relationships?

The concept of relationships revolves around some basic factors:

1. Assertive Communication in Relationships

Communication is important for your kid to convey what he or she feels. At the same time, the child should learn to understand other people’s feelings. Assertive communication is a form where two people stay truthful, respectable, and honest when communicating. Conflicts are always possible, but kids should have an urge to find a balanced ground and understand other people as well.

2. Respect in Relationships

Our behavior towards others decides whether people want to stay around us or don’t. Kids need to learn to respect people, irrespective of the fact that they are young, old, relatives or stranger. Every relationship in life requires mutual respect. This includes the respect of emotions, respect of views and respect of conflicts as well. If kids are not prepared to understand and respect others, they tend to cause unnecessary issues due to self-centered opinions.

3. Balance in Relationships

Another important factor you need to teach is the relationship balance. Few kids create their own distorted meaning of relationships, which can turn into emotional falls.

Asking for too much loyalty from one person is one of the common issues.

Many kids force their friend to play with them only and not with any other friend. At the same time, another kid can feel that they are betraying their friend by playing with other kids in their classroom.

You need to teach kids the balance of relationships. How it is completely healthy to have many friends and share different aspects of life with them.

4. Copying Skills in Relationships

Even close relationships can face a downfall.

Sometimes intentional, sometimes unintentional, people tend to make bad moves.

It is important to prepare kids for those downfalls. Kids need to know how to talk about their feelings and deal with the disappointment without letting any scar appear on their emotional health.

How to Teach your Kids the Concept of Relationships

Now, that you know the concept of relationships, here are a few things you can do to teach this concept to your kids:

1. Spend Uninterrupted Time Together Every Day

Give your kids an opportunity to explore Communication and Relationship Building.

Also Read: 11 Tips for Teachers to Develop Positive Relationship with Parents

You can decide a special playtime when kids decide what to play and how to play.

And you have to be there completely attentive, no matter how stupid that game sounds to you.

No phone calls or leaving kids on their own.

Let them know you are there for them, so they can trust you with what they feel.

2. Encourage Communication and Expressing Feeling

Depending on the age of your kid, you can decide appropriate methods of communication.

For instance, a young kid can draw an angry face whenever he feels angry.

Or, he can toss a pillow.

Choose acceptable ways, so that your kid doesn’t have to suppress his or her emotions. Anger, sorrow, embarrassment, every feeling is important and it should come out.

Only then, kids can learn to understand themselves and understand other’s feelings.

3. Respect Their Feelings

Making fun of kids’ feelings, trying to suppress them and ignoring what they feel is not healthy at all.

Your kid learns to respect his or her feelings and respect other people’s emotional states from you. So, it all starts with how you treat your child’s emotional health.

When you show faith and allow your kid to express without feeling scared, it helps in building emotional health.

4. Allow your Kids to Play with Other Kids

The skill of patience requires some alone time with peers. Kids somehow know you are there to protect them, which keeps the conflicts away.

Teacher app ad banner

But when two kids of same age come together, allow them to learn about sharing, taking turns, building friendships, feeling happy in groups and other important skills of relationships.

A fixed time with other kids is a healthy choice to improve relationship building capacities in your kids. You can organize playdates. You can surely be there to assist, but allow kids to resolve minor conflicts on their own. Make sure they are behaving appropriately with other kids. And help them behave correctly if they make a mistake. Tell them politely how their bad behavior can make other kids feel bad. Give them an alternative option, which would make everyone happy.

5. Limit Screen Time to Minimum

Television, video games, mobile phones and other screen times kill various opportunities of building relationship skills in kids.

Long screen time stops kids from playing with other kids or interacting with people in the real world.

There has to be an active time when kids can actually test their skills and learn from them.

Relationship building exercises are about real experiences. And for that, the screen time has to go down.

Are You Ready?

Now that you have a comprehensive knowledge of how the concept of relationships works, teach this to your kids.

You can use the given tips to effectively allow your kids to communicate, respect and have a balanced relationship at every age.

Your kids need you the most to grow their emotional health!

Also Read: Smart Classroom Management Strategies to Build Relationships

A classroom allows a controlled and disciplined environment where students come, follow the rules and learn. But what if the general rules of a classroom don’t work on a student?!

Students with required emotional support don’t usually comply with the rules of your classroom. Some students stay completely isolated and don’t allow themselves to indulge in group interactions and activities.

Teacher app ad banner

On the other hand, some students act too aggressively or showcase energetic behavior. These kinds of students tend to make noises and disrupt the general classroom environment.

Both kinds of students require emotional support. But the sad reality is that many teachers don’t know how to support these kids. Which is why teachers feel frustrated.

To enhance your expertise in supporting students with emotional vulnerability, you need to become aware of the dos and don’ts of managing such students. So here they are:

Dos: When Students Need Emotional Support

1. Collaborate with Professionals of Emotional Support

If you have no experience in handling students with emotional support requirements, find help. You can communicate with professionals who help students. Such professionals are usually trained and experienced in understanding the special needs of students and handle them accordingly.

If a student had a professional emotional support specialist instructor, you can contact that professional for a detailed overview.

The more you understand your student, the better you get to help the student adapt to the new educational environment.

2. Have Conversations Before and After Class

Students with emotional requirements tend to feel like a target from their teachers. This creates a gap between students and teachers. You have to work proactively to avoid such scenarios.

Talk to such students before and after every class.

In a safe and calm place, you can go over all procedures and expectations.

You can convey what sort of behavior you desire from the student. And the student can convey what he/she requires from you. This open conversation will work only if you keep yourself calm and listen to the student as well.

At the same time, you can ensure the student that you have studied and understood all the past experiences. Tell the student that you are prepared to help him/her get the best educational environment. But also convey your determination in not letting go a bad behavior.

Inform that you will never hold any grudges, but the student will have to face the consequences of his or her wrong actions.

Remember, you have to keep your tone friendly while talking. Show your determination with your words. Such conversations will help you and the students adjust in the classroom.

3. Build a Rapport and Trust with Students

Even with all the conversation, you will face difficult days in the classroom. Some days will present overwhelming challenges with students who need emotional support.

Don’t let the bad days impact your behavior on the good days with these students. You don’t want to lose the opportunity of building trust and rapport.

Try to find common factors between you and the student. Indulge in a game or have a simple conversation about favorite food, TV show or a place. Anything that would help you break the ice.

4. Have a Plan for Worst-Case Scenarios

Even imagining the worst scenarios with students who require emotional support seems frightening.

But you do need to think about thoroughly and make a strategy as well. Some students with special emotional support requirements tend to face a breakdown from time to time.

Also Read: How To Make Homework Less Stressful For Students

You can understand the possibility of such scenarios by looking at the history of that student.

Without a plan, you will feel unable to make any move, which will put other students at risk. What you need is a plan with the exact steps required to handle worst case scenarios.

Go through the previous breakdowns and see what triggers those breakdowns. Also, consider a scenario where you have to handle those same situations.

Think about the availability of aids for students, another room nearby where you can safely transfer other students. Prepare in every possible way to handle breakdowns.

5. Stay Calm to Stay Reliable

Students who require emotional support require reliable adults nearby to help them out. A reliable teacher motivates, when students feel positive, and provides safety and fair treatment when students feel out of their emotional sync. You have to be extremely calm in order to fulfill this requirement.

Every time you feel you are making progress, one bad scenario brings you back to the square one with these students.

This happens many times, which makes it difficult for teachers to stay calm. But you have to remind yourself that you are the only one there to help your student.

You have made a promise to the student and yourself. So, be ready to handle every situation in a calm manner.

Don’ts: when students need emotional support

1. Don’t Hold any Grudge

You talk to the student with special emotional support requirements and everything seems fine in the classroom. You are supporting the student and the student is fulfilling what you expect in the classroom.

But suddenly, out of nowhere, the student starts acting out. You don’t know why that student is being disrespectful, especially to you.

Students, who require emotional support, tend to behave badly to avoid indulging in an activity, to gain your attention, to deflect your attention or to even test boundaries.

The reasons can differ from time to time. But they occur when the student feels uncomfortable in any manner. He/she doesn’t want to attack you specifically.

However, some teachers tend to take things personally, which breaks the connection and trust. You need to remind yourself of the emotional needs of such a student.

Make yourself realize that bad behavior has hidden causes. So calm yourself down and start thinking about the real reasons why your student has behaved badly. Because if you don’t, that student will lose his or her ability to trust adults who promise to help and support.

2. Don’t Get Manipulated

Students, who require emotional support, can be manipulative from time to time. They tend to act too aggressively or too isolated to make you act their way.

For example, if a student doesn’t want to indulge in a group activity, he might act as if he is not capable of doing that task.

Such situations confuse and manipulate teachers to make decisions according to the students. You have to save yourself from such scenarios.

Also Read: 9 New Year Resolutions Every Student Should Have for 2019

To do so, you have to focus on being fair, firm and consistent with your decisions in the classroom. So, you shouldn’t allow a student with emotional requirements to misbehave, just because the behavior is better than his or her worst days. If you don’t allow that behavior to other students, don’t allow it to that particular student as well.

At the same time, don’t become too aggressive and threaten a student with a consequence, if you can’t follow it up.

3. Don’t Feel Scared If your Plan Doesn’t Work

A behavior management plan takes time and consistency to work. A plan can seem perfect for a student for a while and become ineffective after that. But don’t pull the plugs right away.

g

See what the problems are and make small adjustments to handle the behavior of a student of yours. So, if a student acts badly to avoid one subject, you can work to make that particular subject easier and entertaining.

Communicate with professionals and discuss your concerns regarding the current behavior management plan. At the same time, be patient and give your determination to the current plan you have.

4. Don’t Allow Misbehavior

This requires critical thinking when you are handling a student who requires emotional support.

There are not certain rules. Sometimes, you allow a few misbehaviors to obtain the trust of a student. In other scenarios, you don’t want to let the student get away with bad behavior, because you want to be fair to the whole class.

You need to judge the behavior of a student with emotional support requirements. Then, decide how you want to handle his or her misbehavior.

Hopefully, you now feel more confident about offering your emotional support to students with special emotional support requirements.

Credits: Goalcasts

It’s easy to assume that an introvert has lesser capabilities than an extrovert.

But thankfully, that is not true at all.

So, educators need to remove this misconception from their mind and value the capabilities of introverts as well.

Get Best Free Student Apps (Check it Now)

If you open your eyes and see the social lifestyle everywhere, it is biased slightly towards the extroverts.

People, who are outgoing and gregarious, are seen as the symbol of success in society.

Teacher app ad banner

Standing out and being heard are necessities of surviving in modern society.

Everybody is asked to stay dynamic and aggressive as if we all are on a roller-coaster ride.

However, the mind of a natural introvert doesn’t work like that. Introverts feel overwhelmed in a dynamic environment. But those introverts are restricted to the current social scenarios. The similar introverts come to your classroom and face the challenges of being in an extrovert-driven environment.

The biggest problem in our current social scenarios is in the way we look at introverts. Natural introverts are often judged. People feel concerned about them as if they have some mental disease.

Many people also think introverts are shy people, which is not true at all. For a shy person, other people create anxiety. On the other hand, introverts get overwhelmed by the stimuli coming from too many people around them.

Introverts feel exhausted not anxious. They just need some alone time to get their energy back.

Classrooms become a never-ending group activity for introvert students. Too many stimuli don’t allow a positive environment for introverts. So, their educational performance tends to go down and they become the so-called shy students in the class.

In a nutshell, we all need to redefine the method of teaching in a classroom to motivate introvert students.

Secret#1: Observe and Learn about Introvert Students in your Classroom

1. Avoid Typecasting in the Classroom

In your classroom, there are students with all kinds of characteristics. Being their teacher, you can surely see those characteristics by observing their behavior. However, you should never indulge in typecasting or making your observations a fact in the classroom.

If you address a student as “sensitive” or “the quiet one”, it tends to impact the introvert student as well as other students in the classroom. While other students start looking at introverts as a shy person, the introvert feels that he/she is the odd one out in the class.

So, whenever you are talking regarding an introvert student in your classroom, don’t let your observations become a typecast.

2. Observe the Unique Qualities of an Introvert

To understand the capabilities of a student, you have to look beyond the “introvert” label.

A student can look introvert at the first glance.

But if you observe, you will find unique qualities such as creativity, kindness, observant and other personality traits. These personality traits usually stay hidden behind the introversion.

An introvert, who seems shy to you, can have plenty of jokes, which he cracks with his close friends at home.

You need to talk to the parents to understand how the student behaves in other environments.

Find out all the scenarios when the student acts freely and looks happy. This will help you create similar scenarios in the classroom as well.

3. See How Long they take to Answer

Introverts don’t always raise their hands immediately after hearing your question. They do know the answer, but they try and collect their thoughts first, which can take a while. You need to observe this quality in introverts.

Know More: 13 Tips To Tackle Cyber Bullying Among Students

Ask a question and allow an introvert student to work on his/her answer.

During this time, you can handle the extroverts, who want to answer your questions right away. Regular observations like this will help you find out the true capabilities of introverts in your class. Not all of them are out of answers, as it generally seems.

Secret#2: Communicate with Introvert Students

1. Have a One-on-One Conversation

An introvert student usually avoids sharing thoughts and challenges if you communicate in front of the whole class.

Statements like-

“What is your problem?”

“Do you need something else?”

They never help an introvert student.

You need to provide a safe and one-on-one interaction to communicate with such students. An introvert child feels that he or she is supposed to blend in the classroom. But they feel unable to do so, which makes them scared and confused. Sharing these thoughts is another task, which they avoid. But you can make them convey their feelings in a safe and quiet environment.

Present yourself as a helper and promise to assist in every possible way to improve the bad situations. This assurance will allow an introvert student to share his/her thoughts.

2. Give Subtle Signals of Appreciation

The skills of introverts tend to go unnoticed in front of extroverts. You can change that by indulging in subtle indirect communication with introverts. Even a smile or a pat on the back can let your introvert student know that you see their capabilities.

When introvert students feel appreciated, they feel free to open and indulge in classroom activities.

Secret#3: Bring Changes in the Classroom Teaching

1. Modify the Classroom Space to Create a Low-Key Environment

The design of a space impacts the behavior of people. For example, people behave differently in a large park than, in a small terrace garden.

The large size of space allows people to act more dynamically, but it makes introverts uncomfortable. On the other hand, a low-key environment offers more intimate space for people.

You can use the same concept to adjust the design of your classroom.

Just like any other communal zone, you can make it smaller and more intimate to provide quietness. In a smaller space, all students can become calm and focus on thinking and studying. This way, introverts, and extroverts both types of students can feel a part of the learning environment.

2. Design a Quiet Period in your Classroom

As mentioned before, introverts require some quiet time to reenergize themselves. But generally, classrooms keep on going on and on without no quiet breaks.

You can help both introvert and extrovert students by designing a quiet period in your classroom.

Decide a particular time when all students have to indulge in quiet activities such as drawing, reading, meditating and others. This way, quietness will become a part of the daily routine for all students.

This does two things. First of all, introverts get a chance to attain their energy back by staying calm and focused.

Plus, it allows extrovert students to understand the advantages of quiet activities, which makes them see introvert students as normal.

3. Utilize Different Teaching Channels

Your teaching method can have diverse strategies in the modern age.

There are plenty of technologies to utilize classroom blogs, social media pages, online videos, and others to help all students learn effectively.

Know More: Why Do Students Fail? Faculties Perspective!

You can even use simple methods of writing and make it helpful for introvert students.

For example, instead of asking for an oral answer, you can allow all students to write their answers. An introvert might feel shy to raise hands to answer orally, but you will definitely get a written answer from them.

4. Encourage Quality of Participation in Students

All students in your classroom should learn the value of quality participation.

Quality of participation is about giving enough thought and effort to everything you want to say before actually saying it.

Encourage this habit in terms of classroom questions and even when students communicate with each other.

As introverts require time to gather their thoughts, this approach will surely help them and motivate them in indulging in giving their answer.

At the same time, the same approach will improve the learning ability of extroverts as well. Generally, your extrovert students say the first thing that comes to their mind.

This is true when you are asking questions and even when they are having conversations with other students.

The approach of quality participation will develop a tendency of analyzing thoughts and coming up with the best possible answer.

Get Best Free Student Apps (Check it Now)

Now, you have the top 3 secrets of motivating introvert students in your classroom. Though these methods are directed towards introverts, you will find that extroverts also get better learning experience with these methods.

So, understand introverts, attain diversity in your teaching approach and communicate to motivate.

g

Undoubtedly, students of today are the future employers and employees of profitable global businesses.

For students to stand out as promising assets to multinational organizations, they need to invest in the sharpening of what are labelled as soft skills.

Get Best Free Student Apps (Check it Now)

These abilities which are linked to personality traits are a host of interpersonal capabilities that will help the present day students to transform into outstanding corporate resources.

So, if students are looking to establish a successful professional career, here are the numerous ways in which soft skills are important for them to enjoy an edge over others who are not abreast with these life-changing “people skills”.Teacher app ad banner

  1. Students Develop Emotional Intelligence

It takes all sorts of students to make up a class. While some students demonstrate a high level of emotional intelligence, there are others who lack this ability.

Emotional intelligence is all about how amicable you as a student are with others. With a high emotional intelligence quotient, you will be looked upon as an easy-to-work with student.

Through soft skills training programs, students will be able to better handle interpersonal relationships with a strong sense of empathy. They will also be in a favorable position to monitor the emotions of others so as to come up with well-informed perceptions about others’ behavior and thinking patterns.

Leaving no room for prejudices, students through the sharpening of soft skills can also become strong influencers in the lives of students with a low emotional intelligence quotient.

Such students will be able to look at every situation in an objective manner, without attaching any pre-conceived judgments about others.

  1. Nurture Interpersonal Relationships

A classroom is an educational entity which calls for a great deal of interaction between students. Once students constantly engage in interactions during class hours or in the event of completing a group assignment, they will befriend others.

Given the fact that man is a social being, mutual interactions between students pave the way for a strong educational base supported by a healthy competitive environment in the classroom.

Classroom behavior is an important aspect to nurture interpersonal relationships. While some students emulate the good behavior of others, there are others who need to be taught about the acceptable decorum of a class.

It is this concept of social etiquette that is brought to the fore for students to not only make friends but also interact with each other with a sense of empathy.

Students who befriend others stand to gain a lot in the form of friendly conversations and an emotional support that they can bank upon at all times.

Thus empathy is one such soft skill that will take students places and keep them in good stead with any sort of study group.

  1. Better Understanding of Classroom Lectures

Students step into a class with the prime aim of learning new things and subjects that are of interest to them. In keeping with this primal need of students, soft skills come handy as instruments that will make learning interesting and fruitful.

With soft skills, students will be able to adapt themselves to different teaching and learning patterns and will try to assimilate what all is taught in class. Students can solve problems employing the principles of soft skills while staying inquisitive about their surroundings and their subject matter.

Allowing them to interpret and explain their inferences, students through soft skills will be able to uncover the steps they need to take to face challenges.

  1. Unveil the Leadership Qualities in Students

There are plenty of students who are born leaders. For all such students who lack the spirit of leadership, soft skills come in as handy tools. Followers can turn into leaders when they start sharpening their soft skills.

Through soft skills trainings, students will be able to motivate themselves to take on leadership roles so as to attract the attention of others.

Students who lead from the front will be able to impress upon the faculty and their peers that they have it in them to successfully complete a project right from the start until its fag end. A sense of trustworthiness will also emerge when you begin to assess the leadership qualities in other students. Additionally, assertiveness is a soft skill that will help you stand your ground as a leader about a particular issue that concerns your college or class.

  1. Improvements in How Students Communicate

A sense of self-confidence is evident with all such students who have absorbed soft skills as their new-found DNA. While such students not only demonstrate a high level of adaptability with changing situations and study groups, they will also be able to better express themselves in college forums and inter-collegiate debate and elocution competitions.

Communication skills, tagged as one of the essential traits to succeed not only as a promising student but also as a potential employment resource are bestowed to students who sign up for soft skill training. Team spirit is a soft skill that should be inculcated by every student to become a team player, especially concerning the submission of group activities. Every student begins to work with the ultimate goal in mind and communicates in the right manner for the benefit of the entire class.

  1. Time-Tested Tools To Ace in Examinations

Come exam time and students are seen hooked to their text books and other study materials. All those students who are either blessed with soft skills or have worked on building their soft skills will stand to gain during examinations.

You can employ your problem solving skills coupled with your innate ability to express yourself better and do well in exams. A number of soft skill trainings not only help you better prepare for the questions that will appear in the question paper, they will also bring in a host of thinking skills that can help you crack numeric and quantitative problems. 

  1. Goal Setting and Target Achievements

Students will learn the importance of setting academic goals for themselves along with the pride that they enjoy upon meeting their targets.

Bringing to the fore the human traits of commitment, enthusiasm and motivation, students will make the most of their classroom sessions to meet their scholastic goals.

It is not only about having a goal. It is also about articulating your goal so that it comes as a reminder to you with every breath you take. Shunning away the instances of day-dreaming when students simply engage in wishful thinking about their ambitions, soft skills help students fulfill all their ambitions.

  1. Unleash The Hidden Potential in Students

All thanks to soft skills, students are now in a sweet spot to uncover their hidden potential that was lying dormant in them. Every student brings to the table a host of talents that amaze both the educators and their parents. Most of the times, the hidden talents of students are brought to light during some unexpected instances.

While some students are blessed with a high degree of creativity, there are others who demonstrate excellent organizational skills. There are others who always sport the aura of positivity, wherever they go. All these are talents that will help students uncover their strongest abilities that haven’t seen the light of the day.

  1. A Strong Commitment to Student Life

A day in the life of a student introduces him/her to a myriad new things that cannot be learnt through printed text books. One should live it to believe it.

Once soft skills become a part of student life, they will help them lead a self-disciplined life that revolves around the educational values that should be inculcated by them. Students will tread the path of education with a strong positive attitude coupled with an undeterred commitment towards their ultimate goal.

Soft skills keep students motivated to perform better in their academics. This motivation manifests in the form of a positive body language.

Interest in educational curriculum will be evident when students maintain an eye-to-eye contact with the faculty, sit erect in class and abstain from chatting with friends during a lecture. These are all the advantages of soft skills in the life of a student.

  1. A Steady Push to Your Presentation Skills

Presentations are part and parcel of student life. You as a learner will be asked to address the class and share your inferences or opinions about a particular topic that is discussed in class. Not only does this call for strong oratory skills but also superior writing skills.

Allowing students to not only form opinions about various subjects, they are also encouraged to stand up and voice their opinions to a gathering.

It is this power of written and oratory expressions that is bestowed by incorporating soft skills into the daily routine of students.

The Take-Home Advice

All in an attempt to secure your professional career, you as a student will have to tread the path of sharpening your interpersonal skills. Only then will you demonstrate the traits of commitment, goal-consciousness, enthusiasm and motivation.

Get Best Free Student Apps (Check it Now)

All these positive abilities will become the pillars of support to settle down in a respectful and highly satisfying employment that every student dreams of.

Once you have mastered these soft skills, you can go ahead and sport these on your resume so as to attract the attention of hiring managers scouting for skilled and confident resources.

You as a hands-on parent or tutor will not be doing a favor to your wards by being there for them at all times. Constant intervention from parents and teachers can work well with the learning abilities of kids when they begin to rely on your instructions. In the event you are not around, they will find it impossible to solve problems and buckle under pressure. For all such guardians who are aiming to bring up kids with minimum instructions, these are the creative ways in which you can help them fix their problems and become problem solvers for life; independently.

  1. The Concept of Healthy Space

Notwithstanding the fact that it is the dream of every parent and teacher to be there for kids during distress, constant intervention can work against their intention. It is hence the need of the hour to gift your kids an environment of healthy space.

Kids of all ages should be allowed to make mistakes and experiment through trial-and-error. Giving them a freehand will equip them with problem-solving skills when they try different ways and means to solve their issues.

  1. Creative Games Encourage Kids to Solve Their Problems

Playtime is the most attractive period for kids to play with different ideas. Give them a set of building blocks and encourage them to make something out of them. Allow them to imagine and come up with different options to use the material.

Kids will not only be excited to play with such materials but will also hone their abilities to weave magic through imagination. It is through this sense of imagination that they will be poised to take on life’s challenges and move forward independently. In fact, all such situations will help them realize the fact that problem-solving is within them only.

  1. Encourage Your Kids to Make Informed Choices

Kids should be encouraged to make their own decisions. In doing so, you as a guardian should let them come up with a set of informed choices. In order to have data points regarding choices, kids should first gather information about the problem. Collation of pertinent information about the available options is an integral part of decision-making process.

Alongside building strong foundations about study topics, it is when kids are tuned to making informed choices that they will be well-equipped to deal with difficult situations. Allow them to participate in discussions so that they will be informed about real choices coming from the group. This practice also enables kids to be mindful of the moral and social implications of their decisions in daily life. Erecting roadblocks in a situation can also help kids to come with a reasonable solution; all by themselves. Thus, with this helping hand, kids will not get upset with tricky situations but will look out for options that can solve their issues; the practical way.

  1. Keep the Fun Element in Problem Solving Alive

The domestic front of a kid should facilitate him to face difficulties. But this practice should be followed by keeping the fun element alive. It is the responsibility of the guardians to impress upon kids that problems are a part and parcel of everybody’s lives and that they should be faced with a positive attitude and a smile.

Alongside helping kids to develop rational thinking, you can also introduce them to problem solving activities in a group. Making use of such activities in the form of games will engage kids to arrive at a solution to a problem; the fun way. When every kid is assigned a particular role to play, he/she will be motivate to give the role the best shot and come up with a solution. This fun-filled way of looking at problems can become the strongest motivator in kids.

  1. Inspirational Stories Can Do the Trick

Stories about heroes can become strong instruments to learn about problem solving skills. Parents and teachers should work hard in teaching problem solving skills to kids so that they can be on their own. Listening to such stories about different characters who have risen above their problems and have emerged as victors will have a positive bearing on kids.

Reading aloud such narrations will create a strong imprint on the hearts and minds of young kids alongside helping them simulate the situations that have made the protagonist the hero of the novel. Kids will try to put themselves in the shoes of the hero and will either imitate or come up with other options to overcome the obstacles that were mentioned in the story.

  1. The Excitement of Learning Together

Since you as an adult would be dealing with a host of problems in your daily lives, you can introduce your kids to the ways in which you tackle your daily issues. When you involve your kids into your problem-solving sphere, your children will begin to see you in action. They will keenly observe the step-by-step process in which you address your issues and gain wisdom. Observation is a great tool that can help your kid sharpen his/her problem-solving skills, by picking up essential tips through experiences.

You can engage your child in some ‘do-it-yourself’ domestic problem. When your kids get involved in such things, they will be able to learn innovative means to fix many domestic issues using simple ways.

  1. The Methodical Approach to Problem Solving

You as a guardian can teach your wards the most fundamental problem-solving steps in a methodical manner. Here is it:

  • Firstly, let them identify the problem they are facing as the bigger picture
  • The next step is to break the problem into small and manageable tasks so that each task is simplified
  • The last step is to tackle each part independently, one by one until the problem is solved

This methodical approach to finding solutions to problems can help kids to apply the same principle for bigger problems that life throws at them.

  1. Impress Upon The Power of Failure

Kids who are taught to embrace failure will not take defeat to heart. On the contrary, they will begin to learn from the mistakes they have committed in the past with a well-informed bent of mind. They will understand the fact that, to arrive at a solution they need to fail many a times.

Every time kids fail, you as a guardian are allowing them to try again and learn from their previous failures. This in itself is a great learning lesson for kids to try and fail until they eventually come up with a solution to their problem. Only when your child faces failures, he/she will make the most of experiential learning towards solving their problems on their own.

  1. Constantly Seek The Help of Your Kids in Problem Solving

Parents and teachers should demonstrate a high level of confidence in the problem solving abilities of their wards. A healthy environment in a school or home is conspicuous of elders constantly seeking the assistance of kids to solve problems. To practice this, guardians can look at brainstorming as a solid tool for kids to come up with different alternatives for a problem.

Pose a scenario to them as a problem you are facing and seek their opinions. When kids are involved in trying to solve your problems, they will go about it with a feeling of warmth that their opinion means a lot to their guardians. Attaching creativity to all their suggestions, kids will surprise you with their innate problem-solving skills in more ways than you can imagine.

  1. Embrace the Unfamiliar

Science can vouch for the power of the unfamiliar. This is backed up by the theory that unfamiliar surroundings like eating out in a restaurant with a different cuisine, reading a new book or watching a movie of a completely different culture can help your kids.

Kids will try to welcome the unfamiliar things into their accustomed environment while being empathetic to the views of other people. This concept of handling with the unfamiliar scenarios will help your kids hone their creative problem-solving skills, eventually exciting them to make any part of the globe their cozy home.

Key Takeaways

Creative problem-solving is a methodical process that calls for a close examination of the troubled situation, checking out various alternatives and eventually arriving at a solution to the challenge. However, this creativity does not come naturally to any one of us. This skill should be sharpened by stretching your imagination and thinking about the various scenarios concerning the problems you are currently facing. Team this imagination with rational thinking. When you look at your problems objectively, you will be helping your mind to come up with solutions. This entire process requires training which has to start early on. Childhood is thus the best time to introduce your kids to problem-solving skills so that they are better prepared with anything life throws at them.

If you are of the opinion that entrepreneurship is only for the elderly and well-informed, think again! The world is now awake to the talent of kid entrepreneurs who have made money-making a child’s play, literally and practically. Giving wings to their ideas which in no way are childish, these young entrepreneurs have redefined the way businesses are conducted.

Here is the spotlight on all such kidpreneurs who can be tagged under the umbrella of modern-age young business magnates; in the ascending order of their ages.

Get FREE Thinking & Reasoning Apps (Check it Now)

1. Lizzie Marie Likness Owns the Lizzie Marie Cuisine Website

Lizzie Marie Likness was a cooking empress since she was 6 years of age. She is the founder of Lizzie Marie Cuisine; a popular website featuring interesting recipes, blogs and videos which she developed with her parents’ assistance. Keeping an eye on the health of kids, it is through her website that Lizzie helps kids eat healthy foods. The website also prompts kids to discover how entertaining cooking can be. Homemade baked products from her kitchen landed at the local farmers’ market. She sold all these in addition to conducting cooking classes.

lizzie marie cuisine

Image sourceLovememorials

2. Meet Alina Morse, the Lollipop Girl and the Founder of Zollipops

It is a successful story of Alina Morse to be the chosen girl to visit the White House as an official guest; not once but twice. She made her strong presence felt at the American President’s official residence holding her candy, when she was all of 7 years. Fruit-flavored lollipops named Zollipops were her innovative offerings.

You might be wondering what is so special about these lollipops that allowed her to step into the Presidential residence. Her sugar-free lollipops are made out of a perfect blend of maltitol syrup, xylitol and beetroot juice; sweetened with stevia. This way, she was able to churn out lip-smacking lollies which don’t cause cavities in teeth.

From then, there was no looking back for Alina. She set up her own confectionery by investing $7,500 as savings from her grandparents. Since 2014, her candies are available at SuperValu and Whole Foods along with online listings on Amazon. Her product line expanded with the roll-out of Zolli Drops; sugar-free peppermints which can be enjoyed by sugar suckers without damaging their teeth. This way, Alina Morse could be tagged as the Dentist’s Best Friend who is all out to satisfy your sweet craving with sugar-free lollies and peppermints.

Alina Morse lollipop entrepreneur image

Image SourceEntrepreneur.com

3. Leanna Archer – The CEO of Leanna’s Hair Essentials

Leanna Archer was all of 9 years when she entered into the cosmetics business with her grand-mom’s secret hair-care recipe. She unveiled a line of organic hair products tagged under the Leanna’s Hair Essentials brand featuring a plethora of hair conditioners and cleansers. Once she attained the age of 17, she went on to become the CEO of her company and featured in well-known business publications like Success Magazine and Forbes.

Image Sourceioneblackamerica

4. Cameron Johnson Has Many Feathers To His Cap

Cameron Johnson called the shots and set up his first business when he was all of 9 years. Even before graduating from his high school, he owned a profitable empire of a dozen business ventures. By the time he was 15 years of age, Cameron became the youngest American to become a part of the management of a Tokyo-based company. His success spread far and wide to be featured in a number of magazines, newspapers and television shows across the globe.

Cameron Johnson image

Image Sourcecameronjohnson.com

5. Moziah Bridges Runs His Mo’s Bows Business

Sheer dissatisfaction was what prompted the 11 year old Moziah Bridges to start a business of his own. Unhappy with the bow ties that were displayed at a retail store, Moziah went on to making bow ties all by himself. Lending him a helping hand was his grand-mom who taught him to sew. This was the beginning of his corporate journey when he began selling his original fashion line to clients via Etsy. It did not take long for his success story to reach the corners of South East by which time his bow ties made their presence felt in all the boutiques which allowed him to rake in more than $30,000.

Moziah Bridges image

Image Source – blackamazing.com

6. Mikalia Ulmer – The Founder of Me & the Bees Lemonade

All of 11 years, Mikalia Ulmer is the next in the league of kid entrepreneurs who have attracted the attention of the who’s who in the world of business. For Mikalia, it all started with an intention to become a social entrepreneur. Championing for a noble cause to protect honeybees, she referred to her great granny’s cookbook and researched on bees to uncover their importance to our ecosystem.

All in an attempt to prevent bees from facing extinction, Mikalia churned out her “Me & the Bees Lemonade”; a concoction of flaxseeds and mint sweetened with honey collected from local honeycombs. From the money she gets from every bottle of lemonade, Mikalia donates a certain percentage to organizations that are working to preserve bees.

Mikalia Ulmer image

Image Sourceentrepreneur.com

Get FREE Thinking & Reasoning Apps (Check it Now)

7. Jaden Wheeler & Amaya Selmon – Partners of Kool Kidz Sno Konez

Jaden Wheeler (12 years of age) and Amaya Selmon (10 years of age) gave wings to their creative instincts by churning out snow cones, using a blender. After setting up a makeshift arrangement in their home’s front side in Memphis, they drew the attention of their mother who began to assess their progress in business.

After gaining confidence of their capabilities to establish a small business, the siblings acquired a food truck as a gift from their encouraging mother. This made them the youngest food truck owners that Memphis ever produced. If you are eager to know what the Kool Kidz Sno Konez now offers to clients, you will be surprised to note that these siblings now own a profitable empire. Offering an assembly of snacks like nachos and hot dogs, the creative siblings still serve snow cones in over 20 delicious flavors.

kool kidz snow konez image

Image SourceAlux.com

8. Farrhad Acidwalla – The Online Business Magnate

Farrhad Acidwalla demonstrated his entrepreneurial skills when he was just 12 years of age. Teaching himself web programming and designing, Farrhad sold his first website by making headway into the expanding world of digital businesses. At the age of 16, he became the founder of Rockstah Media, with its net worth reaching $4 million in 2016. He is also an inspirational speaker who travels across the globe sharing his stories on how to take appropriate steps towards building a strong business empire.

Farrhad Acidwalla image

Image SourceIndiatimes

9. Ollie Forsyth – The Founder of Ollie’s Shop

A breakthrough came in the form of a YouTube video about Richard Branson that Ollie Forsyth watched when he was 13. Notwithstanding the fact that he was a dyslexic child, the video instilled confidence in Ollie Forsyth, turning his weakness into his advantage. He unveiled his first business venture and called it Ollie’s Shop. This debut business venture was an online boutique that offered trendy belts, cufflinks and bracelets and other ornamental accessories to the fashion-centric clientele. While some of them are handcrafted by Ollie himself, others have their origins linked to China.

With an ambition to become a millionaire by the time he becomes 20, Ollie diversified from his ecommerce business to present a subscription-based online magazine, befittingly named The Budding Entrepreneur.

Ollie Forsyth image

Image SourceEntrepreneur

10. Bella Weems – The Founder of Origami Owl

Bella Weems might be the last in the list of kidpreneurs, but is definitely not the least.

By the time Bella Weems was 14 years of age, she started earning by turning her skill of making impressive lockets, bracelets and necklaces into an enterprising business proposition. Encouraged by her parents to buy her own car, it was just a couple of years after Bella honed her jewelry-making skill that she set up a customized jewelry startup to rake in multi-million dollars.

Tagging her leading product as the “Living Locket”, Bella went on to permit the concept of mix-and-match. Allowing her customers to make their own jewelry, Bella furthered her business by the “Orgami Owl” and it offers a host of exquisite chains, lockets and charms with a matching concept. To top it all, these adornments came with precious Swarovski crystals that lit up the eyes and heart of jewelry enthusiasts. Extending her product line, Bella started her company called Origami Owl offering a collection of jeweled accessories, bracelets and earrings to all the lovers of jewelry.

Bella Weems image

Conclusion

Kids definitely have age on their side. Age is the biggest advantage that works in their favor while they set out to explore all their nascent and invaluable traits. All the above- mentioned success stories of kidpreneurs proves that these kids not only made the most of their entrepreneurial skills but also followed their dreams to establish successful businesses. They simply believed in themselves without an iota of fear pulling them against their ambitions that has made all the difference.

Get FREE Thinking & Reasoning Apps (Check it Now)