Dimension 6 · How to build resilience · Children
Skills and knowledge
“What you can't do today may become something you'll master one day.”
What is it?
Skills and knowledge are everything you learn throughout life.
Some at school, some at home, some in sport, at a club or among friends. This includes reading, maths, foreign languages, working with a computer, communicating with people, sport, cooking, playing an instrument and much more.
When you know how to do something, you feel more confident. You can manage at school, talk to people, find information, fix small things, ask or solve a problem. Skills give you the feeling:
- I can manage.
- I can learn.
- I can try.
- I can improve.
Nobody is born an expert
When you see someone who is really good at something, you might feel they have talent and it comes naturally. In reality most people spent hours, days or even years practising.
Every athlete was once a beginner. Every musician played their first wrong note. Every teacher once learned to read. Every person has at some point not known how to do something — and equally no person can do everything. That is normal.
A mistake is not proof that you can't do something. It is information about what you still need to practise.
Mistakes as part of learning
Many children think a mistake means failure. In reality a mistake means: you have just found out what you still need to practise.
- When you learn to ride a bike, you will wobble a few times.
- When you learn a new language, you will make mistakes.
- When you learn maths, you will sometimes get things wrong.
- Sometimes things simply won't work out.
All of that is a normal part of learning. Without mistakes, a person would learn very little.
How do you know you are improving?
Sometimes we feel like we are standing still. But progress isn't visible every day. Try to remember:
- What couldn't you do a year ago?
- What do you manage much better today?
- What used to feel hard and is now normal?
Learning is not just about school
We don't only gain skills in the classroom. You learn every time you:
- try something new,
- look for a solution to a problem,
- learn from mistakes,
- help others,
- practise,
- ask questions.
Curiosity is one of the best engines of learning.
What to do when something isn't working?
Everyone gets stuck sometimes. In that moment it can help to:
- break the task into smaller steps,
- ask for help,
- take a break,
- remind yourself what you can already do,
- try it again in a different way.
Not being able to do something today doesn't mean you won't be able to do it tomorrow. The more skills and knowledge you have, the more options you have when a problem arrives.
Story: Emma and the guitar
Emma wanted to play guitar. When she started, she thought she'd be able to play her favourite songs within a few weeks. But reality looked different.
Her fingers hurt, the chords sounded off, and some transitions just wouldn't come. After two months of practice she felt like she wasn't getting anywhere, and one day she wanted to put the guitar down for good.
But then she thought back to her very first day. Back then she couldn't play a single chord correctly. Now she knew five. She took a piece of paper and wrote: Two months ago I knew nothing. Today I know five chords. She stuck the note on her guitar.
Whenever she felt like giving up again, she looked at it and reminded herself that progress isn't always fast. Sometimes it's so small you barely notice it.
By Christmas she played a whole song. It wasn't perfect. But she played it herself. And that was much more important.
Ten tips
What to remember
Nobody masters everything straight away.
Every new skill needs time and practice.
A mistake isn't a defeat.
It shows you what you can still learn.
If something isn't working, it doesn't mean you can't do it.
Maybe you just need more time or a different way of learning.
Ask when you don't understand something.
Questions are part of learning.
Break big goals into small steps.
It's much easier to move forward that way.
Notice your progress.
Even a small improvement is still an improvement.
Practice matters more than talent.
People improve mainly by trying again.
Learn from the people around you.
Everyone knows something you could discover too.
Don't be afraid to try new things.
You never know what you'll enjoy or be good at.
What you can't do today, you may be able to do tomorrow.
The brain learns all its life. That's its superpower.
Questions for reflection
Try asking yourself...
- 1
What can you do today that you couldn't a year ago?
- 2
What new skill would you like to learn?
- 3
What do you do when something doesn't work straight away?
- 4
When did you last learn something because of a mistake?
- 5
What progress are you most proud of recently?