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If you’re wondering whether this year has impacted your child in one way or another you’re probably right. From digitizing their education to seeing friends and loved ones less, it’s normal to worry whether they are growing and constructively adapting to the constant change and challenges in their life.
No one likes their kids to feel discouraged, but being challenged and experiencing failure are important to allow them to grow. Below the folks at Tommy John outlined three ways to help kids develop a growth mindset during this time of uncertainty along with some helpful printable activities to support this growth.
Setting high expectations for your kids is great because when you show them that you believe they’re capable of handling difficult tasks, they feel empowered. But setting high goals is only half the point. You need to communicate and help them realize realistic and attainable ways to reach these goals. When kids find themselves in challenging situations the expectation grows bigger and it’s easy to get frustrated if you don’t have a road map. Encourage your child to look at the problem from all angles and set micro-goals to reaching a solution.
Committing to a daily routine is one of the best ways to increase structure in your child’s life and ease anxieties. When some days seem more chaotic than others, rather than barking orders, help them through their routine tasks. Let your kids control simple tasks like picking out their clothes, but support them through the process of getting dressed.
Life will be full of struggles and challenges for your child and it’s easy to look to a parent for a quick solution. Help them cultivate their independence by resisting the urge to help them right away when they confront a problem. Instead, ask open-ended questions to help them come up with a solution on their own. For example, “I know you're frustrated because X, how can we find a way around it?" Active problem-solving builds resilience and creativity.
We hope these three tips help you navigate the turbulent time we are all in. For activities geared at helping your child develop a growth mindset, we’ve sourced three printable activities to do together. Whether you try the Emotion Grid Exercise, Growth Mindset Conversation Cube or the Goal Setting Worksheet, all of these printable worksheets are perfect for doing together as a non-screen and educational activity. Download the activities below. For detailed instructions on using the printable worksheets check out Tommy John’s post here.
Just supposing that you were to go to a
shop and choose an item which you wanted to buy and the only price on the item
was a ‘typical’ retail price of say, $10, the price you might expect this
item to be in any other shop.
Now, imagine you were to take the item to the cashier and they said to you, “How much do you want to offer for this?” At first, you would be surprised but, having confirmed that you could make an offer for this item, you replied $5. Suppose the assistant then checked the cash register and told you that was fine, the offer was accepted and $5 was all you had to pay for the item.
Hobbies are similar to habits. A hobby is a regular activity performed for enjoyment; a habit is a frequent action or behavior acquired through repetition. The main difference is that you carry out a hobby consciously, whereas a habit is often a subconscious act.
Many people try to quit unhealthy habits, and a great way to do this is to replace them with productive hobbies that will benefit your health and state of mind. Think about it – you could replace the time you spend unconsciously on a habit with a conscious activity you enjoy.
This guide is here to inspire you to take up healthier hobbies.
Got some money to invest, but looking for an alternative option to the stock market? Here are 7 alternative investment options to stocks.
Forex trading
Forex trading involves trading real-world currencies. By buying a currency that is rising in value and then converting it back, it’s possible to make a big return. When getting involved in forex trading, it’s important to use a reliable broker. Forex trading can come with its risks and involves a lot of research into currencies.
Cryptocurrency
Crypto trading is similar to forex trading but with digital currencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple. These currencies similarly rise and fall in value, making it possible to buy a currency that is rising in value and make a profit. There are lots of different crypto exchanges online that you can use for trading crypto. Cryptocurrency is more volatile than forex - you have the potential to make much bigger returns, but also much bigger losses.
Precious metals
Precious metals such as gold and silver are a good investment for people that want the security of investing in something physical. You can buy precious metal in the form of coins, bullions, bars or even jewelry. You can find exchanges for trading precious metals at sites such as gsiexchange.com/. While prices can fluctuate from year to year, precious metals tend to be a secure long-term investment
Real estate
Real estate is a popular investment - although it tends to require investing a lot of cash upfront. It includes residential buildings such as houses and apartments and commercial buildings. A lot of people make a return from real estate by buying property and renting it out to tenants or businesses. Another option is to buy a cheap property, make improvements and then sell it for a higher value (such an investment strategy is often known as ‘property flipping’). Real estate is a very hands-on investment and it does come with its risks; however, it’s easier to make a larger return.
Collectibles
Some items are able to increase in value over time as a result of becoming trendy and rare. These are known as collectibles - they include the likes of art, vinyl, classic cars, old coins and limited edition toys. To maintain their value, collectibles need to be kept in good condition. Like fixing up real estate, it’s possible to add value to some collectibles by restoring them (such as classic cars and art). Not all collectibles will increase in value, so there can be risks involved.
Peer-to-peer lending
Peer-to-peer lending involves giving money to others as loans over the internet. The person borrowing the money then pays it back with interest. This is usually done through a secure peer-to-peer lending platform which takes a share of the profits while ensuring that the person borrowing pays back the full amount. Some of the best peer-to-peer lending sites are compared here at investopedia.com.
Savers and bonds
Savings accounts and bonds are the most secure form of investment - but also likely to make you the lowest return. Banks offer savings accounts, while bonds are offered by the government or companies (these are loans that are similar to peer-to-peer lending, but with added security). By shopping around, you can find the best rates.
