Focusing on Connection > Focusing on Skills

Think back to some of your favorite classes, experiences, mentorships, and moments in life. Even if you learned valuable lessons/skills, what do you remember most?

How you felt, the connections, the relationship, or how the person interacted with you and others. Likely the methods, words, and demeanor they used when working with you. Any friendships you made, and the moments shared between yourselves.

Children are first and foremost humans. They too thrive on connection. Connection must be established before they will retain anything we teach them- even those all too important life lessons. While skills are important, let’s not forget connection is the foundation of all learning. Enjoy time together in activities your children enjoy. Laugh together. Read together. Cook together. Eat together. Experience new things together. Being present and engaged with our children as often as possible goes a long way.

There will always be techniques we can implement, ways to improve, another skill to teach, but those likely won’t work unless we have connection first: trust, engagement, and relationship with our children. We aren’t only teaching our children to go out into the world, we are building relationships with them, so they also come home and teach us about their worlds as they age.

-Miss Jchelsea