Cultivating an Independent and Self-reliant Lifestyle Early in a Child’s Life

“When we protect children from every possible source of danger, we also prevent them from having the kinds of experiences that develop their sense of self-reliance, their ability to assess and mitigate risk, and their sense of accomplishment.” -Gever Tulley

The road to self-reliance and independence in a child’s life takes footing in some of their earliest childhood experiences and lifestyle habits. Shifting the focus on cultivating self-reliance and self-confidence early in a child’s lifestyle ignites a sense of security and equips them with the resilience to explore their potential with every new opportunity in life.

Taking Responsibility

The key to building a healthy self-reliant lifestyle for children to flourish in lies in their ability to take individual responsibilities as a member of the family and stay accountable for their actions. Self-discipline and accountability breeds self-reliance which teaches children to be responsible and self-aware individuals. Outlining each of their responsibilities as a person will deliver a clear idea of their accountability and shape their decision making skills as they learn how to deliberate more thoughtful decisions in life. At SNIS International Boarding School near Whitefield,we teach our students the virtues of self-discipline and responsibility to help them lead their own path in life, and hold them accountable for their decisions on a daily basis to shape balanced, self-aware individuals.

 Understanding the Value of Failure

More than they need to look at success and achievement as a fulfilling reward for their hard work and dedication, today children need to understand how to see failure as a building block to success and growth, rather than a tragic defeat. The pathway to success is usually filled with many obstacles and roadblocks that teach the golden worth of failure, which parents and teachers need to shed light on. A child’s earliest encounters with failure as an experience of growth shapes their mindset to thrive in difficult situations and teach them how to build themselves back up to spawn creativity, motivation and tenacity. SNIS International Boarding School near Whitefield offers the students a comprehensive structure of pastoral support to foster their journey as lifelong learners and inspire them to learn from the virtues of failure.

Explore to Empower

Encouraging children to explore the bounds of their potential and creativity beyond the security of their comfort zone will help them reach the depths of their unrealized talents. Empowering their young mind with the strength to dive into a new experience without any fear and explore the world outside their safety net is an important growth exercise for the child’s absolute self-reliance. Instilling this confidence and belief in their own capabilities is a great interpersonal skill in itself which serves to essentially extend their limit to new, exciting experiences, while building the resilience to face new challenges in life. At SNIS International Boarding School near Whitefield, we touch on the development of intellectual, mental, physical, emotional, and social abilities of our students to help them explore their potential and prepare them for the challenges of everyday life.