How to help children to achieve their Full Potential

Full potential is defined as to become the best one can be. It is a moving target and achieving it needs the best efforts from the child, parents, teachers, role models, coaches and guides – with a focus over a prolonged period of time. 

As it is said, to win an Olympic medal one has to be coached by a person who has won the medal before. The journey of life is an ever evolving one and to reach full potential a child has to evolve and challenge self constantly. Strive to be the best and work very hard and in a focused manner. 

You would have noticed that all the traits mentioned above are behavioural in nature. The skill and the technique can be mastered by many, but the ability to perform when it matters the most, under high risk or high stress competitive environment, needs behavioural skills. 

The ‘I can do it’ attitude develops in the child from a very early age. It is the role of the parents to constantly evolve the child and build the momentum in the right direction. 

It’s the parent’s role to kindle the interest, determine the direction, help in finding the more capable teachers to guide the child and let them decide. A child who could not achieve the full potential leads an unfulfilled life and does not feel happy within. 

Every child has the capability, it’s all about nurturing it, providing the right motivation and finding the right guidance at the right time, all of which is the role of the parents. 

Consider the case of Divya (name changed for confidentiality). From a very early age she wanted to be a teacher and make a difference where it matters the most. Her mother on the other hand did not endorse that view and wanted her daughter to settle in the US and lead a good life. 

As time passed, the tussle between the mother and daughter intensified but being an obedient girl Divya went ahead with what her mother wanted. Soon she became a graduate in Computer Science and got a highly paid job in the US. The mother was very happy at daughter’s achievement. 

Overtime Divya started pining for what she really wanted to do. With the excess money saved overtime, she started sponsoring schools in the villages and used all the technology at her disposal to educate the children in those schools. She also completed a PhD in Education and without telling her mother left US and went to the village school and started teaching children. 

When the mother came to know of her daughter’s move, she was distraught and could not adjust to the information. She could never understand how someone could leave a well-paying job and a life in the US and find happiness teaching in a village school where even electricity was infrequent. At least Divya was happy that she could fund few schools and acquire a relevant qualification before starting out her venture. 

Did Divya reach full potential? Maybe yes, maybe no… only time will tell as currently she is busy teaching to fifth graders in a village in India. 

At Yancha, expert guides provide the much needed inputs to parents to carry out the behavioural development of the children. While schools focus on the academic development based on prescribed curriculum, behavioural development and building on the areas of interest of the child is best carried out by the parents. 

The fundamental reason for children to achieve far beyond expectations is the behavioural development carried out by the parents in the formative years of their development. 

It’s possible to achieve full potential only when the person is doing what he or she really wants to do. As parents if the right behaviours are developed and the correct direction identified, then the child through hard work and discipline can achieve full potential. And the child who is on the way to achieve full potential is unstoppable.