Jobs of the future – how to make sure your child is resilient for all life’s challenges
In this week’s podcast, Alistair and Jennie are joined by Jimmy McLoughlin OBE, of Jobs of the Future, to discuss the skills that will support your child in the fast-changing world of work.
This is especially important to think about, because it's so unlikely that we can imagine all the jobs that will be available for our children.
Many jobs available today would have been impossible to prepare for 30 years ago. The pace of technology change, as well as developments in how we live and work, means we need to prepare children for a world of work we can’t possibly plan for yet.
Divergent thinking – supporting your child to develop an essential skill
The jobs our children will do in the future might not exist yet, but with a changing world we know we’ll need innovative thinkers. We explain a bit more about what your child needs to innovate and give you some ideas for ways to play that will help support these skills.
Divergent thinking is an aspect of creativity. It involves thinking of lots of possible solutions to a problem or task.[1]
Creative ideas that aren’t art and craft
If someone mentions creativity most of us immediately think about art and craft, but creativity is about much more than paint and glue. And we think lots of the activities that people call creative really aren’t at all, they’re much more about following instructions and conforming. If you’re ready to help your child get their creative juices flowing, we’ve got some ideas for you – and there isn’t any crafting involved!
The Cambridge dictionary defines creativity as, “The ability to produce or use original and unusual ideas.”[1]
The Dot by Peter Reynolds
This is a story inspired by the author’s experience as a teacher, seeing children’s lack of confidence in their artistic ability. The author was motivated to help children and adults to explore and discover their creativity – and to put an end to us saying, “I can’t draw!”
In this story, Vashti doesn’t draw a picture in art class because she says, “I can’t draw.”
It’s festival season! How to hold your very own family fest at home...
Summer festivals are in full swing! This might mean your family is getting ready to attend one (or more) together... or it might mean you’re watching on with a mixture of awe and horror at the idea of camping at a noisy festival with the whole family!
The good news is that your child can benefit from the joy of a festival wherever you are. We’ve gathered some ideas for making the most of music and movement to plan your very own festival, and research shows it’s good for everyone to join in.
