Building Self-Efficacy: Learning from Life Rough Patches

The road to success is never smooth, just like the roads we travel every day. Some paths might be smooth and others rough, but the most important thing is to keep going. As we used to say growing up, the only problem on the dance floor is when you stand still because as long as you are moving, it seems like you are dancing. Children can learn a lot from adults as they grow up and build better self-efficacy. When walking down a path and encountering a rough patch, we first stop and look, think about how we can cross that section, and watch others ahead of us and how they navigate the rocky patch to cross. The same goes for building self-efficacy.

Your child can learn from watching or hearing how others have performed with similar challenges. Whether you share your experience, the experiences of your family or friends, the key is to help raise their belief in their ability to succeed in similar activities. When your child faces an upcoming performance, assessment, or challenge, look for good role models and share those people’s experiences to encourage your child to believe in their ability to succeed.

Like stepping on stones or watching how others navigate rough terrain, help your child learn from the good examples set by those around them.