Wellbeing Corner
Raising Kids with High Agency (Can-do Kids): An Expert Guide for parents (teachers & coaches)
Article by Michael Grose
Want your child to grow into a confident, capable, independent adult?
Silly question.
Of course.
That’s what we all hope for.
However, developing capable (confident) kids is one of the biggest conundrums right now in the parenting and education space.
It’s so easy to go down the simplistic praise/encouragement path, where you repeat “You’re so clever!” like a nervous tic every time a child gets out of bed/cleans their teeth/makes a sandwich, to build self-esteem.
The praise path is as helpful as a bucket full of holes in developing your child’s independence and confidence!!
Alternatively, you can try the minimalist approach (laissez-faire) and do very little for your child, hoping they will naturally develop the skills to care for themselves.
That’s a recipe for neglect, so let’s pass on that approach.
High Agency is Key
A key ingredient in a child’s journey to confidence and independence is developing high agency – the ability to take initiative, make choices, and act on them.
High agency enables children to navigate challenges, pursue their goals, and shape their own lives.
By empowering children, you are laying the foundation for their future success and well-being.
What is High Agency?
In simple terms, agency is the feeling of control over your actions and their consequences.
A child with high agency believes that:
- Their efforts matter
- They can influence their environment
- They have the power to create positive change.
As babies and young children grow and develop a sense of agency in early childhood, they realise that they can contribute to, make their own decisions, and control their own lives.
Why is High Agency Essential?
Developing high agency in your child has many benefits, best summed up in these five reasons.
High agency:
1. Boosts Confidence
Children who see that their actions lead to results develop a strong sense of self-efficacy and confidence.
2. Encourages Resilience
Children with high agency are better equipped to bounce back from setbacks. They view challenges as opportunities for growth, not as insurmountable obstacles.
3. Fosters Independence
Agency is the foundation of independence. It enables children to take responsibility for themselves, make sound decisions, and solve problems creatively.
4. Motivates Learning
When children feel in control, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated learners. They exhibit curiosity, proactivity, and a willingness to take learning risks.
5. Promotes Well-being
High agency is linked to greater happiness and life satisfaction. Children who feel empowered are less prone to anxiety and depression.
How to Develop High Agency in Your Child
Developing high agency is a long-term approach that requires a combination of many strategies and ideas.
A cultural perspective must also be considered, as some cultures use tools that naturally promote greater agency than others.
Significantly, developing your child’s agency is a journey that requires patience, understanding, and a genuine belief in a child's capacity for growth, wherever they are developmentally and whatever challenges they may face.
Here are ten research-backed tools that, when consistently and intelligently applied, will help your kids develop high agency.
1. Offer Choices
Start early by giving your child age-appropriate choices. This could be as simple as choosing their clothes, selecting a book to read, or deciding on a snack.
Expert tip: Give them a choice between two or three options, rather than open decisions, which can overwhelm them and be impossible for you to deliver on.
2. Encourage Problem-Solving
Resist the urge to fix a child's problems immediately.
Instead, guide them to identify the issue, brainstorm solutions, and evaluate outcomes. For example, if a school lunch is left at home, that’s a problem your child can solve.
3. Support Their Interests
Help kids explore their passions and talents. Provide resources, encouragement, and opportunities for them to pursue their interests.
Don’t become over-invested in their success, and ensure that they follow their interests, not yours, which is a high agency killer.
4. Encourage Play
Play is a crucial way for young children to explore, experiment, and make sense of the world, and it promotes agency. Offer open-ended materials and imaginative play opportunities to empower children to take control of their learning experiences
5. Assign Responsibilities
Give kids age-appropriate chores and tasks. This helps them develop a sense of competence and contribution.
Start early.
Get them helping you, then gradually give over responsibilities to them.
Aside: Not sure where to start? Check out the post Parenting Alert: 20 Jobs to ditch before your child reaches double digits.
6. Focus on Effort, Not Just Outcome
Regardless of the final result, focus on recognising a child's hard work, persistence, and creativity. This teaches them that results stem from effort rather than talent or innate abilities.
7. Allow for Mistakes
Create a safe space for your child to make mistakes and learn from them. Help them understand that failure is a part of growth.
8. Foster Independence
Gradually increase your child's autonomy as they mature. Allow them to make more decisions for themselves and take on greater responsibilities.
Expert tip: When children ask to do new things, such as walk to school independently, look for ways to make them happen safely. Asking and pushing boundaries are signs that children are ready for greater independence.
9. Model Agency
Demonstrate high agency in your own life. I can’t stress this enough. Kids learn best by example.
Show your child how you set goals, overcome challenges, and take initiative.
Talk to them about why you do some of the things you do - e.g make lunches the night before school- so children understand the thinking behind agency.
10. Teach Process Thinking
Everything worth pursuing in life involves many steps, making process thinking an essential part of learning. Examples of simple processes include:
- Setting up a tent (rather than staying in a holiday house).
- Cooking a meal (rather than heating a pizza in the microwave).
- Growing vegetables is a process (rather than buying them at the supermarket).
At home, invite your child to watch/help you get breakfast, make a shopping list, or paint their bedroom so they can experience process thinking at close quarters and learn that everything worthwhile takes effort and several steps to achieve.
In the classroom, let kids see the depth of effort that goes into organising sports days, excursions and other events.
Finally………
Developing high agency is harder now than it was in the past when families were bigger, labour-saving devices were rare, and communities were closer (and felt more child-friendly).
Kids were expected to help at home, and they had greater freedom to develop autonomy within their neighbourhoods.
Now you must be conscious of implementing strategies that promote agency in your children.
But it’s not as difficult as it may seem.
By giving kids opportunities to make choices, solve problems, and take responsibility, you equip them with the essential skills and mindset they need to thrive in all areas of life.
In the long run, that’s a huge payoff for kids of all ages.
