Completing the tasks that you start, and achieving goals or objectives ..., require the ability to focus the mind and the senses for that purpose. Also, it is necessary to have another fundamental ingredient: the practice of delayed gratification. How many times have we seen several of our children start an activity and walk away halfway through or eat in one seating the box of cookies intended for the whole week. Delayed gratification consists of postponing momentary enjoyment by visualizing a future enjoyment of greater scope.
The experiment in which an adult instructs a child not to eat a marshmallow until the adult returns, is very well known. If the child complies, he or she will receive an extra marshmallow. The adult leaves the room and leaves the child alone in front of the marshmallow. Through this experiment the ability to handle delayed gratification in children was evaluated.
It is a concept that has to do with discipline and self-control, with adjustments in behavior towards clear goals and objectives as well as management of cognitive and emotional resources. Even tough not everyone has developed this series of characteristics, delayed gratification is a capacity that can be trained. Without a doubt, it is a task that requires adults to be in tune with their children, so that the results are as expected.
Long story short, we need to learn how to weigh in with children the advantages and disadvantages between immediate gratification or delayed gratification of greater magnitude.
Set realistic and clear goals. We must be clear on where the efforts are going to be directed towards. We can shred the task into small pieces so that it doesn’t give the impression of being endless.
Specific times. Design a time schedule. Set aside time on a day-to-day basis for the objective or activity to be carried out. Maybe you can cut down on TV, cell phone or video game hours. The important thing is to comply with the times that are designated.
The road is the goal. Learn to enjoy the process of getting to the goal, so that it is not seen as "something distant" or "unattainable". Be clear that each step of the process is part of the goal to achieve.
Reeducate attention. Let's suppose that your child wants to save money to buy something he or she wants and every Sunday he or she must allocate a part of the money you give him or her. It is important to focus your attention on other activities so that you do not create a fixation or frustration for the money you are not spending at the moment.
At Colegio Ameyali we know how important the integral development of the child is, through a humanistic education that provides the guidelines for his or her formation.
Learn more about our teaching method and witness along with your child the Ameyali experience!