There are 7 values that parents can teach their children to provide them with the wisdom and guidance they need to become strong and successful people. These values include self-care, teamwork, time management, motivation, accepting responsibility, kindness, and possibility. Not all children want to be told exactly what to do by an adult. So why not turn to seven of the best Ted Talks for children, by children? With this approach, children learn these important life lessons from their peers. And, hopefully, the message will resonate loud and clear. We have curated the top 7 Ted Talks for Kids that can help parents instill timeless values in their children and raise happy, confident, and well-adjusted individuals.
1. TEAMWORK:
Any kid who plays group sports understands how important teamwork is. Even though there may be star players, there are other players on the team who provide important assists. The team doesn’t simply stop at the sidelines either. Other members of the team include the coaches, who are guiding the players, and the cheerleaders, who are cheering on the team. There are a whole lot of people contributing to the success and fun of the game as a whole. Listen to Mark Durant-Bender, a fourth grader, as he discusses the dangers of not being a team player and the strength of working as a team.
2. SELF-CARE:
Teaching children the value of balance at a young age will help them manage the expectations placed on them by both themselves and other people. Understanding self-care will reinforce the need to manage the stress children might feel when their workloads seem overwhelming to them. See how third-grader Simon Link promotes self-care through extended playtimes because of the social, emotional, and physical advantages of recess.
3. MOTIVATION:
Feelings of uncertainty, self-sabotage, or complacency make it simple to become stuck in toxic situations. Children need to be taught and given encouragement for a growth mindset in order to overcome this. In this inspiring Ted Talk for children, Carson Byblow, a highly motivated fifth grader, discusses what distinguishes the mindset of a champion.
4. TIME MANAGEMENT:
Procrastination has the potential to plague children throughout their lifetime. Everyone struggles with procrastination occasionally. To prepare children for success later in life, it's crucial to instill good time management skills in them at a young age. One of the best Ted Talks for children on this very subject is by Evan Moulton, who shares three solid tips to avoid procrastination in life.
5. ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY:
One of the hardest things for many adults to say is, “I was wrong.” Moving past the setbacks and obstacles that life throws at you requires the ability to recognize your errors and take responsibility for them. In one of the best Ted Talks for children on being okay with making mistakes and being willing to move on, eleven-year-old Kaitlyn Chavez shares the wisdom she has gained from her mistakes.
6. KINDNESS:
To help children learn how to be kind to others, adults should practice what they preach. Children develop as individuals when they are kind to others. They discover firsthand how their actions affect other people. See how young Charlie Cooper used his encounters with bullies as motivation to improve things at his school so that other children would not have to go through what he did.
7. POSSIBILITY:
Parents always want to inspire their children to aim high, but do they live up to their own ideals? From a child's viewpoint, adults constantly place restrictions on what they can do. Children, however, think differently. Their imagination knows no bounds, and their worldview is not constrained. Kidpreneur Noah Deguanco discusses actionable ideas, having confidence in oneself, and being able to recognize opportunities as they arise in one of the best Ted Talks for Kids, by Kids. This is one Ted talk you’ll definitely want to watch with your child.
These are just seven of the best Ted Talks for children that relate to values that will help guide them through childhood and into a successful and happy adult life. After listening to these Ted Talks, encourage your little one to talk or write about what they heard and what the message meant to them. Your little one’s understanding of these values will increase when they are able to articulate and relate these messages back to their own lives. Maybe next time they will be so inspired that they will record their very own Ted Talk for their peers!