Delay gratification is a life skill which many learn as adults. This can be due to a series of mistakes and errors made.
Delaying gratification is the ability to resist the temptation of an immediate reward for the sake of achieving a more significant reward in the future. This skill is essential for children as it helps them develop self-control, perseverance, and patience.
Teaching children to delay gratification has been linked to better academic performance, higher emotional intelligence, and greater success in life. To teach children how to delay gratification, parents and educators can use various techniques.
The ability to delay gratification improves many facets of our lives. Learning how to delay gratification and rather save money is one of the most important skills children need to become financially secure adults.
One popular method is the “marshmallow test,” where children are given a marshmallow and told that they can eat it now or wait 15 minutes and receive two marshmallows. This exercise teaches children to control their impulses and delay gratification to achieve a better outcome.
Another technique is to create a reward system in which children earn points for every good behavior or completing chores. The points can be redeemed for a better significant reward such as a trip, bigger toys.
This strategy teaches children the value of hard work and patience, as they must accumulate points over time to receive the ultimate reward.
Parents and educators can also teach children to set goals and work towards them.
This can be achieved by breaking bigger goals into smaller ones.
By this, children can experience small successes along the way, which can motivate them to keep on working towards their ultimate goal.
This process teaches children that good things come to those who are hardworking and that achieving goals requires patience and perseverance.
Delay Gratification for Improved Study Habit
Melissa needs to get her son to spend more time studying. So she decided to pay Delan, her son, a dollar for every 3 hours he spent studying. She added that he can get his entire money, when he had accumulated 100 dollars.
However, Melissa said, she ensured every minute and hour spent were summed up. In the first year, it took Delan 18 months to raise 100 dollars. In the second year, he realized 100 dollars in six months. Not only did his study time improve, he became more self-motivated to learn. Hence, his independent learning skills greatly improved.
Oftentimes, he returns from school to talk about how his peers and teachers are happy with his academic performance.
Reasons for Teaching Delay Gratification
Delay gratification is a life coaching skill needed to provide better academic performance and healthy learning strategy for children.
- Delay gratification encourages continuous and consistent hard work.
- It helps children stay motivated in achieving their goals.
- This approach teaches children to set goals.
- It helps children develop emotional intelligence.
- Children learn to work on long term goals.
- Delay gratification helps children become lifelong learners
- By delay gratification children attain greater life success.
- Delaying gratification helps teach children perseverance.
How Delay Gratification can be Practiced to Improve Children’s Study Habits
- Take walks to fun destinations instead of taking a ride, then let them know that walking helps them stay fit in the long run. The act of walking helps them enjoy the excitement of what they are about to meet.
- Children can practice delayed gratification by saving for their desired game set or toy. This habit tends to eliminate the instant gratification syndrome or an entitlement mindset. Rather they would embrace the “earn it” mantra.
- Encourage and teach them to celebrate the success of others. This way they would be able to cope with stress associated with peer pressure.
- Take children out to places they need to stay in a queue. Staying in a queue teaches them to wait and take turns. Doing this they develop patience. Delay gratification for kids means ‘wait’.
- Through financial literacy children can learn to delay gratification. Instead of spending what they have, teach them to keep the money for investment.
- Teach them to breath and be calm hn in desperate need of something. This behavior is also found in adults. Staying calm helps and teaches them to think of what they need.
- Don’t back down from rules, especially on financial rules set. When parents set rules, they should be careful of introducing exceptions. Avoid the urge to bail them out.
- Help and ensure they meet their goals and objectives. Goals attainment requires self-control and delay gratification. When children are able to meet goals, they are motivated to keep learning ways to achieve a better learning experience. This enables them to develop independent learning skills.