Today is World Thinking Day and is commonly celebrated by Girl Scout and Guide organizations across the globe. Girl Scouts are not the only ones who are wearing their “thinking caps” today.

I live in a very urban area. I enjoy sitting on my front porch in the summer and listening to the laughter of children as they play flashlight tag when day gives in to night.

If you were to ask children what an engineer does, you would probably receive a variety of creative answers. Odds are those children who you asked the question to haven’t engaged in activities that help develop an engineer’s skills.

Developing leadership skills in young children is one of the most important educational outcomes that all FasTracKids programs achieve. One way to develop leadership is through the cultivation of confidence.

When asked the question “who was your favorite teacher and why?”, chances are you have someone special in mind who impacted your life beyond the classroom. This person could have challenged you, nurtured you and gave you an outlet for creative expression. Creativity has become an important factor in how a student learns and a teacher communicates to reach their collective goals.

Developing children’s communication skills is one of the cornerstones of FasTracKids’ curriculum. The goal is if communication improves in the classroom, then the chance of making children even better students increases. Research shows that the average child misses 25% of what is being said in a normal classroom setting. That number can go as high as 40% in lost communication, depending on the classroom environment.

Sharing, listening, belonging, communicating. These actions and feelings can all be associated with how a child learns an important life skill called socialization. During the critical developmental period of a child’s life, from birth to 8 years old, relationships are created with his or her parents, siblings and friends. These relationships require a bond, whether it’s reading a book, sharing a toy or playing a game. The more social interaction a child can experience, the easier it is for them to achieve shared goals.

It is fascinating to watch a preschooler at play. Their energy, focus and imagination cannot be duplicated in the adult world. A four year old does not understand the courage it takes to create a work of art or produce a sculpture out of playdough; those fears and inhibitions only come with age. Sara Gable, a State Extension Specialist at The University of Missouri writes about the importance of encouraging creativity in children and ideas for promoting creativity in young children.

Public speaking can be one of the biggest challenges in a person’s life. The ability to stand in front of a crowd while talking confidently about a subject can leave the speaker feeling rattled and insecure. This fear of public speaking, called glossophobia, is affecting an estimated 75% of the population. Many of these people that feel some level of anxiety while speaking in front of others can learn to manage it. In order to manage it, there needs to be constant practice and repetition in how to get your point across in a clear manner.