Nurturing Soft Skills by Peace E. Ani Blog Tour

 As a mum to four girls, I have always tried to teach them to be independent. Wanting them to do things without help so I know that if I (for any reason) can't be there, that they'll be ok.

I'll admit I've never been one for parenting books, much preferring to ask for help from friends and people, trusting the people that I know but when I was asked if I would like to be a part of the blog tour for Peace E. Ani's book Nurturing Soft Skills, after reading the blurb I found myself drawn to the book.

The speed of change, advances in technology and communication mediums means we are required to be more nimble in order to adapt to the rapidly evolving competitive landscape. Research by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and McKinsey (Management consultancy) highlights the increasing importance of soft skills, setting out the critical skills that will be required from the future workforce. Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly challenging for parents to equip their children with the qualities to be resilient to face life's challenges and flourish.

Nurturing Soft Skills introduces the COACH framework to help parents nurture Confident, Outgoing, Articulate, Creative and Happier children, who feel empowered to try new things and believe they can always bounce back if success is not immediate.

So just what are soft skills?

The scope is broad but two examples which are used are leadership and emotional intelligence, these I guess are more life long abilities rather than what we describe as hard skills which are more measurable/time specific.

The aim of this book isn't to tell parents what to do, more to guide them in the right direction.

Split into two parts, what is written is primarily aimed at children aged between 3 and 11 years old, however what is discussed can be adapted and for older kids as well.

It is all extremely thoughtful, intelligent and well presented.

This book is about creating a caring and supportive environment for nurturing such qualities, laying solid foundations during a child's most formative years, developing enquiring minds with the ability to problem-solve, the motivation to excel, and for lasting happy childhood memories.

What is used throughout is the framework COACH which when broken down means Confident, Outgoing, Articulate, Creative and Happy.

It is useful and not complicated.

And what was refreshing was that the author acknowledged the fact that there is no 'one size fits all' approach, there was a recognition that all children are individuals so it's for the parent to take what they've read and adapt it to their own families.

This isn't a quick fix, it is a book that will hopefully contribute towards your own parenting, helping to perhaps prevent or solve certain problems that may have arisen.

"As parents, we can help our children develop soft skills... especially during the pandemic when we are spending more time with our children. Schools handle the hard skills side of things. But soft skills are vital for development." - Peace E. Ani

Each part of the COACH framework is broken down into small, digestible segments.

I found this helpful, I think it made me slow down my usual fast reading pace and this allowed me to really take in the information presented in front of me.

This also enabled me the time to really stop and reflect too.

At the end of each chapter the author also writes a brief summary. This I think would be beneficial to readers if they need to refresh themselves from time to time with the skills their children (and themselves) need to focus on at any given time.

A practical guide for developing leadership and financial literacy skills in children

Nurturing Soft Skills is a guide which is thought provoking. Gently highlighting that not all education is the responsibility of schools, parents play a huge part too. 

A pleasant yet challenging read.

Certainly had me reflecting on what I'd already tried to teach my own children.

If you like the sound of this book, you can purchase it from here. Or if you'd like to read a bit more about it, please do follow the rest of the blog tour outlined below: