What skills do you prioritise/consider of highest importance for your DC?

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Following a fascinating thread about learning Mandarin, there seems a divergence among parents as to what skills are imperative for our DC to master and which will have the maximum impact upon their ability to thrive.

So what do you consider the most important? And why? And how do you ensure they receive priority treatment?

Conversely, what things make you think meh?

If you want them to be good on computers, let them loose here
scratch.mit.edu/
or buy them one of these
www.raspberrypi.org/

Hard work
Emotional intelligence
Hard work
Kindness
Humour
Hard work

This is such a difficult question to answer. I agree with worldgonecrazy's list of "critical thinking, emotional intelligence, self-sufficiency skills (both practical and emotional), manners, communication, teamwork". I would like my DC to have character, and skills are a by-product on the way to gaining that character.

I would be proud if I could say that my DC have integrity; something like that in Kipling's If except that I don't like the lines
"If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss"
because I have always taught them to have a what-if, a Plan B, to never put all their eggs in one basket.

Self awareness

I was getting a coffee in the staff canteen when I bumped into my boss who had just come back from a three hour Pub lunch for the 3rd time that week. We noticed two guys we know from a different section who were following their twice daily 15 min ritual i.e. buy a coffee, chat, drink coffee, return to desk.

The fact that he had been down at the pub for three hours didn't stop my boss from going on about these guys taking the piss with their 15min coffee breaks.

I want my DCs to be able to look at themselves first before judging/criticising others.

overmydeadbody, I don't think there are many people dedicating themselves to poetry full-time these days :o. Even the poet laureate lectures. Valuing things that aren't related to earning money is very important though. I hope DS will appreciate poetry for its intrinsic value, rather than its (non-existent) financial value.

I'm aware that these aren't the most important skills in life but they are the ones I value the most and therefore want my children to have. I'm not counting personal qualities like kindness and integrity as skills by the way.

physical flexibility
balance
coordination
a sense of rhythm
a good memory
stage presence
dancing/gymnastic skills
acting skills
singing skills
perseverance
a strong work ethic
good time management
keeping physically fit and slim
musicality/good instrumental skills
being creative and imaginative

" Programming is one of those skills employers expect you to gain as an adult, usually at university
"

Only because that's how it currently is. I too would want my DCs to be able to programme at end of primary. The logic and clarity of thought required is fantastic and can be applied to other situations. I'd be a lot less bothered about them learning syntax and specifics (unless they do it as a hobby) as that will change.

As well as lots listed above the fact that we always try our best no matter how hard the task, but that sometimes no matter how hard we try we don't always succeed. To this end I always remade effort rather than achievement.

Yes, we try to reward ds for sticking with something and trying hard.

Being able to read is important, 10% of 11 year olds can't.

Maintaining a rational mind no matter what life throws at them would be top of my list.

The trouble with programming is that different employers use different languages and a generation in IT terms is about 5 years. I learnt to program in Fortran and Basic at university thirty years ago. Just a few years later nobody was using these languages.

empirestateofmind I don't think it matters what you start programming with, starting young will still help you acquire basic knowledfe and understanding that you can transfer.

TalkingPeace we have scratch and have a raspberrypi on it's way, plus DP and DS have been using arduinos to make things for the last year.

I think the only reason they don't teach programming (properly) in primary schools is that anyone who understood programming well enough to teach it wouldn't be a primary teacher.

Programming is applied logic. Far more long term benefits than learning to use computer packages. Long live raspberry pi.

Yes completely agree. I have a masters in computer software and a background in programming, yet can barely use powerpoint. And yet somehow people think they are interchangeable.

re programming my ds1 is in yr 8 at high school and they have been doing programming and used the 'scratch' thing someone has linked to, we now have it on the home pc and my ds1 is a wizz, his ict teacher has said he is a natural at programming and he helps him teach the rest of the class and could well have a future career in it! i have NO idea where he gets this from as i just do the basics etc, but he enjoys it so its all good :)

that's good to know (although I have no idea what scratch is!)

"I have a masters in computer software and a background in programming, yet can barely use powerpoint. And yet somehow people think they are interchangeable."

And there are people who think that if you have an IT masters degree and a background in programming then you should be able to use something that my 11yr just used to do a school project.

Oh dear. Did I just manage to get myself on the Shit List of another MNetter?

Any bugger can read and write? Seriously. Clearly you have never been in a British Secondary school.

Mine are Reading and Writing and loving the world they live in.

I don't rate team sports and there are none here anyway so no chance of that for them. Fed up with football bollocks all the time.

My comment wasn't particularly aimed at anyone on this thread if that's what you mean? I picked powerpoint because out of the standard office stuff it;s the one I know least - I use Excel, Word and Access all the time, I barely know the existence of the other office stuff.
I'm certain I could learn it if I need to but I limit myself to "new slide", typing on slides and showing the presentation. All very basic!

Anyone can work out how to use Word. Programming is entirely different and far more important in the scheme of things. Just helping children have clarity of thought would be useful.

that's exactly what I think. Logic and pseudocode style programming (don't even really need a computer) very importamt

Stealth - I too have a 'background in programming'. As part of my job I have to make Powerpoint presentations to senior management, stake holder groups, users and peer groups. I just found it strange that someone who is presumably senior 'can barely use Powerpoint'.

Anyway, we are going off topic. Sorry OP.

This thread just made me and my DH laugh.

His parents value:
Living unaffected by clutter
Taking the piss out of other people especially at times of emotional need

My parents value:
Preparing oneself for the worst so as not to be upset when things go wrong
Planning holidays like military campaigns

We hope to pass these values on to our children

Pushed, sorry you seem to be seeing an argument here that I'm not having. Surely there are software packages that you don't need to use so much? I do plenty of presenting, emphasis on basic, straightforward slides, no effects. So I don't use power point now much more than I could when at university. Doesn't say anything about my overall it literacy I don't think.