Programs for Parents

Teaching Children Optimism (Parents)

Recent research into optimism has shown that people with a high optimistic quotient are more successful in school, sports, and relationships. When these children become adults, their success in their occupations as well as their level of health will also be tied to their optimism. Let’s look at an example of how optimism affects students:

A group of fourth graders were divided into two groups based on their optimistic quotient. One group were optimists. The other group were pessimists. The children were then given a set of problems. Some problems were unsolvable. These were labeled failure problems. Other problems were solvable. These were labeled success problems. When both groups started with solvable problems, they performed equally well. But when students came to the unsolvable problems a major difference occurred. The problem-solving skills of the pessimistic kids plunged to the level of first graders. The optimistic kids stayed at the fourth grade level. In the face of failure, pessimistic children lack the staying power of their optimistic classmates.

In research done at Penn State University and West Point, students who rose above what their SAT scores, high school grades, and achievement tests indicated were above average in their optimistic quotient.

Children with a high optimistic quotient:

• Have increased staying power in the face of failure
• Perform better in sports
• Do better in school than their SAT scores and achievement tests would suggest
• Have more satisfying relationships with parents and friends
• Shrug off bad moods and depression more readily
• Are healthier

YOU CAN TEACH A CHILD HOW TO BE OPTIMISTIC!

This class is packed with specific "do-able" skills that show you how to raise a child's optimism quotient.

• Discover the single most important factor in shaping your child's level of optimism
• Take a self-test to find out the major differences between optimists and pessimists
• Find out what you can do to consciously improve your child’s attitude
• Play the ABCDE game for developing optimistic children
• Take home a FREE copy of the game that teaches optimism

There is more to optimism than simply saying, "The optimist sees the doughnut and the pessimist sees the hole." Even if your child has a high optimistic quotient, discover how you can strengthen this powerful trait.

Thanks for the stimulating parent education workshop on enhancing optimism in our children.  The particpants loved your interactive, accessible presentation style, as well as all the concrete tools to use with their children.  Your style is witty and warm, and the research-base underlying your techniques give them real credibility.  Thanks for a wonderful learning experience!  Cynthia Leslie-Bole, Parent Education Coordinator, Wagner Ranch Elementary School