What will I learn about: why teaching character traits like perseverance and conscientiousness is significantly more important for your child's future success than focusing solely on early cognitive development?

Discover why teaching character traits like perseverance and conscientiousness is significantly more important for your child's future success than focusing solely on early cognitive development.

What will I learn about: the profound effects of childhood trauma by learning how high Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) scores are directly linked to adult health and behavioral issues?

Understand the profound effects of childhood trauma by learning how high Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) scores are directly linked to adult health and behavioral issues.

What will I learn about: Learn how chronic stress physically wears down a child's prefrontal cortex, deeply impacting their capacity for impulse control and increasing the likelihood of high-risk behaviors?

Learn how chronic stress physically wears down a child's prefrontal cortex, deeply impacting their capacity for impulse control and increasing the likelihood of high-risk behaviors.

What will I learn about: how practicing an attentive, nurturing parenting style can physiologically compensate for environmental stress factors and shield your child from trauma?

Find out how practicing an attentive, nurturing parenting style can physiologically compensate for environmental stress factors and shield your child from trauma.

What will I learn about: the creation of a secure attachment with your child to serve as a safe base that fosters lifelong self-reliance, social competence, and academic success?

Master the creation of a secure attachment with your child to serve as a safe base that fosters lifelong self-reliance, social competence, and academic success.

How Children Succeed

Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character

Paul Tough

★ 4.4 / 5(149 ratings)

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Education Parenting

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡Have you ever wondered why some high-IQ children struggle in adulthood while others with average scores go on to achieve extraordinary success?
💡What if the most critical factors for your child's future aren't academic skills, but hidden character traits that traditional schools often overlook?
💡Did you know that the secret to long-term prosperity might lie in how a child learns to navigate failure rather than how they are taught to avoid it?

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Key Takeaways from How Children Succeed

✓Discover why teaching character traits like perseverance and conscientiousness is significantly more important for your child's future success than focusing solely on early cognitive development.
✓Understand the profound effects of childhood trauma by learning how high Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) scores are directly linked to adult health and behavioral issues.
✓Learn how chronic stress physically wears down a child's prefrontal cortex, deeply impacting their capacity for impulse control and increasing the likelihood of high-risk behaviors.
✓Find out how practicing an attentive, nurturing parenting style can physiologically compensate for environmental stress factors and shield your child from trauma.
✓Master the creation of a secure attachment with your child to serve as a safe base that fosters lifelong self-reliance, social competence, and academic success.

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from How Children Succeed

Mind Map

How Children Succeed

The Limits of Intelligence+

Childhood Stress and Trauma+

The Power of Parenting+

Essential Non-Cognitive Skills+

Teaching Character in Schools+

Pitfalls of Affluent Parenting+

Embracing and Reframing Failure+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8

What does a high Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) score primarily indicate about a person's future?

A. A higher likelihood of behavioral, mental, and physical health problems in adulthood.
B. Lower cognitive abilities and a decreased chance of graduating from high school.
C. Increased resilience and a higher likelihood of entrepreneurial success.
D. A greater need for cognitive stimulation during early childhood.

Question 2 of 8

According to the text, why are children especially vulnerable to the effects of chronic stress?

A. It permanently damages the HPA axis, preventing them from experiencing the fight-or-flight response.
B. It wears down the prefrontal cortex, which severely impairs their capacity for impulse control.
C. It causes an overproduction of hormones that stunt physical growth and development.
D. It prevents the formation of cognitive skills like word and pattern recognition.

Question 3 of 8

How can parents best negate the physiological effects of severe stress and trauma in their children?

A. By providing them with early cognitive education products like Baby Einstein videos.
B. By adopting a sensitive, attentive, and nurturing style of parenting to create a secure attachment.
C. By shielding them completely from any situations where they might fail or experience disappointment.
D. By encouraging them to suppress their stress reactions to build emotional resilience.

Question 4 of 8

What is the primary limitation of relying solely on the 'cognitive hypothesis' for a child's development?

A. It ignores the fact that cognitive skills like math and reading are genetically predetermined.
B. It overlooks the crucial role that non-cognitive skills, or 'character', play in long-term success.
C. It places too much emphasis on physical health and athletic abilities.
D. It assumes that early childhood education products are completely ineffective.

Question 5 of 8

In the context of predicting a child's future success, what did the iconic 'marshmallow test' demonstrate?

A. The importance of a child's IQ score in solving complex problems.
B. The value of conscientiousness when performing tedious or boring tasks.
C. The power of self-discipline and the ability to delay gratification.
D. The necessity of grit when facing repeated academic failures.

Question 6 of 8

Why did early 'character education' programs in the 1990s largely fail, while later programs like the one at KIPP Academy showed promise?

A. Early programs focused on vague ethical ideals, while successful programs focused on actionable strengths and 'message saturation'.
B. Early programs relied too heavily on parental involvement, which was inconsistent in low-income neighborhoods.
C. Early programs only taught cognitive skills, while KIPP Academy focused exclusively on physical education.
D. Early programs punished students for their mistakes, whereas KIPP Academy rewarded students regardless of their performance.

Question 7 of 8

How does 'helicopter parenting', often seen in affluent families, negatively impact a child's future?

A. It forces children into high-risk, unpredictable careers like art and entrepreneurship.
B. It prevents children from developing cognitive skills by doing their homework for them.
C. It creates a low tolerance for adversity and leaves children with a permanent fear of failure.
D. It causes children to develop an overly optimistic view of their own mistakes.

Question 8 of 8

According to Professor Martin Seligman's research, how does a pessimistic person typically explain their mistakes?

A. As impersonal, specific, and short-term.
B. As personal, permanent, and pervasive.
C. As external, unavoidable, and temporary.
D. As structural, educational, and motivational.

How Children Succeed — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
21 — Traumatic childhood experiences can have lasting negative effects.
32 — Children are particularly vulnerable to stress.
43 — Parents can counteract stress’s effects on their children.
54 — A child’s success depends on more than intelligence alone.
65 — Don’t eat the marshmallow!
76 — Character can be taught.
87 — Poor parenting can affect more than just children from disadvantaged families.
98 — Learning how to handle mistakes is vital for character development.
109 — Final Summary

How Children Succeed Summary & Overview

These blinks explore the reasons why some people struggle in school and later on in life, and why others thrive and prosper. Using scientific studies and data from real schools, the blinks dive into the hidden factors that affect the success of children.

Who Should Listen to How Children Succeed?

Anyone who is or is going to become a parent, grandparent or godparent
Anyone who works with children, especially teachers and coaches
Anyone who wants to develop oft-neglected skills that are just as important as cognitive skills to their future success