Learning a New Skill – Lessons from a 4 Year Old

This week, my daughter Meera turns 5 years old. Over the past six months, I have learned so much from her dedication to learning a new skill – riding a scooter. Here are some lessons from Meera on learning a new skill that are relevant at any age:

1. Pick a skill
In the spring, Meera decided she wanted a way to get around fast. Her friend rode a scooter to school every day, and Meera decided she wanted to learn to ride a scooter.

At any age, there are always new skills you can build. We hope you think about something you would like to learn this fall.

2. Figure out what you need to learn the skill
Meera knew she needed a helmet to safely ride a scooter. I asked her to try her older brother’s scooter, but she realized that it was too big. She needed a scooter for her age. It took a few weeks for us to get what Meera needed to learn her new skill.

Figure out if you need to read a book, take a class, or find a mentor to help you learn the skill.

3. Practice, practice, practice
Once Meera had a scooter and helmet, she wanted to practice ALL THE TIME. This is an important factor when learning a new skill. She started by practicing in a comfortable place, around our neighborhood. As she got better, she started scootering to school.

Once you pick a new skill, make sure you block time to practice.

4. Challenge yourself to advance your skill
As she became confident with her scootering skills, our babysitter encouraged Meera to challenge herself with hills. During the summer, they found a hilly riding trail and went scootering almost every day.

As you improve, challenges yourself to advance your skills.

5. Inspire others to try the skill
Meera’s dedication and love for scootering inspired other people to want to try it. Her brother, Kush, started scootering and now they both like to do it together.

Share your new skill with others, and they may be inspired to learn too.

Some final words of advice from Meera:

• “When it gets hard, don’t stop.”
• “If you get hurt, ask for help and then keep going.”
• “Now I am ready to learn biking.” (the learning never stops)

We hope these lessons inspire you to learn a new skill. Happy birthday Meera!

Monisha Kapila is the Founder and CEO of ProInspire. Meera is a preschool student who loves to scooter.