How to Motivate Kids to Practice Hard Things

Recent research can help us teach kids to practice the right way to reach their goals

Many people practice a new skill in a shallow way, progressing slowly on the difficult elements, but children taught deep practice were better able to make diligent progress, researchers found. Markus Spiske/Unsplash

According to a recent survey by the Society of Human Resource Management, 97 percent of employers say that reliability is a very or extremely important qualification for an entry-level job; it’s at the top of nearly everyone’s list. How do parents help their kids learn to be reliable—people whom others can trust to consistently do their best work?