SingaporeMotherhood | Preschooler & Up
January 2025
Street Smarts Vs Book Smarts: Why your Child Needs the former now, more than the latter
As a child, Emil Lim was the kind of student parents and teachers love. With a PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination) T-score of 266, he was in the top 1% of his cohort, and subsequently awarded a scholarship to Hwa Chong Institution (HCI). Later, he was a university scholar and valedictorian for his year. Looking back though, Emil believes that having street smarts now trumps the book smarts that he had. “A common misconception is that street smarts and book smarts are mutually exclusive. In reality, you can — and should — have both. However if I had to choose one, I would pick street smarts,” the founder of First Principles Education says.
“I define street smarts as the ability to navigate the complexities of life, overcome challenges, and achieve your goals through practical knowledge, quick thinking, and adaptability,” he adds.
But while the core essence of street smarts remains unchanged — being resourceful and resilient — the “streets” themselves have evolved, Emil is quick to point out.
“In my childhood, street smarts were often gained through firsthand experiences and real-world interactions. Today, children have access to a wealth of online resources, allowing them to learn from the insights and experiences of others without needing to be physically ‘on the streets’. This shift offers opportunities but also presents new challenges, as digital spaces require their own form of savvy to navigate safely and effectively,” he cautions.
(See also: HOW TO TALK TO YOUR CHILD ABOUT ONLINE SAFETY BECAUSE YOUR CHILD WILL ENCOUNTER INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT ONLINE)
The Turning Point
For Emil, the discovery that street smarts could help him more than book smarts came when he was just 13 years old. He had to approach industry partners for a school project and in doing so, he realised how powerful it could be to combine resourcefulness with academic knowledge.
“I unlocked opportunities and connections I hadn’t even known existed. That experience taught me a key lesson: being book smart is valuable, but when paired with street smarts — like initiative, networking, and adaptability — it becomes exponentially more powerful. It’s a synergy where the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts.”
Father of three Kelvin Ang’s turning point happened when he was in National Service (NS). Kelvin, who blogs about parenting and family life at CheekieMonkies, was more of a book smart child, he recalls.
“When I first enlisted for NS, I realised that the world is actually different because up until then, my circle of friends was confined to school. In the army, there were people from all walks of life and it was then I realised how sheltered I had been up until then. A lot of things that I had learnt in school were not exactly applicable in the so-called ‘real life’ in the army.”
Street Smarts vs Book Smarts: What Parents Want for their Kids
“Being parents in Singapore, I think it’s in our blood to be kiasu. So I would want my children to have both street smarts and book smarts,” says Kelvin. “Book smarts give them the academic foundation they need to excel in school and their future careers. But street smarts are just as important because they teach essential life skills like problem-solving, resilience, and how to handle different social situations.
“These skills help them build strong relationships, adapt to challenges, and succeed in a fast-changing world. So in an ideal world, having a good balance of both will help them grow into well-rounded individuals ready to take on life’s opportunities and challenges.”
Pamela Lim agrees. “Ideally, I would want my kids to have both book smarts and street smarts,” the mother of three children aged 15 to 18 years says.
“In Singapore, you need some book smarts to have a minimum education level certificate. Most parents in Singapore are all too aware of this, hence we tend to pressure the children on their studies. This is especially so when they are in primary school.
However, as my kids grow older and proceed on to higher levels of education, they have more project work to do in school. This requires navigating interpersonal relationships, which is a big part of street smarts.”
Street Smarts: More Important Now than Before
Indeed, more and more, street smarts are coming up as the skills that kids need to have.
As Emil describes, unlike a decade or even five years ago, when future pathways seemed predictable, we are now living “in a time of constant disruption” where “for the first time in human history, we cannot confidently predict what the next 10 years will look like.” For children to navigate this world confidently and successfully, street smarts is the key, he adds.
“Being street smart equips children with adaptability, critical thinking, and resourcefulness — skills that are essential to thrive in an uncertain and ever-changing world. It helps them navigate not just physical spaces, but digital ones, manage unforeseen challenges, and seize opportunities that may not even exist yet,” Emil believes.
The Usefulness of Street Smarts
Furthermore, with the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), being “book smart” — if defined as the ability to memorise and regurgitate academic knowledge — has become less valuable, says Emil.
“AI can process and deliver facts far more efficiently than humans ever could. Street smarts, on the other hand, involve critical thinking, problem-solving, and the ability to recognise patterns and adapt to real-world challenges. These are uniquely human traits that machines cannot replicate, and they give us the edge in navigating the complex, unpredictable situations we face daily,” he adds.
Pamela agrees. “In a world where information is available at the fingertips, book smarts are increasingly not as unattainable as they were before. What is difficult is learning how to deal with people. Being able to read people, and deciding at that moment what the appropriate response and course of action is — all this is part of street smarts.”
Kelvin shares that being street smart has helped his children, especially his eldest son Ashton, who is currently doing his internship at an events company. While in Bangkok to assist his team in setting up a major event, Ashton had minimal hours of sleep each day as they worked towards the opening day. Through last-minute crises — whether it was a vendor who delivered items late or installations that didn’t hold up — he had to think on his feet and coordinate with various parties to ensure the event could proceed smoothly.
“This experience showed me how his ability to problem-solve under pressure and communicate effectively made a significant impact, even more so than technical knowledge. It’s a reminder of how important it is to equip our children with the skills to navigate real-world challenges confidently,” Kelvin reckons.
Strategies to Nurture Street-Smart Skills in your Children
Exposure and experience are key to nurturing street smarts in children, says Emil, who shares the three strategies to nurture street smarts in children, below.
1. Encourage Participation in Competitions
Send your child for competitions — whether in academics, sports, or the arts. These offer them valuable real-world experiences. Competitions provide a reality check that can help children develop resilience and adaptability:
- If your child doesn’t win: Frame this as an opportunity to learn and improve. For example, “This result doesn’t define you. What did you learn, and what can we work to do better next time?” This helps them build perseverance and street smarts through failure.
- If your child succeeds: Success builds confidence and gives them a clear direction to dive deeper into their strengths. For example, “You did great! Let’s explore how you can further improve or challenge yourself in this area.”
Why it works: Competitions expose children to challenges outside their comfort zones and teach them to handle both success and failure — skills they can’t develop in a sheltered environment.
2. Let Children Take Ownership and Make Decisions
Resist the urge to optimise or “fix” everything for your child. Give them opportunities to make their own decisions and experience the consequences, whether good or bad. For example:
- Allow them to plan their schedule or decide how to spend their allowance. If they
mismanage their time or money, let them face the outcome. - When they face a challenge, ask questions like, “What do you think you should do?” or
“What’s your plan to solve this problem?” instead of immediately stepping in.
Why it works: Decision-making helps children develop critical thinking, accountability, and problem-solving skills, essential components of street smarts. When they experience the real impact of their choices, they learn to be more resourceful and independent.
3. Expose Them to Real-World Situations
Take your child outside their usual routines and into environments where they interact with people of different ages, backgrounds, and professions. Examples include:
- Letting them negotiate prices at the wet market while going grocery shopping.
- Involve your child in community events, youth programs, or hands-on learning activities. Say, “Let’s try something new this weekend, you might discover skills you never knew you had.”
- Involving them in family decisions, like budgeting for a holiday or choosing household purchases.
Why it works: These experiences teach children to navigate real-world challenges, communicate effectively, and think on their feet.
Street Smarts or Book Smarts?
Ideally, we want our children to have both street smarts and book smarts. But if we had to prioritise and choose one? It’s street smarts over book smarts for Kelvin. “While academic achievements can open doors, it’s the ability to think on their feet, make sound decisions, and adapt to real-world challenges that will truly set our children up for long-term success and happiness. In our fast-paced and competitive society, being resourceful, socially aware, and emotionally intelligent is essential.
Academic knowledge alone isn’t enough to navigate the complexities of relationships, unexpected situations, or decision-making. Street smarts equip our children with the practical skills and resilience they need to thrive, whether it’s handling peer pressure, bouncing back from setbacks, or finding creative solutions to problems. These qualities are what will help them become independent, capable, and well-rounded individuals ready for whatever comes their way.”
Featured image: RDNE Stock Project on Pexels
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