The SPIRIT Framework is built around ten transversal skills that we believe can help today’s children prepare for tomorrow’s world. Rather than exploring them all at once, this series takes a moment to reflect on each one individually. Together, these ten skills form the heart of the framework: emotional awareness, regulation and communication; creativity; problem-solving; critical thinking; resilience; flexibility; curiosity, sense of wonder and openness; empathy; valuing people and nature; and connectedness. This time, we turn our attention to flexibility — a skill that is often confused with resilience or adaptability, yet offers something distinct. While resilience helps us recover from difficulties and adaptability helps us adjust to new circumstances, flexibility is our willingness to change. It is the ability to shift our thinking, consider a different approach and remain open when life doesn’t unfold as we expected.

Children encounter change every day, even if it doesn’t always seem significant to adults. A new teacher, a different classroom routine, an unfamiliar group activity or a plan that suddenly changes can all feel like big moments in a child’s world. The SPIRIT Framework reminds us that flexibility is not simply about accepting these changes—it is about responding to them with openness rather than resistance. It is the willingness to try another strategy when the first one doesn’t work, to consider another point of view, or to discover that there may be more than one good solution to a problem. When children learn that changing their approach is not the same as giving up, they begin to see uncertainty not as something to fear, but as something they can navigate with growing confidence.

Like every transversal skill, flexibility develops over time. As children grow, they become increasingly able to adjust to new environments, manage disappointment, approach challenges creatively and respond thoughtfully to changing situations rather than reacting impulsively. They learn that plans sometimes change, that mistakes can lead to new ideas, and that listening to others can strengthen rather than weaken their own thinking. These experiences help them become more open-minded, more collaborative and better equipped to cope with the unexpected. In this way, flexibility naturally connects with many of the other skills within the SPIRIT Framework, including creativity, problem-solving, resilience and emotional regulation. Together, they help children develop the confidence to face change with curiosity instead of fear.

Perhaps one of the most valuable lessons flexibility offers is that changing our minds is not a sign of uncertainty—it is often a sign of growth. Life will continue to surprise us, no matter how carefully we plan. If children learn that they can adapt without losing sight of who they are or what they value, they will carry with them something far more enduring than the ability to cope with change. They will carry the confidence to grow because of it.