Note: Unconstrained Kids unpacks, translates, and integrates academic research and data about skill type and the principles of skill building to support the improvement of PK-12 reading, writing, and mathematics. This post is part of a series that describes 7 key principles of skill building I identified from Dynamic Skill Theory and the Science of Learning and Development. Like everything on this Substack, this post is a work-in-progress. I will make updates as needed. Citations are included at the end. Questions, comments, and suggestions are welcome.
First posted: June 4, 2025
Last updated: July 24, 2026
Key Takeaway
Skill is the capacity to think and act in an organized way in a specific context (Immordino-Yang and Fischer, 2010). Children develop skills from active engagement in meaningful activities. This is likely to be more successful when children interact with others. We develop skills from what we do—particularly what we do with other people.
Highly automated, proficient skills are the direct result of wiring and rewiring of connections in our brain. Neurons that fire together, wire together.1 The neural pathways connecting individual brain cells and synapses are physically built and strengthened through repetition and deliberate practice. This constant structural change is what creates a skill.
When we actively engage with the world, we literally shape our brain structure—changing the neurons, synapses, and overall brain activity. Mere exposure is not enough to change our brain or to build skills. Learning facts is important but not enough. We have to be actively involved to build skills (Fischer, 2009).
“Skills do not spring up fully grown from preformed rules or logical structures. They are built up gradually through the practice of real activities in real contexts, and they are gradually extended to new contexts through this same constructive process.” (Fischer & Bidell, 2006)
“Action” is not limited to physical activity. Skills are developed and organized to support real mental activities, too. Thinking is a form of internalized action. Feeling involves the experience of activity (Mascolo, 2009). The documented impact of mindfulness interventions on executive and self-regulation skills is one positive example of “mental action.”
Skills are built with others
We don’t acquire skills and knowledge entirely on our own. Skills are learned partly from other people–whether directly or vicariously by watching them (Immordino-Yang, 2008). We imitate other people’s actions–including their thoughts and beliefs. In this way, social learning is a major driver of skill building.
Children and youth rely upon trusted adults–parents, caregivers, teachers, mentors–and peers for emotional clues about how they should behave. “They imagine how other people feel and think, and those thoughts in turn influence how they feel and think” (Immordino‐Yang, 2011).
“Individuals learn what they do, and particularly what they do with others. Social interaction—especially exchanges that are scaffolded by more accomplished others—has the effect of raising an individual’s performance to levels beyond that which can be sustained while working alone.” (Mascolo, 2020)
Social support is an important part of the context in which skills are built (See Principle 2). Interaction with others is critical to social emotions. (See Principle 4.). “We are influenced by not only our own emotions, but also by others’ emotions, behaviors, and mental states” (Immordino-Yang, 2007).
Social interaction is important for both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. (See Principle 5.) Skills are developed and practiced with others. In situations of high support, a mentor, coach, or teacher can help a child achieve levels of competence they couldn’t reach on their own. The presence or absence of social support can have dramatic effects on the skill level a child is able to produce (Fischer et al., 1993).
If an environment starves a child of personal action or isolates them from social support, skill development suffers. The research is clear that throwing children into the deep end of the skill pool and waiting for them to learn to swim doesn’t work (Christensen et al., 2024). Active engagement and social interaction are not optional elements—they are foundational pillars of effective skill building.
But wait, there’s more
Works Cited
Barrett, L. F. (2020). Seven and a half lessons about the brain. Houghton Mifflin.
Fischer, K. W. (2009). Mind, brain, and education: Building a scientific groundwork for learning and teaching. Mind, Brain, and Education, 3(1), 3–16.
Fischer, K. W., & Bidell, T. R. (2006). Dynamic development of action and thought. In R. M. Lerner & W. Damon (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Theoretical models of human development (6th ed., pp. 313–399). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Immordino-Yang, M. H., & Fischer, K. W. (2010). Neuroscience bases of learning. In V. G. Aukrust (Ed.), International encyclopedia of education (3rd Edition, pp. 310–316). Elsevier.
Mascolo, M. F. (2009). Beyond student-centered and teacher-centered pedagogy: Teaching and learning as guided participation. Pedagogy and the Human Sciences, 1(1), 3–27.
This is known as Hebb’s Law.