Some children seem to be born with plenty of interests while others struggle just to find one. Here is how to help your child discover activities that truly inspire them.
Pick Two Activities. It is not unusual for people to take on too many responsibilities which can eventually become overwhelming and lead to frustration. Military services often use the “Rule of Three” as a general principle when designating tasks as they have found that people usually successfully track no more than three things at once. To help your child live with this principle, count school as one thing, then add two activities.
Don’t Rush. Many guidance councillors believe that if a child doesn’t develop any strong passions by the age of five, they have missed the boat. However, other studies show that kids who bounce around from one interest to another too fleetingly for their hobbies to become the basic of an enduring personality identity, are still great kids who do what’s expected of them. They do their homework, practice their instruments, and eventually they may find their purpose. In the meantime, they are spending that time learning what they don’t want to do.
Keep Trying. Experts say there are multiple stages of learning, and even if a child quits an activity after a few months, they may circle back to it. When learning a new skill, fear and insecurity have to be overcome. With some kids, if they can’t do something perfectly straight away, they get frustrated and want to quit. It could be they need some time to overcome this fear, remove pressures from themselves and commit to putting in the hard work as they decide the reward is worth it. It is only then that they can truly commit to a passion.
Search For A Spark. When trying to encourage your kids interests, don’t feel obligated to play to their strengths. Any healthy passion should be encouraged, even if there is no immediate talent for it. Your child’s enjoyment is the most important thing and other benefits may follow. Every child has a spark, it’s just a matter of finding it. Asking questions about their favourite subject at school, or what is important to them may help find hidden glimmers.
Spending time looking and listening to your children can help give you insight into their passions and help you nurture it. Once it is found, their interests will grow instead of dissolve and your child will feel happier for having an engaging hobby and skill they can grow.
At Angel’s Paradise we encourage healthy learning and imaginative solutions.