Parents are Sherlock Holmes in finding out children’s intelligence, gifts, and talents, not the school. They can take the role by acknowledging their child’s smallest abilities, asking other significant people who have close contact with their child, asking their child’s likes and dislikes, and finally, allowing their child to experiment by letting them explore things by their own. Of course, parents must be present on the days when their child is having his/her first-time experience with something. Being a talent detective will allow the parents to discover more hidden talents that they did not imagine that their child can do.
“Ideally, you as a parent can help your child find their way into a variety of interests that can potentially become a passion. If you see their eyes light up when doing a specific activity, then there’s a chance they may have found one, and now it’s time to develop it,” says Wendy Rice, PsyD.
Focusing on their unique talents instead of spending time correcting their weakness and putting a remedy on their problem will produce the highest level of achievement for children. It will be a colossal waste of energy if these child’s weaknesses are prioritized to be fixed. Parents should invest more in developing a particular skill which their child is good at will prevent him/her to go through life with little real triumphs. Not all kids have the same number of skills or can do anything that is being thrown to them so parents must not compare their child to others.
Here are some strategies that parents can do in unlocking their child’s talents and skills.
Encourage Their Gifts
Parents should not throw a wet blanket to their child’s dream because it appears to be so unrealistic. Even if it looks a nonviable option, who knows where it may lead the child. For them to be encouraged effectively to do their strengths, parents must be passionate, motivating and persistent every time they talk to them. When they already set their minds to something they wanted to be, they will learn faster and do anything even it will take them a hard time to achieve it.
If their skills are not enough in reaching their dreams, parents must continue encouraging them until they realized that it would not happen.”Children need a positive self-esteem. It is in your eyes, your words, your actions, and your smile that your child forms an image of himself,” wrote Meri Wallace, LCSW. “Giving your child a good feeling about himself, by protecting his self-esteem, is one of your greatest challenges as a parent.”
Expose Them To Different Activities
Unconsciously, parents are often limiting their child to try things that they are comfortable with and familiar to them. Sometimes they want their child to do what they are frustrated about when they are in their childhood. It is okay to do such, but it is possible that it is not in those activities are their talents and skills suited. Search for local events in the community and have an open mind to a lot of possibilities that children may enter. Activities that have a lower barrier to entry are a good idea, and you can use play therapy in child development to help discover more of their skills and understand themselves.
“When nurturing a talent in your child, take every opportunity to broaden and enrich his understanding of the subject, as this will guide and inspire her drive,” Robert Myers, PhD, says. “If no opportunity arises for a skill to flourish, it may remain suppressed throughout a child’s formative years, after which it may be too late to develop it to its full potential.”
Don’t Be Afraid To Let Something Go
Children have tendencies to be hooked in a specific activity, and after days or weeks, they decide to try another event. These sudden changes are just part of the challenges of parenting in the digital age. Parents should not worry about this unless it is a habitual starting and stopping. But they must make sure that they remind the child that in every activity started, it needs commitment so that their parents must not just waste money.
Let Them Be The Captains Of Their Ships
Parents act as a coach or guide in their child’s pursuit of finding his/her skills and talents. They can make suggestions based on what the child is telling them, but at the end of the day, it is the child wants that need to be respected. After all, he/she will benefit the most from his/her talents and capabilities.