On our tour of the purposes for going back to school We have invited you to put an end to the rush and to take extracurricular activities to the right extent. Today we have to talk about how to help children find their talent.
It is a question related to the school, where they will show their preferences for one or other subjects, but also something that we should look at when choosing extracurricular activities or simply a game or toy. And always keeping in mind that we are not to pressure children or turn our frustrations on them.
If you look at the title, the verb is not chosen at random: we talk about "searching" and not "finding", because it is likely that we will soon know what your sport, hobby or special entertainment is. We may see that he does not draw especially well, nor sings, nor does he hit the ball or tell stories ...
And we shouldn't worry about it, just keep stimulating them and experimenting, because that enriching environment will keep them developing intellectually. We must encourage them in their achievements, however small they may be, and encourage them in their "failures" (I hope they take a long time to know the meaning of this word). We will boost their self-esteem by encouraging and motivating them.
We do not want to fall into a "talent show" of those who are so fashionable on television, we do not want it to become a challenge or a competition, we talk about fun. We talk about enhancing children's abilities, their qualities, so that it expresses itself in such a way that it is especially attractive. We talked about discovering what kind of artist our son will be.
The school as a talent enhancer
And there are ways to discover what that talent is, fundamentally through motivation and play, something that must be present in the family, at home, and at school.
Because the school also has to do with this topic. We do not want to end the curiosity of the children, so an interview at the beginning of the course with the teacher will not only serve to ask for your opinion on what the child likes best.
We can also tell you what we think he likes best, because in an "ideal" school, which we will also talk about, each student is different and each one has to have individualized attention. Something difficult to achieve in times of crisis ... but what to try.
Y The school as an enhancer of the abilities and talents of our children is also possible. It is desirable, so as parents we can raise it to educators, if they have not already seen that special quality. Maybe the talent is not in front of a textbook, but maybe before a brush or in the yard taking care of the plants ...
Talent outside of school: extracurricular
We have already dedicated a special section to extracurricular activities, but it is necessary to return to them to refer to the relationship of these activities with children's abilities. It's very important, when choosing an extracurricular, that we do not choose following our tastes.
It is usual that if one of us was left in the childhood to make judo, play an instrument or go to theater classes, we project ourselves in our children and think that this will be the best for them. But we are breaking one of the bases when choosing complementary activities for children: that they like, that they enjoy them. Not us.
And of course, we don't forget that an agenda loaded with extracurricular activities can be fatal for the child, generate stress and also end their talent or their desire to continue experimenting. It is a thousand times better to have free time to continue experimenting, to play with parents and friends ... than to have busy afternoons as if they were adult slaves of a job.
Nor is it worth pointing them to what we could not be in school: English speakers, good in mathematics, physical education ... Every child has their needs and if there are some areas in the school that resist it, we can help them in many ways. We are not to project our frustrations or desires on our children.
In short, I invite you, for the new school year, to share as much as possible with the children to help them develop their talent, and, most importantly, to have fun together and get to know each other more. If this same desire is transferred to school and we establish good communication with the educators of our children (who are likely to share our vision), we will be closer to getting a better school, and that the little ones are happy there.
Photos | FirstBaptistNashville and ecastro on Flickr-CC In Babies and more | Self-esteem: value talents and effort, My son is the best ... in everything
