How to spot talent in your child?

It is an undeniable fact that every child is a beautiful creation of god. Every child is inherently blessed with a unique talent that sets them apart from others. Some children bring it to the surface when they are very young, while some do it a little later.

If you are curious to know as to what your own child excels at and you also want to know as to how to nurture the same, please read the following

• Observe carefully:

There are certain traits that you will observe in children while they are growing up which will determine their thought process. For example, observe and see:

• If they thrive in a group activity, or if they are better off alone
• If they prefer to be lost in books, or if they are more interested in being engaged playing with a football
• If they are happier painting or doing art, or if they are more interested in using a phone or a tablet
• If they are more interested in learning new words and their meaning or if they are more interested in learning science and technological facts.

Upon observing will you see the things that arouse their curiosity, what is their inherent capability and they way they approach them. This will help you realize where their interests lie and you will be able to draw conclusions.

• Let them go free

It is understandable that you want the best for your child and in the process of making the child competitive, you may even be overprotective and will enroll him in activities and studies like for example dance classes, music classes, sports etc and you may even end up pressurizing the child.

Do understand this: it is not about you but them. Keep aside your preconceptions and prejudices. The best way for a kid to discover their talents and interests is to give them the freedom to explore what they like. It is exploration that they will stumble upon their interests.

• Lower your expectations

There are some kids who may play great music at the age of 5 and some who can start to code at the age of 7. But not every child can discover their passion or interests at that age itself for different kids grow differently. Most kids develop their abilities and interests only when they are around 10 years of age.

Have them exposed to different activities and situations and then develop interest in what interests them. That will give you an idea of what they like and that is when you steer them towards that direction.

• Help develop a growth mindset

The children who are willing to take risks, try out new things and are not afraid of getting hurt happen to have a growth mindset, which means they are keeping their mind open to the possibility of finding the thing that arouses their interest. It is thus recommended to help your child develop a growth mindset. 

• Provide enrichment 

If your children have finally found something that interests them, enrich them with more opportunities. If your child has a flair for writing poems, give them more poetry books to enhance their poetry; has a flair for football, put them in football coaching; loves to paint, provide them with painting pastels and palettes and enroll them in art classes etc.

Always remember: a talent can be pursued only if it is enjoyable. And every moment spent in making the child pursue things that they find stressful, boring and out of their area of interest will only destroy the spark that is present within any child.

And there you go, the above are the ways you can help your child embrace their talents. So why don’t you go ahead and apply the same to your child immediately, and see how it turns out to be, for miracles are happening everyday.