Maybe you’re really into antique cars. Perhaps you knit. Or maybe you spend weekends playing rugby in a local league. The list of interests adults have is long and varied, including activities like cooking, reading, rock climbing and painting.
Do you remember when you realized what you loved to do? Your interests as an adult most likely stemmed from your childhood experiences.
As parents, we have a unique and exciting opportunity to encourage our children to explore and develop their own set of interests. Sometimes those align with those we love, but other times they don’t. How do you encourage your children’s interests while allowing them the independence to be who they are? And why is it so important? Here are a few reasons why, including a list of tips on how to explore your child’s interests.
Why Is It Important to Let Your Child Explore Their Own Interests?
Childhood is all about discovery. It’s the time when children can explore the world around them and learn about the things that interest them. This doesn’t mean the activity they’re interested in as a 4-year-old is going to be their lifelong passion. But it does indicate that even when it seems like they’re just playing, they’re actually learning more about the world.
Why is it important to follow children’s interests? Here are a few factors that tie into this concept:
1. Self-Esteem
Maybe you’ve noticed that your child loves all things Spiderman. Perhaps they continually ask to read about dinosaurs or dress up like a princess. Or maybe your budding athlete isn’t happy unless they’re kicking a soccer ball or dribbling a basketball with friends. When you give a child the opportunity and encouragement to engage in something they love, you’re helping them be independent.
Even if you don’t share their interest, allowing them to pursue it signals it’s okay to try something outside of the family unit. Uplifting them helps them develop a sense of autonomy and independence that will benefit them as they grow and eventually break out on their own as an adult.
2. Friendships
When children are encouraged to explore their own interests, they will inevitably encounter others who enjoy the same things. Shared interests create a bond between kids. These childhood friendships have profound psychological benefits that can impact a child — both in the short- and long-term.
3. Skills
Yes, becoming involved in a sport, taking a dance class or pursuing a hobby can teach your child about a specific game or activity they enjoy, but there’s more to it than that. When children engage in activities, sports or other interests, it teaches them crucial life skills and lessons, such as the importance of practice, perseverance and problem-solving. Sports, dance and even art can also impact a child’s physical abilities by improving their motor skills, strength and coordination.
4. Coping Strategies
Having a hobby decreases stress. When children are encouraged to pursue hobbies from an early age, they learn that doing something they love is a great way to reduce stress. As they grow older, they will naturally look to their hobbies as ways to cope when things get tense at school, at work or in relationships. By encouraging activities that teach them this skill from an early age, parents can enable their children to cope with stress and hardship later in life.
5. Love of Learning
Not all education happens in the classroom. A lot of parents don’t realize that play is an essential form of learning for children. Even something as simple as building with LEGO® Bricks or painting a picture can positively contribute to a child’s brain development and problem-solving skills. Both of these aspects are essential to academic success down the road.
8 Ways to Help Your Child Explore Their Own Passions
What’s the best way to encourage your child to explore their interests? Supporting your children’s interests is easy when you follow some helpful advice:
1. Avoid Forcing Your Passions Onto Your Kids
As parents, we want our children to enjoy the same things we do. That’s only natural, but it’s not realistic. Your children may look like you, but they aren’t you! Your child may not share your love of baseball or your enjoyment of reading mystery novels. They may love superheroes, comic books and art instead. The best way to figure out how to know your child’s interests is to pay attention to the things that excite them.
2. Start Young
It’s never too early to start finding your child’s strengths. You can do this through formal classes and clubs, or you can simply create ways to engage in their interests at home. For example, if your child displays a love of music, you can enroll them in piano lessons, or you can spend time together at home singing and making your own music.
3. Encourage Curiosity
If your child shows interest in an activity or topic, you don’t need to overwhelm them with information. But you can start asking questions to determine what their level of interest is and how to help them explore their passions. When you ask questions, you model curiosity for your child. You also show them it’s okay to investigate new things and discover the world around them.
4. Listen to Your Child
Listening and watching are the best tools when it comes to how to find your child’s interests. What activities or topics tend to excite them? What things do they talk about when they come home from school? What kinds of books are they checking out at the library? What types of television shows are they watching? Parents can learn a lot about how to encourage their child’s interests by first observing and listening to discover what their likes are.
5. Avoid Overcommitment
You don’t have to look far to find children who spend all day in school, then run in-between clubs, sports, music lessons and other activities. Although many well-meaning parents agree to this because they think it’s how to help their kids explore their interests, it can often result in children becoming exhausted and burnt out. The goal of discovery is not to try everything out there. It’s to home in on a few things your child truly loves and find the best way to nurture those.
6. Encourage Your Child to Explore Their Interests
The flip side of suggestion five is this — encourage children to pursue a hobby or interest when it presents itself. Maybe your child has shown a talent for art but hasn’t asked for art lessons. Finding local art classes or inquiring about their school’s art club might be the first step in encouraging your child to follow their interests.
7. Avoid Overinvolvement
As parents, we want to help and support our child every step of the journey. But what if the best way to help them is to step back and let them explore on their own? Overscheduling activities or inserting yourself into your child’s pursuits can actually have the opposite impact of what you intend.
Does that mean you shouldn’t coach your child’s soccer team or volunteer to lead Cub Scouts? No. But it does mean parents should make sure they aren’t hovering over their children and dictating their choices. Allow them the space to do things alone. This will be different for each family, so sit back and figure out what it looks like for yours. Then make the necessary changes to give your child space as they learn and grow.
8. Enjoy the Journey
Watching a child discover something they love is one of the richest privileges of parenting. Don’t focus so much on the logistics that you forget to enjoy the journey you’re on together. Sit back and relish the feeling of watching your child nail their trumpet solo during a concert. Cheer loudly when your kid scores a goal during a soccer game. Hang their artwork on the fridge, join them for basketball in the driveway or find a million other ways to enjoy what they love.
Activities to Help Your Child Explore Strengths and Passions
Wondering how to encourage your child to explore their interests? Here are a few activities that might stoke their passions:
1. After-School Clubs and Activities
In the past, clubs were something only middle and high schools offered. These days, even elementary schools provide extracurricular opportunities. Why? Because we now know that when you encourage children to explore their interests at a young age, it significantly impacts their brain development and social skills throughout their life. Activities that help your kid explore their interests are bound to offer many life lessons and fun times.
2. Sports
Besides the obvious physical benefits of playing sports, organized sports are a useful tool for helping children develop social skills, friendships and self-confidence. Sometimes, children begin playing sports and discover they particularly enjoy one activity, so they keep playing it as they grow up.
Other times, a child may spend one or two seasons playing a sport, then decide they’re ready to try something else. Even if they don’t intend to play sports for a long time, participating in a sports team can teach children life skills that will serve them well in other hobbies and interests throughout their life.
3. STEM Activities
Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities, such as LEGO® programs, are another great way for children to engage in creative hobbies and pursue their interests. Most parents will tell you they realize early if their child has a passion for building and discovery. STEM activities can further uncover and shed light on this, offering an effective way to help kids explore their interests.
4. Dance, Art and Music
If your child has shown some interest in the arts, try to pinpoint which aspect of it they’re passionate about. Dance, art and music are all great ways for a child to dive deeper and explore the beauty in creativity. Music engages multiple parts of the brain at once, and it can also provide a chance for socialization when a child joins their school’s orchestra or chorus.
Besides engaging the brain, art also helps children develop their motor skills through the use of pens, brushes and markers. It also teaches various mathematical concepts that might otherwise seem impractical when learning traditionally.
5. Outdoor Activities
Does your child ask to be outside from sunup to sundown? Then encourage activities such as riding bikes, climbing and hiking. Outdoor exercises are great for all children because they can do these activities in groups or on their own. Kids can also indulge in outdoor fun without participation in a formal club or organization. This factor is a bonus for families with a full schedule!
6. Cooking
Does your child love food and spend a lot of time watching cooks on television? Encourage them to try their hand in the kitchen. You can check out a kid-friendly cookbook from the library or simply invite them to help you prepare dinner. Over time, give them more responsibility and watch what happens as they create their own delicious masterpieces.
7. Imaginative Play
When kids engage in imaginative play, they spend time making sense of their surroundings. Building with LEGO® Bricks develops problem-solving abilities and hones a child’s ability to follow directions. Playing house, chef, family or any other imaginative game gives children a safe space to explore things they witness adults doing every day. As children process these things, they form thoughts and opinions about the world around them. They uncover things that interest them as well as things that don’t.
Encourage Your Child to Explore Their Interests at Bricks 4 Kidz
At first, it might seem like all you’re encouraging your child to do is play. After all, building LEGO® Bricks, engaging in imaginative play or tossing a football don’t initially seem like they would impact a child significantly. In truth, allowing children the room to play is exactly what they need to develop stable relationships, self-esteem and important life skills they’ll rely on for the rest of their lives.
Supporting your child’s interests — whether a formal club, sports team or informal activity — is one of the most loving, nurturing things a parent can do.
Bricks 4 Kidz is proud to offer a safe, creative space for children to learn and grow. We offer numerous formal and informal LEGO® programs, all designed to help your child identify their interests. For more information on our after-school programs, camps, birthday parties and more, find a location near you.