Is talent inborn or developed through practice? All children have abilities of one sort or another If you are concerned that your child is not taking an interest in anything skeptics, cynics and believers alike agree on a few strategies that can help you
- Exposure. Expose your child to a variety of activities and watch out for moments of “ignition“ it could be a sparkle in their eyes or a simple “when I grow up I want to be like them”. Mirema School offers a variety of sports and club activities that make it easy to explore your child’s varied interest.
- Praise effort not ability. Don’t throw a blanket over your child’s dream even if they are not very good at it or if their interest doesn’t seem viable. Praising their effort makes them more inclined to take risks and explore creativity and interests.
- Stand back. Let your child take the lead when it comes to discovering their talent. Each child is perfectly and uniquely designed by God their interest may not necessarily lie with yours. Allow them pursue their heart’s desire.
- Mistakes are not verdicts they are feedbacks. Mistakes provide the opportunity for the most learning and improvement. Furthermore, it’s the kids who see making mistakes as a good thing who tend to practice more, which results in high talent development.
- Ensure they stick with it. “It’s not how fast you do it, it’s how slow you can do it correctly”-anonymous. Encourage your child to follow through with a club, sport or activity so that they actually develop a skill or discover something they may be good at.
Most importantly, “A talent is only worth pursuing if it can also be enjoyed” – Dr Bob Myers child and adolescent psychologist.
