Helping our Kids Pursue their Passions: How Parents Can Help Their Kids Explore and Discover Their Interests(hint: after school classes are a great place to start)! One of the best parts of life is being able to do the things that we are passionate about. As adults, we have spent years exploring our interests and moulding our lives around the activities that drive us. Being given the opportunity to explore our passions for a living is the dream, and we wouldn’t want anything less for our children.As a parent, helping your kids find new and exciting interests is one of the most fulfilling things in the world. However, sometimes this can be a real challenge! How can you help someone else find something that they are passionate about, when it’s already hard enough to truly know ourselves and our own passions? On top of this, kids have an endless world of possibilities ahead of them, so how can you help them navigate it?Here are a few strategies to help your children discover what makes them happy:GET TO KNOW YOUR CHILD'S UNIQUE INTERESTS: Okay, this one may seem obvious, but hear us out! Kids will gravitate towards what they are most interested in, even if they’re not explicitly expressing those interests. Pay attention to what your kids say and do, and you’ll soon realize that they’re letting off on a little more than you’d think. Are they endlessly digging up insects in the backyard or making giant messes in the kitchen? This may indicate an interest in Science. Maybe they’re always doodling on their schoolwork or creating LEGO masterpieces. How about giving Art a try?Take a minute to reflect on your child’s impulses and tendencies. When you notice things, try suggesting activities that you think your kid will enjoy. You don’t have to make any big commitments either, start off by buying them a book or signing them up for after school classes and activities. As they get older and learn what they like and dislike, this will help them to let you know what they need.Keep an eye on how they engage in discussing or interacting with content regarding the after school classes as well, to transition them in and out of the classes and to not have them build a resentment toward showing you what they enjoy doing!DON'T STICK TO THE STATUS QUO: It’s so easy to turn to lean towards enrolling your child in soccer or music lessons when you are looking for something for them to do. After all, their friends are probably doing it too and there are so many good choices for clubs and classes since the activities are so popular!How about stepping away from what all the other children are doing and trying a less mainstream activity?There are so many different things to do, all it takes is a little research. Without a doubt, you’ll find drama clubs, cooking courses or computer coding clinics with just a quick Google search! Every kid is unique, and so are their interests. With a well-rounded variety of unique activities at their disposal, kids have a chance to truly explore who they are and what they are passionate about.LET THE CHILD BE THE BOSSIn so many cases, parents are convinced their child with be the next prodigy in math, football or violin. We see this all the time in pop culture with so many narratives centred around kids doing activities just to make their parents happy. From an outside perspective, it’s easy to see why this might be damaging to our children, but it’s also so easy to slip into the same pattern because we think we’re doing what’s best for them!It’s important to let your child decide whether they want to dedicate their time to a certain interest. Take a step back and make sure that you’re not subconsciously imposing your preferences and interests. You need to be your child’s number one supporter and that may mean trying something new every month, but trust us, it is so worth it.Just don’t take this too far by allowing them to quit something without giving it a good try. Set precedents for how much they need to commit to an activity before they can decide whether they like it or not. In the end, there’s nothing a kid appreciates more than love and support form their parents, especially when it comes to their passions and dreams.WANT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS? Do you want some more tips and tricks on how to help fuel passion in your kids? Check out an older blog post about some other suggestions here!Did you know that Laurus Lifestyles will be launching a variety of after school classes in January? Stay tuned for more information regarding the after school classes so you don’t miss this opportunity to help your child discover their passions!
