How to Support and Nurture Your Child’s Passions

Having the possibility to turn your passion into a job is one of the best feelings in the world. If you want your child to reach that dream, you should help them to explore and nurture their passions.

Besides doing what they love, following their passions can also help your child to fill their days with hobbies they enjoy. However, achieving any of that is much more difficult (for some even impossible) without the parents’ support.

Actively encouraging your child to follow the path they are intuitively attracted to, can help them grow up into motivated and accomplished individuals. It can also help you reach every parent’s goal – seeing their child happy and fulfilled.

Here are some ways in which you can encourage and support your child to reveal and follow his or her passions.

Don’t Make Them Choose

Who said that you can only be good at one activity? Or that you can only have one passion? People’s need to categorize others has developed a mindset that we need to pursue one passion, one career, have a specific taste in fashion, music, and so on.

That belief is false. Your child can love and engage in any type of activity that they want to. If they like to play soccer and dance, let them. How can they find their identity and talent if they don’t experiment and try out different things?

Even if your child is very talented at one activity but wants to try something else, support them. Nothing is finite. Children should be able to roam freely in the varieties of the 21st century.

Teach Them Not to Give Up Easily

There is no such thing as failure. There are only experiences and lessons. That’s the kind of mindset you should teach your child to develop. Nurture optimism and persistence.

Why is this important? Because anyone who wishes to stick through with their passions needs to be persistent. Boost your child’s confidence by helping them see lessons and tips within their unsuccessful attempts.

If your child loves something, show them support not to give up when they face the first obstacle. With such an attitude your child will learn how to hold on to their passions.

Support Their Interests

You might feel like your child has a great rhythm and should play the piano just like you. However, your child only wants to make flower crowns. What to do here? Let your child do what they want. They are still children. They don’t need to start developing their career at the age of 5.

Parents must differentiate their desires from their children’s desires. As much as we see ourselves in our children, they are all unique little human beings. Even if they have the same talent as you that doesn’t mean that they want to pursue it. Maybe their passion lies in something else.

Therefore, show your support for any kind of interest your child has. Don’t forbid or judge any hobby, activity, or interest they might have.

Develop Their Awareness of the World

Different cultures, customs, and people help us broaden our horizons. The earlier your child starts learning about differences, the better. You don’t need to take your child on trips around the world. What you can do is watch travel videos, show them child-appropriate documentaries of different cultures, and take them to local cultural events.

Also, teach them to accept different people by encouraging them to meet new friends. Motivating them to develop their social skills can be very useful for their future.

With every new information they absorb about the world, they have a possibility to uncover a new passion. Instead of walking on the path of sameness, they can see what’s out there to shape their unique identity.

Try Something New Together

Monotony can kill creativity and the need for exploration. To prevent that from happening, make your family mission to try something new every once in a while. For example, you can start a new family tradition to give something new a try every month. You can hike as a family, take a road trip, try exotic food, etc.

Not only will your child have an exciting childhood and explore different things but you’ll also make amazing family memories. Engaging in an activity together can build closeness. Besides, you can watch how your child acts in different environments and spot their main interests.

Don’t Dismiss Their Dreams

What if your child claims that his or her passion is to be an astronaut? Should you call it a crazy idea and tell them to stop wishing for the impossible? Of course not. Listen to seemingly senseless stories of all your child’s aspirations. You never know what that can lead to.

A child who wants to be a penguin can become a wildlife photographer. A child who wants to be an astronaut can major in astronomy. Let the kids dream. If you listen to their imaginative career stories, they’ll remember and cherish that feeling of support when they discover their true passion.

Expose Them to Cultural Events

Inspire your child’s creative side by opening the doors to art and creativity. The more your child experiences and sees the wonders of creativity, it will be easier for them to pinpoint their affinities.

Take your child to the theater, show them different movies, paint with them, take them to art class, play different kinds of music, and so on. Creativity inspires more creativity. So, let them see the various forms of art.

Moreover, you’ll allow your child to choose what he or she likes and dislikes. Rather than embracing what you like to watch, listen to, and admire, your child can develop their own taste.

Support Their Curiosity

Children often come with unusual and sometimes uncomfortable questions. Don’t leave their little curious minds thirsty for knowledge. Explain to them anything they want to know. It may be time-consuming to research and express plainly why the rainbow appears, but you should do it.

An answer to one of such unusual questions can be the spark that lights their passions. Learning about a fascinating process can encourage your child to learn more about it. Maybe they’ll even start doing their own little research and experiments on that subject. 

Observe When Your Child Is the Happiest

Watch as your child plays or interacts with others. You can learn a lot about your child from their behavior. They might not express their passions verbally but if you watch closely you can notice what they enjoy the most.

For example, you can notice that your child is very argumentative, persistent, and clever when speaking with their friends. In that case, you can suggest them to enroll in a debate club. Or, if they are always lost in books, you can encourage them to write their own little stories about your family or their friends.

Sometimes children do need a little push. So, you want to make sure that you direct them towards the path of discovering their real passions.

Final Thoughts

People commonly disregard their true calling because their parents and society have different expectations. Show your child that your only expectation is for them to find their strengths and follow their dreams.

The world is full of possibilities. Help your child to understand that and they are bound to find and embrace their passions. 

Author Bio: Kristin Savage nourishes, sparks, and empowers using the magic of a word. Along with pursuing her degree in Creative Writing, Kristin was gaining experience in the publishing industry, with expertise in marketing strategy for publishers and authors. Besides working as a freelance writer, Kristin works as an editor at Subjecto, a free source of flashcards and essay samples. In her free time, she likes to travel and explore new countries around the world.