Part 2 - Nurturing Talents in Children
1. Identifying Talents:
The modest Asian in some of us parents may cringe a little with the word ‘talent’. I’m not referring to a gifted child or prodigy, that’s a separate conversation altogether.
A ‘talent’ is simply an area we have an aptitude for, with a natural initial advantage over others at early stage, without being formally taught.
As it progresses, it becomes something we both excel and enjoy. A ‘talent’ can start from an interest or hobby and progresses in something more if nurtured. Some common talents are writing, music, sports or art.
Every child has something that comes to them more naturally than others.
For my eldest, as much as she started speaking earlier, it was math and music that resonated with her. At 7, she came to me and asked if I could bring her for violin class. Fast forward to today, she is having her summer break and begs for me to buy her an IGCSE Additional Math book to work on…and she is taking the subject next year!
Personality & Intelligence:
if you have a strong willed child who is constantly testing your patience limits, or a bright child who makes you silently go ‘wow’ frequently, then your child most certainly have a talent waiting to be discovered. His intense energy can be transposed and converted constructively at last!
2. Window of Opportunity:
The ideal time to plant the seeds of talent is when the child takes the lead in identifying his/her area of interest. Sometimes, the desire to try out something may start in the early independence phase (~ 4 years old) and seemingly come out of the blue.
Perhaps the child expresses an interest to learn ice skating when she has not been to the ice skating rink before. Or ask to learn the violin when no one in the family plays a musical instrument. A child-led interest is the most likely to stick and germinate.
If your child has not identified his interest area by preschool years, don’t fret. An ex-student of mine who is in mid primary this year told his mom enviously, ‘My sister is so lucky to find what she loves doing. But don’t worry, ma, I will find my direction soon!’ Both his mom and I had a good chuckle!
3. Parent’s Role in Nurturing Talents:
It’s not easy juggling schedules and not cheap to invest in nurturing our child’s interest. In addition to logistics and the financial investment, our emotional support is a critical factor in furthering our child’s interest.
A) Be Careful not to Dominate
I mention earlier about letting our child take the lead in identifying his/her interest.
However as the days go on, there will be times when our child gets scared of losing, or wants to give up after a set back. Our parental role is to stay involved and nudge our child in the right direction at the right time.
B) Set Goals with your child
Help your child set a realistic goal or milestone which is challenging yet attainable. This makes it easier for you and your child to track progress and her to stay motivated. Build a momentum towards bigger and longer stretch goals. Remember to set a timeline or deadline for achieving this goal.
C) Celebrate Wins, Learn from Losses
Let’s face it, our child is unlikely to be winning or on top form all the time.
But this in itself is part and parcel of confidence building and resilience training.
Each time she plays a wrong note in front of an audience or he comes back from a losing set to winning the match, our child becomes stronger and closer to optimising his growing potential.
The beautiful thing about an identified talent is that the pursuit of which encourages our child to continuously seek improvement. Our child learns to embrace challenge and overcome his current biggest obstacle - himself - again and again.
So you have a bright child, remember the biggest hurdle a bright child faces through her life is herself. Besides academic achievements, discovering her talent and nurturing it is to help her rise and shine.
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