Children are a pure bundle of joy, and if you are a parent, you already know and appreciate this. Remember the first time they made a celebration card for you or their first dance performance when they kept looking at you during the entire performance? Seeing the kids showcase their talents is one of the best rewards of parenting! While some kids (much like adults) may levitate towards performing arts, others have a separate set of interests and talents. However, just knowing that your child is talented is not enough. Like other skills, talents need constant nurturing, and parents and schools play an important role in this regard.
But before we talk about how you can identify and nurture your kids’ unique skills and knacks, it’s important to understand that every child is different, not just in the way they look and behave but also in how they perceive the world around them. Some kids love visiting a butterfly garden, while others find planetariums better. And as Einstein said, if you ask a fish to climb a tree, it is not a fair ask in the first place, isn’t it?
At Excelsior American School, a well-known international school in Gurgaon, we value the uniqueness of the young minds and use curriculum integration to devise engaging ways of teaching our kids even the most dreaded lessons. At the core, the IGCSE curriculum that we have adopted and implemented at our school gives maximum importance to holistic learning via contextual teaching. As a result, our students learn lessons in a way that appeals to their interests and helps nurture their talents.
So here, in this blog today, we would like to share with you few highly effective and time-tested ways to help your children identify and embark on the journey of self-discovery and happiness. Happy reading!
- Talents and skills are not a haul. Stop rushing!
In today’s world of cut-throat competition, every parent wants to put their child in the lead. Gone are the days when evenings meant playing with friends or simply relaxing. Kids today have more packed schedules with multiple activities to partake in than ever before.
But here’s the catch. Just because you have enrolled your child in every extra-curricular training center (singing, dancing, theatre, oration, swimming, chess, etc.), it doesn’t always mean that your child is enjoying all of them. Maybe the kid’s talent is cooking. Don’t you think an extra hour doing theatre is really not going to help his/her flair for the culinary world?
So, don’t pressure your child into taking too many things at once. Let them decide what they love and give them opportunities to polish the skill. At Excelsior American School, we have several activity clubs that allow children to not only realize their talents but also hone them aptly.
- Skills and interests change too. Understand the needs of the generation.
Haven’t you heard your parents complaining about the system of online grocery stores and how it’s always better to go down to a farmers’ market to buy fresh produce? However, we all know how big a blessing these stores are, especially during the Pandemic! In the same way, there are many things about the current generation that is very different from yours. So, it is important that you accept the differences and don’t push your dreams on your child.
Even if you don’t understand their fascination with Instagram reels and videos, it doesn’t mean that you should dismiss them completely. Today’s generation is hooked on technology, and skills from the past like scouts or playing the sitar, may not appeal to them much.
As one of the best international schools in Gurgaon, we, at Excelsior American School, understand the changing needs of today’s world and offer the latest cultural and technological trends like coding, modern dance forms, etc., as a part of our curriculum to engage the millennial kids.
- They couldn’t build Rome in a day. Have patience and grit!
The funny thing about talents is that even if you have a natural talent for something, it doesn’t mean you are perfect from day one. For example, if your child has a flair for painting and doesn’t leave any opportunity to make hand-made cards, it is worth your time and effort to give them professional training to hone their skills and even make a future out of it.
However, it is simply not something that happens in a day, a month, or even a year. So, be patient with your child and teach him/her the importance of grit and determination. Only then will the kid be able to expand his/her talent beyond hobbies.
At Excelsior American School, a renowned international school in Gurgaon, we encourage our students to look beyond failures and help them get better at different trades. Since we have an inclusive IGCSE curriculum that emphasizes honing them equally in academics as well as other life skills, our students do it very naturally as a part of their everyday school activities and don’t get disheartened or feel pressured.
- How you interact with your children goes a long way in framing their skills.
If you are a parent, you are probably familiar with the frustrations of life as a parent. Even though you only have love and care in your heart, there are many occasions where rules and discipline take charge. And while it is perfectly ok to set some boundaries with children, it is definitely not ok to have too many stressful or negative interactions with them, especially in the formative years.
If you see, there are way too many benefits of positive parent-child interactions for you to play casually. From emotional security to better learning outcomes, there are so many ways a happy relationship between you and your child improves can work to improve the little one’s overall perspective towards life and their future.
When it comes to nurturing talents, you have to be extra careful with your children because one wrong move can derail the child from a learning path. So, the next time your kid makes a mistake while playing the guitar, stay calm without expressing disappointment. Make sure to praise your little ones for even the smaller achievements so that they associate their craft/talent with happy things and continue practicing.
Summing up
At Excelsior American School, we firmly believe that every child is talented. There is absolutely no doubt about that! But different children have a flair for different skills and crafts. So, it is very important to accept diversity and identify what your child’s unique talents are.
To take care and nurture the uniqueness of our pupils, we, at Excelsior American School, have roped in a highly dedicated team of professionals who have taken it upon themselves to cater to the holistic development of the young buds at our school. As a part of our international curriculum, we pour in ample efforts towards nurturing the unique talents and skills of our students. Here’s hoping you enjoyed reading the blog and will use some of the tips to help the apple of your eyes showcase and hone their talents.
