All parents want their children to develop interests in things that they enjoy and ones they can continue to enjoy for years to come. Some children will have a good idea of what they want to do, and this is wonderful but for others, it can take a little longer. Therefore, sometimes a child’s interest can get lost in translation, but luckily, we are here to give you some tips on helping your child to develop interests. 

Let them guide you 

Your youngster should have a fairly good idea of what they want to do, and this helps in figuring out interests that will stand the test of time. You should let your child guide you in their decision regarding their personal interests and if you are hoping that they take up something purely for your own benefit than they probably won’t keep it up. You need to be realistic and appreciate their decision regarding a chosen interest. 

Talk about interests

Discuss with your child what they like and what they don’t like. Think about their strengths and weaknesses to figure out what works best for your child. Don’t go with something because it is convenient instead, take time to discuss it with your youngster. 

Offer choices

Go through all their options and offer choices on what they like to do and how they will go about it.  Depending on what it is, it may be easy to get them into it but in other cases, it may take a bit of organising to get it up and running.  Some clubs or classes have waiting lists too and you should get working on it as soon as you can to try to get them into their preferred choice. 

Experiment

Before you go and buy everything for their new adventure – hold fire and see how it goes.  Some kids may take longer than others to settle in and some may change their mind about it altogether. Accept that while your child may beg to be a part of something that they may not stick at it either. Lots of children develop interests but equally, they drop them just as quickly and move onto something else! 

Support them

Once they have settled into their new interest, now is the time that you need to support and encourage them. They may find it hard (at the start) to settle in and find their feet so they will need you there to have their back. Chat WITH their class teacher or coach to understand what they are doing or alternatively, stay and watch them. Give them time to practice at home and get them the stuff they need to work on it and then let them off. 

Keep at it

Once your child discovers their interests the rest is easy as they enjoy what they are doing. It takes a lot of commitment to keep going for both children and parents, but it is great for kids to have interests no matter what that interest is.