5 tips to help your child uncover their talents

child is dressed in an astronaut costume

Jewish World Review

As a mother, one of the best gifts that you can give your child is helping them to discover what gifts He has given to them.
1. Remind your children to pray for guidance and to give thanks

As a parent, your job in this process is to be a coach, mentor and guide. But rather than issuing directives, the best thing that you can do is to pray and to encourage your child to do the same. Your child may not know where they are headed, but you can tell them that He has a plan.
2. Don’t focus solely on the superstar talents

When you think of talents, do you picture amazing musical talents or the ability to accomplish great athletic feats?

If you do, you’re not alone.

After all, who hasn’t dreamed about having the talent to become a professional athlete, entertainer or musician, especially if that brings fame?

However, the vast majority of people aren’t going to become pro athletes or other types of celebrities. So, be on the lookout for other skills as well. Perhaps your child is a natural leader, a talented cook, or somebody with a special talent in math or science.

Maybe your child is a gifted designer.

3. Encourage your children to try many things

One of the best ways to identify your child’s talents is to simply encourage them to participate in a variety of activities. Then, support their efforts.

The more things that they are able to try, the more their talents will come to the surface. Even when it becomes clear that they are not suited for a hobby or an activity, they will still gain important social skills and build character in the process.
4. Stop being so serious

Parenting is serious business. You are tasked with raising your child to know His love, to become a good person, and to find their path. However, while you are doing all of this, you cannot lose sight of the fact that childhood is also supposed to be fun.

Yes, you want to help your child uncover their gifts, but that doesn’t mean that the pursuit of these things must constantly be serious.

Play, laugh and enjoy your child. Their talents will appear more readily than they would if you treat this job as something that is somber and serious all of the time.

5. Remember that this is about them

It can be very tempting to turn this process into a pursuit of your own dreams via your child. It’s natural to want your own dreams to be theirs as well. But you must put those tendencies aside and remember that it is your job to help your child find their own talents, and to support them along the way.

As with everything else, don’t forget to seek G0D. He will absolutely help to guide both you and your child as you work to uncover what it is that they have to offer to others.

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