How to Cultivate a Creative Hobby
“If you want children to continue dreaming to the moon and beyond, then dream with them, both by sharing your fervent dreams, and by diving heart first into their own.” ~ Vince Gowmon
To know the interest of your kid in any subject, you must try different options. Giving exposure to different activities will open many doors for your kid. There are some area that you and your kid(s) never know that it can be a hobby or a subject of interest. Kids’ interests are always changing. At a young age, you will find that sometimes a kid is very much interested in a subject and after some months the kid might lose interest in that same subject.
Below are steps to cultivate a creative hobby in your kid.
· Trigger interest
Any random trigger can create your kid’s interest in that subject as a hobby. That trigger can be somebody’s talk, their own life experience, a kid’s observation about others, some events, some tv shows, any video and many more.
Let me share my experience of how my son’s interest in geography triggered when he was 5 years old. At that time, first time we travelled internationally. During flight, world map is on seat screen to show route & timings. By watching that moving map on the screen, he was very much curious about the world map, why is day & night differs in different parts of the world? Why different time zones are there?
During childhood parents should spend time with their kids. During that quality time try to visit different places like zoos, museums, gardens, hospitals, forest area, national parks, exhibitions etc. By doing that something will trigger your kid, and that curiosity will surely lead him to creative hobbies. Such habits will also help you to keep your kids away from the screen.
· Provide Resources
As soon as a trigger creates interest in any subject, lack of resources can easily suppress that interest. So, it is parents’ duty to keep watch on kids’ interest as you find them curious. You should start gathering resources related to that interest.
As I mentioned above, my son’s interest in geography was triggered by our travelling. After moving to a new place first we bought a map of the world rather than buying TV.
Search a variety of resources according to your kid’s interest. Some common resources can be books & videos. But be careful in selecting books & videos. Try to find interesting & interactive books to make that subject more interesting. Start with basic small books. If you bring an advanced book initially, then your kid will lose interest by getting bored by that book. As that book is advanced so the kid can’t understand it, but the kid will think that the whole subject is hard and boring, which will lose his interest from that subject forever. Try to select age & knowledge appropriate books to increase your kid’s interest in that subject.
Selected videos related to triggered subject can help you in nurturing that hobby. By watching the video, a kid is grasping through two senses; one is seeing, and another is hearing. So, in that case it is easy for a kid to understand the fundamentals of that area. But be sure to select videos with realistic explanations and correct information.
Other resources can be required devices, instruments, artistic tools etc. As a parent we must buy those compulsory tools as resources to cultivate any hobby in our kid, but I suggest that don’t buy costly tools. Initially check your kid’s interest. Generally, kids’ interests are for a shorter time span and always changing. We never know when he will leave that subject as a hobby, so I suggest not to invest too much money in just one hobby, rather spend that much money for different hobbies to increase your child’s exposure in many subjects.
Another reason is parents’ expectation, when parents are buying costly tools — unconsciously it is a burden for a kid to continue that hobby for a long time or achieve some goal in that field.
· Provide Environment
To confirm proper use of resources, a proper environment is crucial. Enhancement of creative hobby is only possible by providing an environment to nourish that hobby.
Let’s see how to provide such an environment: Try to make all routine activities related to that subject. For example if he is learning addition, give sums of countries or areas to practice math. Similarly find ways to involve the subject of your kid’s interest in all his routine activities to maintain his interest in that subject. By doing activities this way your kid will also understand the inter-relation of all subjects.
Bring posters of that subjects. Try to make drawings or coloring or painting related to the subject of your kid’s interest. If you have a toddler, tell him a story related to that subject. If you have a school aged kid then talk about successful and failed people in that area with their life stories, through such stories he can understand possible mistakes and gain of that field.
My interesting experience about this in my son’s case is; After buying a map, we bought a toy crow for him. Initially, we used to tell him the story of that crow in which that crow was flying, in one story crow flies in one continent, while in another story crow flies another continent. Later, my son started making stories on the same line with the same tool crow. He used to fly that crow in-between two continents, countries and that story made him more curious to know about the distance between continents & countries, possible length of seas & rivers, possible height of mountain etc. This exercise taught him many concepts of math’s like addition, subtraction, units of distance & height.
· Give company
According to my observation, if kids are doing some activities alone, they are losing their interest soon. That company can be anyone like parents, siblings, friends or grandparents with conditions of involvement in that activity without any distractions of phone or tv or talk with others. Generally, they want appreciation for small achievements & for that they need company during all activities.
Some hobbies like for sports games more than one person is needed, give them company with involvement to boost their creative hobby. After some age kids can find people with similar interests either from surroundings like neighbours or friends or relatives.
Every time involvement doesn’t mean that you must perform all activities. If your kid is a toddler, he might like some activities as a hobby, but they are fearful of learning or performing that like gymnastics or other sports. At that time they just want your presence to feel safe. So, your presence can give them courage as well as confidence in their hobby.
· Learn Yourself for Your Kid
Generally, by seeing little interest in any activities, parents are sending their kids to professional classes to make them experts in that field. Later when the kid’s interest changes after some time, parents are forcing them to continue with that hobby as they paid there. Then the kid is doing that activity grudgingly which can’t give any enjoyment or satisfaction to anyone. Many parents are not understanding that a kid’s interest is always changing till 8–10 years of age. There are exceptions, kids who are following their interest from age 2–3years till lifetime but very few kids are such.
To avoid that a mother can learn the basics skills of that area and teach basic things to her kid at home. After learning the basics, if the kid shows more deeper interest in that area then send him to a professional coach/trainer for advance learning.
From my experience, I can say it is easy in this internet world. Everything is possible to learn through the internet. You just need time to learn and practice with your kid.
Generally, kids are following their parents. In case of hobby also it is same. I never like to draw or paint. So, till the age of 9 years my son also didn’t like to draw or paint. Then one day I thought about making him learn at least the basic skills of drawing & painting. Instead of telling him to learn, I started learning by watching different drawing teaching videos on tv. Without intention of learning he was watching that with me. Later, he had started watching drawing teaching videos of his interest. Now we both are drawing together but we both know that we are doing it for our own enjoyment not as a professional. So, a YouTube tutorial is enough for us. We don’t need a professional coach for that area. So, my point is don’t push your kid for professional coaching till you are not confirmed that he want to be an expert in that field or he tells you that he wants to learn advanced techniques or subjects in that field.
Conclusion:
Step by step implementation of these five steps can help you in cultivating and identifying your kid’s interest. Kids are curious by nature; they just need a trigger to show their curiosity, then resources to nourish that hobby, environment, and company for confidence & courage. By providing such support in many subjects, you can convert your kid’s hobby into a profession in any one of that subject.
