Sports or Music – How to Identify Your Child’s Interests

Understanding a child’s personality and interests is important for every parent. This ensures that their interests are nurtured and developed, and so they have the opportunity to do what they love. Two common interests for youth are sports and music. Identifying which your child is more interested in will allow you to get them involved in the right activities. Here are some great tips on how to identify your child’s interests:

Spend Time with the Child
One of the best ways to identify whether children like sports or music more is by spending time with them. Playing together in the backyard or listening to the radio are great ways to discover your kid’s passions. This is also a chance to broach the topic and discuss what the child likes and dislikes. Parents who engage with their kids and actively talk and listen to them are usually able to quickly identify their interests. This is a chance to spend quality time together, build a solid relationship and find out more about your kid’s preferences.

Talking to Teachers
Teachers are around your child throughout the day and observe them carefully. The same goes for daycare professionals. Such educators will be in a better position to notice if a child has a newfound interest, skill or talent. Parents should talk to teachers if they want to learn more about their child’s interests. This is a chance to talk to an expert about different avenues to explore in sports or music lessons.

Pay Attention to Downtime
What a child does in his or her “free” or downtime can tell you a lot about his or her interests. For example, if a kid is always outside playing kickball with the neighborhood kids or watching basketball games on television, then he or she may have an interest and affinity for sports. If a child loves listening to the radio, singing or watching music videos online or on television, music may be more up his or her alley.

Try Out Sports and Music Lessons
Signing kids up for various activities is a good way to keep them active, occupied and happy. If a child has shown interest in basketball, it makes sense to sign him or her up for a local team. There are many after-school programs in place for youth today, as well as recreational leagues. Similarly, there are a lot of opportunities for school music programs and private music lessons.

Incorporate Interests into Other Activities
Once a child’s talent or love of sports or music is discovered, it’s time to develop and focus on this interest. On a family vacation, consider taking the time to play sports during the day or playing music in the car. Incorporating budding interests into daily life as well as special events, like a birthday or vacation, is important for your child’s development.

Narrow Down the Interest
It’s not enough to just like a certain sport or a musical instrument. Dedicated parents will take the time to narrow in on this newfound hobby. For example, which sport does the child like the most, and which sport is he or she best at playing? Some kids are better at baseball than football, while others like gymnastics and tennis. For music, it’s important to figure out which instrument or type of music the child enjoys most. Whittling down such extracurricular activities can help your child focus and start working on the necessary skills.

Have Fun!
Parents should constantly be thinking about how to encourage their children to explore their interests. This might mean buying tickets to your child’s favorite baseball team, or it could mean going to local concerts in the park. Exposing children to events and role models is a chance to spend time with them as well as cultivate their interests. This can be something fun for the whole family!

Children who get adequate support in developing their interests are more likely to grow into well-adjusted and confident individuals. Their interests could lead to success both in and out of school, and could even spark something more serious, like a future career. Taking an active interest in what your kids enjoy is a great way to aid their development and build a positive relationship with them.

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Amanda Williams is a blog writer for TakeLessons.com. Since 2006, TakeLessons has provided affordable, hassle-free music lessons to students of all ages. With certified instructors in cities nationwide, students can learn to play the piano, guitar, drums and more.

This is a guest post.