DEVELOPING TALENT IN YOUNG PEOPLE by Dr. Michele Borba Ed. D

 Kelvin Wakoli in Action, he was not born playing this, He is a pupil at  Don Bosco Primary School; he has been enabled. INF appreciates all the individuals who are passionate in building the bright future of our childern especially through their talents. 

 Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Natural Gifts

Here are the steps to apply Bloom’s research to nurture your child’s unique gifts. Remember, the goal is NOT to produce a next Olympian, Nobel Prize or Oscar winner, but to help your child be the best he or she can be. Keep the perspective, right?

Identify “the gift.” Bloom found that the parents’ first step was to recognize their child’s unique talent. (By the way, even gifted children typically show exceptional talent in one or two areas only—not in everything). So watch for areas your child shows intense interest or passion (such as piano, computer, geology, violin, English history, mythology, math).

Make it be your child’s passion. Be sure it’s your child’s interest—not yours. Then choose one –and certainly no more than two-talents or strengths at one time so your child can really explore that interest more in depth and you can discover just how strong the interest is.

Emphasize encouragement. The parents made sure their children’s early talent development was positive, fun and not pushed.

Make practices enjoyable. The parents made their practices enjoyable and usually sat with their kids as they practiced.

Provide resources to cultivate the talent. The children’s talents improved because parents constantly provided the necessary resources to nurture their skills.

Show interest. Parents attended every major activity to show support, and often learned the skill themselves just so they could spend more time with their child. They encouraged – not pushed. They usually followed their child’s lead.

Stand by your child–win or lose. Each superstar had an encouraging parent standing by his side, celebrating his wins and cushioning his loses.

Focus on the talent. All parents placed great emphasis on their children’s evident talents and spent tremendous time cultivating it for years.

There ya go! We can use those strategies for all our kids. Go find your child’s natural gifts. Encourage them! Provide opportunities for your child to stretch that talent. Then follow your child’s lead.

Dr. Michele Borba, Parenting Expert

Bloom’s research found that these world-class talents weren’t simply born talented—they were brought up to become talented. Although each child’s road to achievement differed slightly, their parents all used remarkably similar practices to nurture those gifts.