Today, your child is crazy about dinosaurs. Tomorrow, it could be insects, photography, ballet, or any number of passion projects that may strike their fancy. As a parent, it can be difficult to keep up with your child’s changing interests, but it’s important that you do.
Here are five benefits of encouraging your child to follow their passions, however fleeting they may be.
- Pursuing Passions Releases Dopamine
When you force your child to do something, they don’t feel joy. When they do something that they want to do, however, their brain kicks into overdrive, releasing substantial amounts of dopamine. The feel-good chemical, dopamine, makes your child feel joy and a sense of accomplishment. It also keeps them focused and encourages them to keep hard at work, developing their talents in any given area.
A child that feels joy while doing a certain task will perform that task more often and become better at it. Any advances or accomplishments that come from their efforts will go a long way in increasing their self-esteem. Who doesn’t want their child to feel good and to feel good about themselves?
- Multiple Interests Help Your Child Find Themselves
Self-discovery is a process that can take a lifetime, which is evident by the number of adults who are still trying to figure out who they are and what they’re passionate about. By allowing your child to pursue multiple passions and hobbies, you can help them discover themselves much more quickly.
By engaging in multiple activities, your child will quickly discover what they like to do and what does not hold their interest for long, which will not only help them develop their own identity but also help them decide what they want to be when they grow up.
- Passion-Based Learning Is Rooted in Science
Of all the learning models practiced today, passion-based learning is garnering some well-deserved respect. Passion-based learning involves finding what a child is passionate about and using that passion to inspire learning.
When a child is passionate about something, they will want to study it and will enjoy a greater understanding of the subject matter. More and more teachers are finding that passionate students are integral to student engagement.
- Interests Will Keep Your Child on the Straight and Narrow
When a child gets bored, they are more likely to pursue or engage in behaviors that you would frown upon. A child that is constantly engaged and busy, however, gets into less trouble and stays on that straight and narrow path.
Sports are one way that kids can burn off excess energy and stay out of trouble because sports keep children engaged. Interests, whether they are physical in nature or not, will also help your child learn self-discipline and goal setting.
- Hobbies Help Your Child Form Connections with Others
When your child pursues a hobby or activity that they’re passionate about, they’re more likely to share that knowledge with others and/or seek out others with the same interests. Their interest in a passion project could very well become the hub of their social circle.
By connecting with other like-minded individuals, your child can build relationships that could serve them well into adulthood and beyond. The right relationships may even open doors for your child in the future that you can only dream about now.
If you want your child to follow their passions and pursue hobbies, enroll him or her in a school that will support them in their endeavors. The Miniapple International Montessori School has a strong philosophy that promotes individual learning and development in the classroom and beyond.