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Do you dream of your child becoming the next Mozart or Picasso? Parents can help their child unleash his or her creative potential. Childhood is an opportune time to cultivate a skill or ability. Many children have the ability to learn and absorb instruction like a sponge.
Attitude
As a parent, encouragement and support can help your child go far. Speak positive words and pay special attention to accomplishments. If your child makes a mistake, remind your child that mistakes are just a part of learning. Be sure to hold no rigid expectations for your child. If an activity becomes high pressure immediately, chances are that a child will stubbornly refuse to take part. In an ideal situation, you want your child to be intrinsically motivated. This means that your child desires to take part in the activity as derived from his or her own interest. Like a coach, you can help motivate your child during slumps, but your child has to be interested in the activity to stick with it.
Effort
Provide your child with the materials necessary to take part in an activity. For example, if your child has an interest in ballet, you can accompany him or her to choose a ballet school and purchase equipment at a ballet clothing store. Take your child to ballet classes consistently. If he or she begins to show heightened interest, consider going a step further and sending your child to private lessons.
Exposure
It may be a good idea to expose your child to several activities to see which activities he or she is naturally inclined toward. What if your child wants to quit? Stick with it consistently for a period of time to make sure that quitting isn’t just a phase. Before your child quits an activity, you may want to have a reflective discussion on why he or she wants to quit.
