Exploring interests

The choices children consider for career paths are related to their interests AND their belief that they can perform well in activities related to them. Children need their parents to expose them to a wide variety of areas so that they have the opportunity to develop interests. They also need their parents to support and reinforce their pursuits so that they stick to their efforts and develop confidence that they will be able to pursue these interest areas successfully.

How can I help my child identify interests?

It is important that your children learn to identify their interests and understand why their interests are important to their future. You are in the position to observe your children at play and, at a very early age, they will show their interests to you. You can talk to your children about the interests you observe. Ask:

You can also help your child identify interests that you have not directly observed. Ask:

Help your child explain what aspects of these activities they like and why they think they like them. Assist your child to develop the language skills to talk about their interests now and in the future.

What about formal interest assessments?

Many middle and high schools offer interest assessments to their students. Interest assessments measure what your children know about their interests. If they have not tried an activity, they will not know if they like it and will typically rate that activity as of low or unknown interest. If your children use an assessment instrument, discuss with them which of the activities they were not familiar with and if they would like to try any of them.

Keep in mind:

What if my child does not seem to have any interests?

Your children do have interests. Pay attention to:

Discuss what your children like or dislike about each activity.

Expose your children to new activities. Take them to:

Let your children try extracurricular activities like:

Encourage your children to start collections and help them decide what will be in that collection.

After identifying interests, what is next?

Tie interests to occupations, careers paths, and school subjects. For example, an interest in the outdoors could lead to careers ranging from gardening to oceanography, or an interest in helping people could lead to careers from teaching to medicine. If your children have a list of possible careers from interest assessments, make sure they consider careers related to those on the list as well. For example, if computer programmer is on the list, your child could also explore web development, video game development, networking, and computer support.

How can I nurture my child's interests?

You can encourage your children to do things that reflect their interests. This builds skills in and knowledge about the area. It expands their understanding of the field, possibly leading to other, new interests. It also fosters self-confidence about pursuing that interest area in the future. For example: