Any of us has creative abilities, psychologist Elena Nikolaeva recalls. In order for them to fully open up, the task of parents is to follow the child and be sensitive to his interests, acquaint him with the world around him … and teach him how to work.
“Does your 5-year-old daughter memorize poems on the fly or play the melody she hears on the piano, and does your 7-year-old son easily beat his grandfather in chess? Such giftedness can cause in adults not only delight, surprise, pride, but also confusion: how to use this gift wisely? Will he deprive the child of the usual joys of childhood, other interests and hobbies?
Whatever abilities are discussed, the main responsibility for how exactly they will (or will not) develop lies with the parents: only they can try to assess the prospect, and the child still lives in a momentary mood. But at the same time, we note: the more he is carried away, the more persistently he defends his path. Over-gifting presupposes this inner decision, the readiness of a person to devote himself to something important … at the expense of many others. What is important for parents to remember? Firstly, that any child, regardless of the degree of his giftedness, needs the support and approval of adults. And secondly, about a sense of proportion: support should be precisely sensitive support, when parents constantly remain attentive to the interests and needs of the child, but do not try by any means to force their son or daughter to move towards the goal that seems to be the main one for them.
The temptation to develop the alleged talent in every possible way is great. But by forcing the child, leaving him no time for self-knowledge, you can only grow a performer. And in order to create, you need an opportunity to think. So, it is important for a preschooler to provide sufficient freedom in knowing the world, where he can independently explore the surrounding objects (climb somewhere, feel, try, test for strength …), knowing that you will always insure him and at the same time tell, explain, answer questions. Learning life with the support of an adult, the child forms his own unique picture of the world, on the basis of which he will later create something that no one has yet guessed about. In school years, another task becomes more urgent – to teach the child to work and overcome difficulties. This skill will give the teenager another advantage: if the talent manifests itself later (and this happens often), he will catch up with those who started in early childhood at any age.
Elena Nikolaeva, psychophysiologist, doctor of biological sciences, author of several books, including The Psychology of Children’s Creativity (Rech, 2006).
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“The Drama of the Gifted Child and the Search for Self” by Alice Miller
The Swiss psychotherapist insists that every child is naturally gifted, because he is unique in all his personal manifestations. In an effort to smooth out “uncomfortable”, “atypical” features, parents make him more and more “averaged” (Corvette, 2012).