Does your child express that they want to quit a hobby? Discover a process to help understand why and the plan for it!
Hobbies are invaluable for kids. In fact, according to experts, hobbies in early life help children to discover themselves, build their confidence, and learn all about commitment.
The trouble is that, before they can truly land at this veritable benefit feast, most kids pick up and drop hobbies like they’re going out of fashion. Of course, to some extent, this is entirely natural. Children can’t grasp what a long-term commitment to a hobby means, nor do they know what’s going to suit them.
In that respect, you could say that the more hobbies they try, the better chance they have at developing a realized sense of self. The trouble is that when you’ve paid for a full term of soccer classes or invested in the best violin you could find, this quitting habit is often a difficult pill to swallow.
Regardless, you must know how to positively handle your child’s desire to quit their latest hobby. Far from forcing them to continue, you should bite your tongue, put that money to the back of your mind, and instead take the following steps to ensure that an exit strategy is the right solution.
Has your child wanted to quit a hobby?
Take time to understand their reasoning
As soon as your child expresses a desire to quit, take time to understand their reasoning. In most cases, you’ll discover that their so-called ‘dream hobby’ hasn’t lived up to their expectations and, in this instance, no good can come of forcing them to continue. However, in some cases, a sudden reluctance comes from unexpected challenges or inappropriate teachers. Make sure that neither of these issues are getting in the way, and if they are, consider alternatives that let your child hold onto that violin and learn to love this much-desired hobby at last.
Explain what quitting means
It may seem obvious to us but, from a child’s perspective, the permanence of quitting isn’t always apparent. It may be, for instance, that summer rolls around and the temptation of playing with their friends is much more a pull until next winter when they assume they can start straight up again. While you don’t want to push your child into sticking with something they don’t love, make sure that they know they can’t go back once they quit. Make them think about it for at least a week or so, and only take steps to cancel lessons etc. if they’re still adamant after that.
Help them find the next thing
If you spent a great deal on equipment and lessons for the last hobby, the idea of helping your child to move onto the next can seem unappealing. In reality, though, the best thing you can do here is to help your child find a new hobby that suits them better. Whether they express a desire to get into sports, cooking or anything in between, you should do what you can to facilitate the interest. You just might want to hold off spending anything this time until you can be sure that it’s the right route once and for all!
