How to observe your child's strengths and weaknesses
Every child comes programmed with particular gifts of talent and natural ability. Parents can help children identify areas of strength by watching them at play and while performing the routine tasks of daily life. Becoming aware of strengths and weaknesses can assist a parent in guiding a child towards a future path of satisfaction in life. Jenifer Fox, author of "Your Child's Strengths" advises that becoming aware of their strong and weak points can help children make the most meaningful contributions to life.
Instructions
Watch Your Child at Play
Observe your child during imaginative play. When children are lost in the pretend world of imagination, their unique ways of viewing themselves and expressing their preferences are easy to observe. Observe a child in social play. Take note of the way they position themselves with playmates. Is he a leader who likes to take charge? Or does he prefer to observe before entering an activity? Observing the way children play together can provide lots of clues to a child's strengths and weaknesses. Watch to see how your child plays with toys. In "Your Child's Strengths," Fox, a child development expert, points out that strengths reveal where people experience positive feelings. In watching your child play with colored blocks, for example, you may notice he is happiest about the patterns he artistically creates or instead with the structures he builds. Look to see if he exhibits these preferences in other forms of play, and you may see if has artistic or engineering abilities. Listen Closely and Ask Questions
Listen attentively to your child to determine what he enjoys. Ask open-ended questions, that is questions that require more of a response than a simple yes or no. Follow up with more questions and listen to hear where your child feels his strengths as well as weaknesses lie. When talking to your child, avoid evaluating him on everything he says and does. Young children like to please and will often take on what an influential adult approves of in order to receive positive attention. Instead, ask your child what he likes about an activity instead of praising or critiquing his performance. Use opportunities to listen to your child talk to people other than you. A child may be honest with peers and reveal what he is afraid of -- a strong indicator of a weakness. If he worries aloud about presenting a report in front of the class, for instance, you may have added insight into a weak area in which he needs more confidence-building work. Quirkiness May Stand for Strength
Fox tells parents that small quirks can be clues to personality that can reveal the deepest strengths. Rather than discourage a child's preferences that may not conform to the social norm, parents can recognize these traits as innate strengths and keys to what gives a child the most satisfaction. Take note of the things your child does and record them in a journal. Observe what brings him the greatest joy and happiness, and what things keep his attention the longest. Write down what he says and does first thing upon waking up, and notice what is on your child's mind just before going to bed. These insights often reveal deep feelings of confidence or worries about failing. Avoid comparing your child to a sibling and expecting him to be the same. Every child is very different so acknowledge their particular strengths instead of reminding them of how they are not like other children. Resist the urge to become personally invested in what you hope to discover to be your child's strengths. His strengths may be very different than what you expect, but they will be right for your child.
