By Traci Bakenhaster of Adulting University
“How can I help my teen find their peeps? How can I help them find what they’re passionate about or where their strengths are? And how do I help them nurture those passions and strengths once they do find them?”
Sound familiar? I hear these questions a lot from homeschool parents. We as parents want our kids to thrive, we want them to be happy, to find their place in this world, to find others with similar interests, but we often struggle with helping them on the foundational level.
That is why today, we are going to talk about how to unlock your teen’s passions and interests, then help them find ways to get involved that best align with those passions and interests!
Identifying Interests and Passions:
Before we even talk about getting involved in extracurriculars, let’s talk about the foundational piece first. Afterall, how can you know what the best activity or club is if you’re not sure what your teen is truly passionate about or interested in?
We don’t want to do things backwards, that doesn’t help anybody! Here are two ways you can start to help your teen find what they are passionate about and interested in:
1. Observation:
It might sound silly, but simply paying attention to our teens and just observing them can give a lot of insight into what they find most important.
Just try not to be creepy about it, peeking around doorways, snooping through their phone, that is going to cause more issues than help I’m afraid. But you wouldn’t do that!
When we pay attention to the things that our teens give their attention to or talk about, we can get an inside look into what they are passionate about.
Passion is something that we have a natural heart for, something we care deeply about. If your teen is always talking about animals, and how horrible it is that animals are given up by their owners, or animal abuse, this could be a great clue that they may have a passion for animals.
2. Discussion:
I know this one can sometimes be more challenging, especially with teens, but talking to your teenager and asking them about their interests and passions can be very helpful.
And you don’t have to do this in a direct way, just asking open-ended questions about some of your observations, or asking simple questions about what gets them excited? What do they love to do? What is their favorite class or course or project they’re working on right now and why?
Communication is key when it comes to finding your teen’s passions and interests. This also goes without saying, but these conversations should be light-hearted and fun, not serious, or half-hearted. Show your teen you care, offer to take them to do one of their favorite activities or grab ice cream together and just chat!
Aligning Interests with Extracurricular Activities:
We all know how important it is to get involved, especially as homeschoolers… “how is your kid going to get socialized if they’re homeschooled?!”
I know we’ve all heard it, and honestly it is probably the most common phrase/question we get when we tell people we homeschool. Let’s talk about how we can align those passions and interests to finding opportunities to get involved.
Once you have started identifying your teen’s passions and interests, you’ll want to spend some time learning about local clubs, sports, and organizations that your teen can get involved in. You can also look at online opportunities like virtual meetups, book clubs, gaming clubs, and other opportunities.
To find these opportunities, I suggest doing a quick Google search, asking in your local homeschool groups, asking in your local Facebook groups and communities, or even working with experts who can help with this!
Just know, just because something aligns with your teen’s interests or passions, doesn’t automatically mean it is going to be the perfect fit, so you may have to encourage them to try a few before finding one that sticks! But once it does, stick with it! There is a lot of benefit for future jobs, college applications, and more to having quality involvement over
quantity!
Utilizing Extracurriculars for Career Exploration:
I couldn’t write this article without mentioning the importance of extracurricular involvement and career exploration. These experiences aren’t just great to cultivate your teen’s interest or passions, but also can provide meaningful hands-on experience and insight into possible future careers.
In fact, as a career coach for homeschool teens, I ALWAYS encourage students to get hands on and tryout a career before deciding on it, and sometimes the best way to do that is through activities like internships, volunteering, or joining a club or student organization.
These activities can also do a lot of skill building for your teen which will only help them in their future. They’ll learn skills like leadership, communication, and teamwork. All of these and more can be beneficial for any career.
Making the Most of Extracurriculars:
To make the most of any extracurricular activity, it is important to have a goal. Why are you doing this in the first place? Is it getting involved for the sake of getting involved?
Or is it more to try out your interests, build your resume, try something new, and so on? Helping your teen see the bigger picture of why they’re getting involved and then reflecting on their experiences is a game changer.
Conclusion:
As your teen starts finding who they are, what they like, what they’re good at or are interested in, the next step is truly to get involved and find extracurriculars to get involved in around these interests.
Sometimes, they will stay a hobby, while others will be great insight into their career and their future. Involvement is never a waste of time, and it is something I truly believe every teen should do at some point during their homeschooling journey!
