I want my little girl to be GOOD at something - what can I start her on?

Question

OK I always regret that my parents never pushed me to get a talent or hobby or skill or something. I am a jack of all trades but not really GOOD at anything. Now my little girl is 3. She is just a regular toddler - she does talk very well for her age apparently and tells good stories etc. Well I wanted her to learn something. Like piano or something. I do not have much money though. What would you suggest?

A lot of these famous people like tiger woods, the williams sisters etc started training when they were like 3 or 4 years old. I do not want her to be a superstar but I want her to be able to be proud that she has a talent.

I know talent is sometimes just a natural gift but I think in many cases talent can DEVELOP from putting time and effort into something. Not forcing but just encouraging her.

Thanks for all the answers. I will not choose a best answer because there were many thoughtful responses.

Answer 1

Ask her about what she's interested in. If she's a good story-teller, nurture it and help her get better at it. Don't force her into things she's not interested in. There would be no point in learning if she doesn't enjoy it. Just help her get her way through school so that when she gets older, she'll know how to do her job when she gets older. As she gets older, ask her things about how was school. You might learn something about her that she likes.

Answer 2

I think that is a normal feeling. Unfortunately, you can't make a kid do what they don't want, no matter how talented they are...I wish I would have stayed in ballet or kept up my soccer....but it is alright because I am a pretty well rounded person.
Here are a few things you might get your daughter interested in: Chess (hey, she could be the next (insert name of famous chess player), my father and I used to run marathons when I was little, if I had kept it up, I could have been more than just a Varsity runner....maybe an Olympic runner, plus that promotes a healthy stress reliever for your daughter. Also you can get her into books, since she has good story telling abilities, your daughter might be a great writer someday. She might be too young to read, but helping her with her imagination is never a bad thing. The piano is always a good basis for any musician, and there are some programs that might be affordable (try the YMCA or YWCA). She can also be a pretty good gymnast...although this might lead to cheer leading later, I don't know if THAT is what you want.
Another suggestion, get her art supplies, she may be a very talented little artist, and this skill can be developed later through classes...plus what kid doesn't love doodling away? This is definitely something that practice and effort will pay off into a fun career...graphic engineering, design, fashion, architecture; this talent has no limits.
Hope these ideas helped!

Answer 3

Well, you are on the right track by taking an interest in your child. There are a lot of free programs a the Public Library (story time) and some inexpensive programs at the Y (there are times when they offer free membership). There's also Kindermusic (sp). There are also community rec leagues that offer all kinds of different sports and activities. I guess what I am saying is expose your child to a lot of different activities and see what draws her interest. You can't expect a lot of performance from this age group because they are still developing their coordination abilities. So far as speech is concerned, get some flash cards so she can practice her sounds and words. I love Nick Jr. on cable and NOGGIN--Dora, especially, and all the preschool programs on NOGGIN. We also liked Barney a lot. You can also play ball with your child, take her for a walk as often as you can and play with her in the yard and park so she learns about nature and exercise.

Not all of us can be Tiger and Serena and we can't force that stuff on our kids. Just give them an opportunity to be themselves, but they need to be exposed. Best wishes and Happy Holidays.

Answer 4

Well...I am a music person so i would suggest that she get started in something that is related to music. You can always use music throughout the rest of your life and they say that a musician is good at school. So if she is good at music if you start out on something like the piano or trumpet, than she will most likely get very good grades when she starts school. I would also try getting her into sports. Try softball or something. Or soccer. I hope that this helps and i wish you the best of luck finding a talent for your little girl.

Answer 5

I went through this with my daughter. She tried several different things at an early age and now that she is 8.5 she has picked that she wants to stick with soccer, dance, and learning the guitar. She also does swimming in the summer but more for fun. She is playing club soccer at a competitive level and is on a dance competition team. But let me tell you she was in Tae Kwon Do and even participated in tournaments, she tried figure skating, softball and some languages classes. She still enjoys playing softball and skating but she has decided to just do them for fun. It takes time but start them early. Some people are against that but honestly if a child trys out for her soccer team at the age of 8 with little experience they will have a very small chance of making the team. Thats crazy to me at that age because when I was a kid we didn't start sports until the age of 9 or 10, but my daughter started soccer at the age of 4 and was on a competitive team by the age of 7. So your on the right track to start thinking about getting her involved in something that she enjoys. I would maybe suggest something that maybe you think she would like and if she is willing to do it I would have her try it. If she decides she doesn't like it then try something else. It can get kind of hectic though because at times you may find yourself driving her off to multi activities but eventually she will find what she is good at and stick with it.

Answer 6

Don't push her into anything she doesn't want to do - but you could try horse riding, ballet or a musical instrument - unfortunately the lessons all cost money. On the other hand just enjoy the fact that she is happy and healthy and encourage her to read and write - that way she will do well at school and do well in the future

Answer 7

Awww, deficient you! I can fully grasp your dilema as you're now not there to manage this! I might feel the day care humans might have enjoy handling biting so I am amazed they're doing time-out. My daughter is 19mths historical and I recognize might now not reply to that! I feel you must speak to them and installed a 'plan' that you're joyful with, and possibly spend at some point there together with her your self if you'll. You must be certain that the daycare employees are being observant adequate as at this age the nice process is distraction earlier than a hindrance develops.

Answer 8

I let my kids try several different venues. My daughter took gymnastics--she was horrible (but she's great at pilates & yoga now). We started her on piano, and if she complained, we told her that when she was old enough to make a good decision, she could decide whether or not to continue. At about 12, after 6 yrs of lessons, she quit and she regrets it now. She took years of voice training, though, and her voice is like a meadowlark.

My son was a loner. I told my daughter that she was very musical. He asked, "What am I, mom?" I hadn't seen any outstanding talents just yet, so I said, "You're very creative."

I actually created creativity in my child. After that, he expected himself to think outside the box, come up with new solutions, draw unusual animals on graph paper, made up of objects like wrenches, rainbows, horses head, etc.

He is super mechanical, and he was asked by the school to build a life-sized moving robot out of legos and lego engines. Creative? Yes.

I tried him out on music, he hated it, so I let it drop. He was too young to read music, I think. In sixth grade, he picked up a sax and never put it down. He practices outside and the neighbors applaud.

Your daughter is kinda young to start anything, but maybe they have a gymnastics class for tots. She definitely needs swim lessons every summer until you're convinced she could save herself. My daughter turned swim lessons into a job--$50/45 minutes privately teaching kids to swim.

Make sure there's lots of music--kids music mostly. It's good for their development. When she's 6 or 8, you can try music lessons, buy a keyboard, not a piano. See if she seems talented.

At 5, you could let her try tai kwon do.

Above all, read to her. Read about fictional stuff, and read about Egypt and mummies and the Grand Canyon and the oceans. Read, read, read.

Sounds like this little girl has a fabulous mommy. Sooner or later, your daughter's talents will rise to the surface and you can encourage them at that time. I would only have one or two activities, though. Kids need to have a lot of down time, even bored time, so they can learn to entertain themselves.

TX Mom

Answer 9

It's good that you want something nice for your child, just make sure she wants it too. Be careful not to push too hard, even if she likes something she may get burned out later. Even if she turns out not to have a special talent doesn't mean she will be a failure, maybe her talent is being a loving person and comforting those around her.

Answer 10

Put her in Dance. At that age they teach basic ballet. It help with their motor and development skills. It is also fun for them. I just signed my girls up. They both just turned 4 and 5. They LOVE it!! Plus, they get to dress up. Call around for pricing. For both my girls I pay $60 a month. It really is the best thing. It helps in so many ways. Good luck. Hope this helps...