Nurturing Your Child's Passion: Three Steps to Guide Them Toward Their Calling
By Ryan Wittstock, ICS social studies faculty
Kara Frazee (7th), Torah Buckley (7th), and Vera Adema (7th) on the first day of school.
Intermountain Christian School (ICS) believes God places a unique calling on each child's life. The ICS commitment to biblical truth combined with academic, artistic, and athletic excellence fosters an environment in which each student's calling can be clearly heard and joyfully followed. ICS teachers strive to encourage and build your student’s ability to learn and grow in what they love to do. As parents, helping your child find their calling is a blessing. Here are three practical steps we recommend you might take to help them find their true calling.
1. Helping your child understand their passions is exposing them to a wide range of activities.
This can often be completed through school extracurriculars, neighborhood clubs, local district activities, at-home projects, etc. It is not difficult to find things for kids to do, especially in Salt Lake City, UT. However, this step is deceptively difficult - kids will often be tempted to quit things that they do not immediately find success within. It is a blessing and opportunity for parents to encourage their children to follow through with activities to truly explore them to the fullest. As they get older and try more activities, they may focus on a certain area that they have found success in and pursue it as a varsity sport, a travel league, a set of lessons and recitals, or even as a commitment at church, in the community, or as a job.
2. Provide a supportive environment for your children.
Allow them to explore healthy activities freely, but also encourage them when they find something that they truly enjoy. Listen actively to your child and express genuine interest in what they are doing. Set aside dedicated time for the activity and emphasize its importance in their schedule as well as your own. If they are older, help them network and meet people who are doing what they love and can connect them with others. It’s important to understand that kids are looking to parents for guidance, even if they don’t act like it. They want to know that what they are doing is good, useful, and making a positive impact in their lives.
Vivian Conway (6th) completes an art project.
3. Help your child set goals and access resources.
Help them understand the value of hard work and perseverance, along with setting goals regarding internships or opportunities. Children, even older teenagers, struggle to get moving on tough projects without actionable goals in mind. A deadline and regular check-ups will push them to continue to build their love of their skill. It will also give you a means to provide prayer, encouragement, and extra help to them as they pursue their goal.
Keaton Okino (12th) pitches for the Lions during the 2023 season.
By taking note of and praying through these recommendations— praying for and with your child for their wholeness and well being in Christ, exposing your child to different activities, creating a supportive environment, and helping them set goals— you can play a big role in nurturing their passions and guiding them toward a future they're truly excited to pursue and build.
Overall, we as Christians know the one who holds the future of our children in His hands. This fact brings peace to parents as they guide their children through life. This biblical fact sets us apart from the world and allows for true dependence on Christ. This can bring peace in the midst of an unknown future. Our ICS faculty and staff find great joy in partnering with your family in helping your child discover their God-given calling that will further advance His Kingdom here on Earth in ways we cannot fathom.
Resources
Interested in exploring more resources on this topic? Check out this broadcast by Focus on the Family on Encouraging Children in Their Unique Calling.