Helping our kids find their passion.

Since becoming a mother and even before then when I worked with children, I always felt the urge to cultivate their interests as much as I can. I always want to take something they are interested in and give them a boost to help them really explore what they may be passionate about. When you see their little faces brighten when playing a certain game or exploring nature, it makes you want to learn more and grow that experience into something lasting for them. 

As a mom to a timid five year old, I have tried to ease him into activities that he thinks he will like. He loves being a part of a group, but isn't necessarily the most outgoing kid. I know from experience that in that position it's not easy to create lasting bonds and build friendships unless you truly have common ground. So, when our children show interest in an activity, especially one that creates learning through play, we try to support them in every way we can. 

Over the past few years, we have encouraged Jonah to participate in structured and unstructured activities. I have written here before about him having a love for nature and animals and I've also written several times about him playing T-Ball on a local team over the past couple of years. I think his love for nature is something that we will continue to grow and as he gets older we, as a family, can explore more and continue to grow that curiosity of the outdoors. 

A little more out of his comfort zone though, is play amongst friends... well friends that aren't related to him. He does so well when he loves what he's doing. He loved t-ball but I think mostly because his daddy got out there with him every game. He grew from the first year to the second and you could see him start to blossom. He developed some great skills, physical ability and life skills while playing on a team. I don't know if he'll continue next year, but we will definitely give him the choice. 

In the spirit of finding things that he is passionate about, though, I thought we would try something different this year to keep him active all year long. Last year, he participated after pre-school in a basketball learning program and he really liked it, but this year he decided with a little encouragement from me, to try gymnastics. 

I haven't taken any photos of him in action yet, so the living room practice will have to do! 

From the time he could walk the boy taught himself how to make a soft place to land and is never afraid to become airborne. No piece of furniture in our house is safe, so we took that and let him try his hand at some skills attached to that type of play. He is in love with gymnastics. He's in a small group and he is physical and active while having to be a good listener at the same time. He is learning how to control his body and to also let loose and jump into the big pit of foam! He loves to go out in the back yard and practice his cart wheels and donkey kicks. He may get some practice in in the house too, but there's always something to keep him active! 

Another thing I learned as he became more active outdoors and testing his body's ability and strength is that keeping him hydrated and well fed is a top priority. We always try to make sure he's had enough to eat, drink, and even a little rest before lots of playing. We reach for easy things because we are always on the go and he has fallen in love with the power packed into a good CLIF Kids Zbar and a bottle of water. Something about putting that water in a bottle just encourages them to actually drink it! 

Jonah comes in from gym at about 5 o'clock, so we aren't quite ready for supper but he still needs a pick me up after expending all that energy. Good snacks have to be part of building a healthy lifestyle and CLIF Kid® makes delicious and nutritious snacks from organic ingredients that are specially-crafted for kids’ developing taste buds and active lives.

Now I want to know how you are cultivating passion in your children. I am sure we will be going in a million different directions as the boys get older - I'm think football or wrestling for Ezra (lol) - but I always want to learn and grow more with them while keeping them active and outside! 

Take a minute to watch this inspiring video from CLIF and tell us in the comments what your kids are passionate about these days! 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.