How to Nurture Your Child’s Gifts in Your Homeschool
I’m so thankful you are joining me for the homeschool prayer series! You can learn more about the series here. Find this week’s free printable at the end of this post.
Recently, I was chatting with some friends, and the topic came up about what our kids say they want to be when they grow up. One mama was a little worried that her daughter wasn’t really sure yet, and another friend nodded in agreement.
As homeschool moms, we spend so much time educating our kids that we can get caught up in the weighty responsibility of helping our kids find their calling in this world.
What I realized during our conversation is that we don’t have to have it all figured out. There is only one who sees the big picture, who we should be looking to for guidance each day as we teach and disciple our kids.
Instead of asking our kids, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, I think it can be beneficial to rephrase this question. We should be asking them, “What do you think God wants you to be?” or even better, “How do you think you will use your talents and gifts God has given you to serve others?”
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The truth is, God designed each and every one of our kids, and created them for a purpose. They are fearfully and wonderfully made!
Nurturing Our Children’s Gifts
What an awesome role we have in parenting and homeschooling to help guide them in discovering their gifts, both spiritual gifts or just regular old gifts and talents.
Here are five tips on ways you can guide your kids in figuring out their gifts and nurturing them to grow.
Pray for their relationship with Jesus.
I think that the most important thing we can do is get on our knees in prayer for our children, and for their personal walk with the Lord.
When we are thinking about how we can nurture the gifts they have been given, we need to realize that in the end, there is only so much we can do. Our children need to have their own personal relationship with Jesus – and if we begin by discipling them in their walk with Christ, the better they will come to understand how they are to use their unique gifts and talents.
So be diligent in prayer! Pray that they will have a desire to know Jesus deeply through a relationship with Him, and can therefore better become who they were created to be.
Pay attention.
It’s so interesting to me how different each of my four kids can be – even the differences between my twin girls. God truly made all of them uniquely, with different abilities, personalities, and skills.
As moms, we can help our kids recognize these unique talents when our kids might not pick up on them on their own. So begin to notice what your kids are good at, what they are drawn to, what their personalities reveal. What comes naturally to them? What do they like to do?
Do you have one child who is a great encourager? A leader? One who is always serving or showing care and concern for others? Any who naturally like to teach their siblings in your homeschool?
Take notice of these types of things, and maybe even start a list to keep track of them. Begin talking to them about how God has given them these traits, and share examples of how they might begin to use them to shine their light.
Encourage & invest.
You can never give too much encouragement to your kids when they find something they love. Invest in the things that interest them, show interest, and help them practice and develop their gifts consistently.
Encourage them to use their gifts to serve others whenever they can! This doesn’t just have to manifest in something like volunteering; if your child has a musical talent, maybe they can learn to play for your church. Or if they are great at art, they can do something like create cards for the elderly in your community.
Looking for ways to serve others as a family? Check out my Serving Others Series here for plenty of ideas!
Sometimes you might have to get creative. My son, for example, loves video games at the moment. Initially, it can be hard to see the redeeming qualities that come from playing video games. But when I take the time to watch and learn, I see (for example) great strategy and leadership skills emerging. I can encourage him in many ways because of this, and find ways to help him serve others using these types of skills.
This will of course take time, energy, and patience. But the investment will be worth it.
Give opportunities.
When your kids are younger, they might make comments about “what they want to be when they grow up”, but they most likely won’t truly be able to come to a conclusion about their future until they are older. In our homeschooling though, we can nurture their gifts by giving them room to dream, learn, and grow.
Continue to let your kids explore and try new things to see what interests them and what they are good at. When they find something they are drawn to, go deeper in learning: help them find experts to watch and people to talk to, and learn about the topic as much as they can.
Seek out different classes (either online or in person, such as through a co-op) that can help them pursue their interests.
Pray some more.
Yep, I’m going to say it one more time. Continue to pray, pray, pray, mama!
In addition to praying for your child’s personal relationship with Jesus, pray for all of the wonderful gifts that they have been given. Ask God to reveal to you what these gifts are; to show you how He would have your kids use their gifts as they grow to bring glory to Him and His kingdom.
So often, we put our kids in “all the activities” and try to do all the things, hoping that something will stick. We want them to find their “thing”, the thing they are good at, the thing that will give them a purpose.
I’m definitely guilty of this.
I challenge you to change your focus and goal for the things you invest your precious time in. Commit to help them realize not just how they can bring glory to themselves in what they do, but learning what God would ultimately have them do through their gifts and talents that brings glory to Him.
Prayer For This Week
Heavenly Father, you are so generous and good to Your children. Thank you that through the blessing of homeschooling we have the opportunity to recognize and nurture our children’s unique gifts and talents.
Give me a vision for my children. Reveal to me what You created them to be, their strengths, their purpose. Show me the ways I can help them grow, and be with us every step we take.
Lord, I desire for my kids to know you deeply, and receive those spiritual gifts from You as promised in Your Word. Help me to encourage and teach them to use their gifts not to serve themselves, but to serve the Body of Christ and above all, glorify You.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Join the Challenge
Finally, if you want to join in on the challenge from the very beginning, make sure to sign up below, and you’ll receive a printable prayer and journal pages each week, right to your inbox. Join in any time, and you’ll start the following Monday with Week #1!
Simply click below, follow the instructions, and you’re in.
You’ll also be signed up for the Blessed Homeschool Newsletter and receive my FREE Scripture Memory Cards (designed to complement the prayer challenge) as a bonus.
I would love to hear from you in the comments: what tips do you have to share when it comes to nurturing your child’s gifts and talents?
Related Posts
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- Weary, Homeschool Mama? Here’s How to Find Your Strength
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