Fitting In

Encourage your child to follow creative interests

If your preteen does not like being in a group, it may be tough to find activities she enjoys. She may reject the idea of joining a soccer team or a club at school. She may prefer being alone writing stories or doodling cartoons.

Don’t try to force her into activities she won’t enjoy. Instead, try to help her find ways to channel her creativity. The trick is to seek out challenging, interesting outlets for her. Here are two possibilities:

  1. Publishing. If she enjoys reading, writing and art, encourage her to submit an article or drawing to a kid-friendly publication like Cricket (www.cricketmag.com/pages_content.asp?page_id=6), or to your local newspaper’s editorial page. Whether her work is accepted or not, the experience will be priceless.
  2. Universities. If she finds the academic side of school more intriguing than the social side, nurture that interest. Many colleges and universities offer youth-centered educational institutes, as well as mentoring programs. Go online together and explore her options.

Reprinted with permission from the December 2004 issue of Parents Still make the difference!® (Middle School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2004 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: Marguerite Kelly, “Family Almanac: Channeling the Talents of a Challenging Gifted Child,” The Washington Post, June 11, 2004 (The Washington Post Company, 1-800-627-1150, www.washpostco.com).