If only parenting were so simple, one could think that children’s capacity for boredom would be matched by a thirst for all things novel. For many kids, trying new things—whether a new cuisine, hobby, or skill—is challenging. They know what they like and they enjoy what they are familiar with.
Over the past few years, there has been reduced access to novelty and the unknown. Among other missed chances, there was less exposure to other people’s food, fewer playdates with new friends whose houses had different smells, tastes, and rules, and fewer extracurricular activities and travel. Making matters worse, Covid-19 made the world a frightening place where experiencing anything new or unknown came with a higher danger of contracting a disease.
“Children that are apprehensive tend to dislike uncertainty, unpredictability, and change and favor predictability, familiarity, and repetition. According to Eli Lebowitz, director of the Yale Child Study Center’s Program for Anxiety Disorders and author of “Breaking Free of Child Anxiety and OCD: A Scientifically Proven Program for Parents,” “those last three phrases are a huge part of living through the epidemic.”
Parents should expose their kids to a diverse range of people and experiences. do so in the hopes that they would broaden their horizons and develop an open mind, acquiring a variety of hues with which to paint their personal histories.
Here are some tips from professionals on how to encourage your kids to try new things without frightening them.
- Start With What They Are Familiar With
Encourage your children to attempt something they currently enjoy or are good at in a new setting or in a little different manner
“We want our children to be confident in their abilities and utilize that as a platform for trying new things. What skills do our children have? What do they feel at ease with? “How can we assist them in that? For instance, “What is another location where they can play that instrument, assuming they play a musical instrument?”
Find a chance to encourage your kid to attempt something new with the talent or activity they already have.
- Make a list
Request a list from your child or ask them what new experiences they would want to try. Help them identify their concerns when they refuse to try new things, whether it’s a new sport or food.
Identifying and acknowledging concerns might occasionally be beneficial in reducing them. It helps you comprehend the relationship between feelings, thoughts, and behaviors and helps you feel in control of your emotions.
You could ask them to consider engaging in a hobby they enjoy doing as part of an activity.
“It will show them how even though there may be a small risk involved (in trying something new), the reward may be great,”
- Encourage And Sympathize
Parents and guidance who are responsible for children should have practice in acknowledging their worries as well as expressing trust in their abilities. Both are equally significant and occasionally contradictory. Some people have a tendency to persuade kids that what they are afraid of is not dangerous, which can diminish their feelings. Others have a tendency to reassure them and say that it’s okay if they don’t want to do something that makes them nervous, which might help to justify their worries.
Let them know upfront that you are aware of their fear or difficulty. Justify it. don’t end there.
It’s crucial to provide assurance to your child. “Say that you believe they have the ability to overcome those obstacles and put up with any discomfort, anxieties, or uncomfortable thoughts that may arise from trying anything new or frightening.”
Children view their parents and caregivers as mirrors. When a parent produces a reflection of themselves that is weak, helpless, or vulnerable, that is how they perceive themselves.
