Everyone wants their child to stand out for the right reasons. All children can stand out and have the potential to really shine in their own way. A child who loves art but hates sports is not going to stand out because they’ve made the school football team four years in a row. They’ll stand out for their art. The same goes for anything that your child is interested in. There is no single answer or formula for the question of how to make your child stand out, but there are things that you as a parent can do to really give your children the edge and set them well on their way to being the best at what they do.
Attitude
Regardless of your age, your attitude is one of the most important attributes that affects how people perceive you. A positive attitude is infectious. People remember positivity and people feed off it. Creating a positive atmosphere at home and instilling positivity in your child from an early age can set them up for a positive future; one where they are always remembered and noticed for the right reasons.
Confidence and resilience can also really make your child stand out. Naturally, not all children are the most confident or resilient but this does not mean that they cannot grow in their confidence and resilience over time. Creating a positive atmosphere of ‘cans’ instead of ‘can’ts’ gives children the freedom to try things out for themselves and independently realise their potential. Through this, children learn to be independent and grow in confidence. It is vital that when children do this, their failures are not treated negatively. They need to know that failing is both normal and fine and it is a part of them learning. Growing their confidence and resilience hugely gives children an edge and helps them to become great leaders in group activities, certainly helping them to stand out in the right way.
Extra-curricular activity
Whatever your child likes to do, there is probably an extra-curricular activity that they can get involved in relating to it. There are clubs for all manner of interests now. Gone are the days when extra-curricular activities were simply sewing and sports.
Getting your child into an extra-curricular club gives them an edge; a leg up. Clubs allow children to hone in on and develop skills that they don’t always get the chance to in the classroom. Maybe your child is a martial artist or a budding coder. Both are skills which cannot be taught in lessons but both are also important transferable skills that will benefit them as they age.
Look into what your child is interested in and start asking questions at school and beyond to see if there are any activities they can get involved with. For budding coders, there are regular after school clubs run in the midlands by us, The School of Coding, along with clubs in the school holidays too. Extra-curricular activities don’t just keep your child busy, they could be the deciding factor in setting up their future careers.
Reading
All reading is good reading. Period. Reading regularly extends your child’s vocabulary whilst also making them more creative and open to the world around them. The openness and imagination that reading gives children is something that cannot be taught and goes miles in regards to making them stand out.
Reading makes children more independent and self-confident, the more they read, the better at it they become and so the more they start to believe that they can find out and achieve what they set out to. Reading helps children to be better problem solvers as it gives them the foundations they need to understand any obstacles they may face in other subjects or areas of life.
There is a common misconception that all children should be reading books and books alone. While books are brilliant as they vary by genre and type and there is a book for everything, not everyone loves books. Some people love fiction, some people love magazines, and some people think they never read, but do it without realising. Children are the same. If your child is not a natural reader but you still want to help to get them into reading, take a look at the things they like. Maybe a magazine on their favourite hobby, or an article about a sports team they like could be a better route into reading for them. Even if your child fervently hates reading but loves gaming or television for example, turning on the subtitles on their games or on the TV can still count towards getting them some extra reading in.
Any extra reading your child does is good, and the more they do, the more they will stand out over time, especially to their English teachers who can spot avid readers a mile off.
Tuition
Don’t be afraid to get your child into tuition if they are struggling. It can be the difference between them blending in or standing out. People tend to be split on tuition, with some people firmly in the against camp and some firmly in the for. As with anything, when embarking on new activities for your child, your child is the main focus. Consider what they can and can’t handle and how they react to things. Not all children will respond well to tutoring as an idea or prospect, however, almost all children will respond well to praise, encouragement, and progress. That is what tutoring is.
A little extra work can pay off in the long run, and even if your child does not attend tutoring, ensuring all homework is done and they are up to date with school work can make a difference too. Again, it is dependent on your child and what they like and what they are like. If they are struggling with something though, early intervention is key and addressing any issues head on can change a possibly crushing situation into a confidence boosting one.
As mentioned at the beginning of this post, there is no single formula for making your child stand out and in their own time and way, all children will somehow, but there are little things you can do to help them out.
The most important thing to remember, despite what your children may say to you, it is cool to stand out if you are doing so for the right reasons. Be there to support and encourage them, make sure they have plenty of time to relax and blow off steam, and nudge them in the right direction when they need it and everyone will see just how much of a star your little stars are in no time.
