Do you watch your grandchildren at play or engage in play with them?  What do they love to play?  Kids are engaged in a lot of different activities, but is there one that stands out?

My grandchildren are now in their teens and twenties and as I look back on each of their lives, I can now see what they played at a young age was a clue to what they are currently doing in their lives.

My oldest granddaughter loved to play school.  When she was 3 and 4 years old, we had a tradition where each Sunday her parents would bring her to my house for pancakes and a visit.  After breakfast, she would gather us together and we would play school.  She was our teacher and we were her students.  It came as no surprise when she received her degree in education. She is currently teaching Earth Science at the high school level.

My grandson always had a head for money.  When he was 5-years-old, someone asked him what he had in his head.  His response surprised us all when he simply said ‘money’.  From that day forward, he was known as ‘money head’.  In May, he graduated from college with a business degree and is now going on to receive his master’s degree in Business Administration.

As a young child, my granddaughter, who is now 14, loved to dance.  She would make up her own dance moves and, even if she did not have anyone to dance with, would be seen just dancing on her own.  At the age of 6, she started ballet and continues to study and practice beyond what is required. I make sure I am at each one of her performances and support her in any way I can.

As parents and grandparents, it is important to pay attention to what our children and grandchildren love to do when they are playing.  When we pay attention to what they love to do as young children, we can better support them as they grow into adolescence and adulthood.  

It is natural for us to want something for our children and grandchildren based on something we either had or didn’t have as we were growing up.  But it is important to see them as individual personalities and souls that are bringing in unique gifts and talents.  When we recognize and support their gifts and talents, our children and grandchildren can blossom and grow into adulthood, being supported by those around them.