My children have many interests and talents. I am sure yours are no different. From fly tying and whips to gaming and anime, the interests of our children don’t just provide educational value, they fuel students to take control of their education.
I have been talking quite a bit about my children’s interests on my website this past year. I generally refer to them as Passion Projects and we devote a significant amount of time each week to developing their talents. This all began when I discovered the 10,000-hours rule and its application to today’s youth, 10K to Talent.
10K to Talent
10K to Talent was written by Jonathan Harris, a homeschooling father of 8 children who wanted to give his children an inspiration to develop early in their life a focus and a drive to cultivate something that they would eventually be very, very good at, and maybe even something that they could use to provide for themselves with a generous living.
What is the 10,000 Hours Rule ?
The 10,000-hours rule is the principle that it takes 10,000 hours of concerted focus, training, and learning in order to become an expert within a specific field of human activity.
In other words, it takes about ten years of dedication with four hours of daily training to become one of the world’s best within your chosen field or talent. Ten years of that regimen will place you among the top ten people in the world who are doing the same thing you are doing.
What is 10ktoTalent ?
10ktotalent is the 10,000-hours rule as applied to children. It’s about crafting a custom strategy for your child so he can find something specific and early enough around which he can focus the many hours needed to achieve lift-off. 10ktotalent also teaches you how to turn a beginning talent into something that will make sense to your child’s adult life.
Can a gaming hobby, such as Minecraft, be turned into a real long-term talent? The answer is … Yes!
If your child is as passionate about gaming as my son, you’ll love the podcast Can Minecraft Be Turned Into a Talent? Together, Jonathan Harris and his wife, Renee, discuss the application of the 10,000-hours rule as it applies to Minecraft.
They share adult skills and experiences that their son is learning as he explores his interest in this popular gaming platform. Skills I didn’t even think of!
Regardless of their area of interest, the hours devoted to encouraging your child’s passions and growing his skills in a particular area can all be translated into life experiences that will serve him well as an adult.
-originally published November 2015
Eva is passionate about education. She has extensive experience in both formal and informal settings. She presently homeschools her two young children (Academia Celestia), teaches professional development courses through the Heritage Institute, and writes a middle level science curriculum called Science Logic. In her spare time she enjoys reading, traveling, learning new languages, and above all spending time with her family. ♥
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