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Parenting

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Original poster

Intense Interest - Dinosaurs etc

14 replies

chargedproton · 21/03/2019 19:10

Does your child have a intense interest in anything? When did it start and how did you encourage it?

There’s been research to show that intense interest helps improve intelligence etc

My baby is 6 months so think it’s abit young but would like to encourage something. Dinosaurs is so popular so any other suggestions would be helpful.

Thank you

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Beechview · 21/03/2019 19:23

Both my ds were obsessed with dinosaurs. They’ve read hundreds of books on them and watched any programme about them and Jurassic Park films.
They moved on to other stuff like extreme weather, volcanoes and anything about the natural world.
I didn’t really do anything except follow their cues.
I let them get dinosaur books every time they went to the library (even after they’d read them all). I let them watch things that I thought they’d be interested in.
Now that they’re older, they are naturally drawn to science and geography at school.

Shutityoutart · 21/03/2019 19:26

My ds is mad about dinosaurs. Even his teachers have remarked how good his dinosaur knowledge is. He’s only 4, but he likes to watch anything with dinosaurs, so any documentaries etc. I just let him get on with it. I don’t force anything, my other ds is 6 and has lots of interests but nothing specific .

JassyRadlett · 21/03/2019 19:27

You can’t force it. Expose them to lots of different things and ideas, and chances are something will take hold.

DS1 is objectively very bright and does about 9-month ‘deep dives’. We’ve had dinosaurs, the Stuart period in British history, Star Wars, Alfred the Great and currently football. We make sure to keep the other stuff coming so that he stays well rounded and can hold a decent conversation. Like beechview’s kids, he loves science and geography as well as history.

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Processedpea · 21/03/2019 19:31

Yes the titanic. He used to build Lego titanics and reenact the sinking every bath time he was very obsessed we didn't initially encourage it

Farmerswifey12 · 21/03/2019 19:32

My DC has an intense interest in the tumble dryer, washing machine, switching sockets on and off, the iron and jumping off the couch while shouting "fallll". None of which recommend

He also does love anything with wheels or that moves. Planes and trains especially. Loves to go watch planes at airport

Processedpea · 21/03/2019 19:32

Other son was obsessed about the tube

BlueMerchant · 21/03/2019 19:32

My DS was creature obsessed, especially insects. Was always in the garden looking for bugs and on a weekend we would visit forests and other outdoor places where there were plenty of bugs. He would read books about insects from an early age and buy models. He then progressed onto reptiles and amphibians and the rest of the animal kingdom.

JassyRadlett · 21/03/2019 19:33

Processed, you don’t live in New Malden do you?

If not, there’s more than one of your son.

PhilomenaButterfly · 21/03/2019 19:33

You wait for them to have an interest in something.

Greyhound22 · 21/03/2019 19:34

DS is obsessed with clocks. He has been since he was about 2 he is now 4. It's odd 🤷‍♀️ but there you go.

He can take them apart and put them together again. For Christmas he had a 'Build Your Own Clock' aimed at 8 years plus. Santa looked a bit perplexed about that one.

Sometimes I feel a bit sad that he isn't into dinosaurs or Thomas the Tank Engine but there you go. We did try to stem the obsession at one point but soon realised it was fruitless.

QueenOfCatan · 21/03/2019 19:35

My DDs started at 8mo so you might not be far off! She was obsessed with birds until fairly recently (now 2y4m), she could identify 10 garden birds by a year old ish, started with the pigeons on the roof opposite our living room window and continued from there. She still likes birds but not too the extent that she did, you only had to mention a sparrow for her to run to the door to watch it!

She's now moving into the dinosaur stage like a typical toddler

Namenic · 21/03/2019 19:37

Went through phases: car makes, then models, then lifts, tube lines, calculators

The other one liked: ducks, sticks, balls

QueenOfCatan · 21/03/2019 19:40

Oh, re encouraging it, we didn't do much tbh. Asked for some of the rspb toy birds for birthday and Christmas the first year, they were her favourite toys for a good year! Got her some books about birds, found "bird videos for cats" on YouTube occasionally. But she got us into birdwatching really, we've learnt a lot about birds thanks to her and go to birding sites nearby for walks which has been lovely.

Wallsbangers · 21/03/2019 20:11

Or you could just let them develop their own interests and let them just be little.

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