Evening star., 1939-11-01
Development
OfTalents
In Child
Preadolescence
Is Right Time
For Discovery
BY ANGELO PATRI.

Parents often wonder why their
children do not do certain things
they wish them to do. It would be
nice, they think, II John went to
church, If Mary did well in music,
II Sam was interested In science,
Louise In art. Why Is 1t they don't
care about such things when other
children, not half 80 well advan-
tagged, do very well in them?~
Probably because somebody took
the trouble to subject these other
children to the experiences they
hoped they might accept. That's
the only way one can be sure that
children like, or dislike, certain fields
Of human experience, that they have
. talent or lack 1t. That is why
children between the ages of IL and
II. roughly measured, should enjoy q
school that offers them varied ex-
periences In such activities. II this
time goes by without allowing chill.
dren these experiences, and the
choice Of accepting or rejecting them
without prejudice, there is little hope
Of stimulating them afterward.
There Is time in 4 childs growth
when he dwells in 4 state OF OPEN
mindedness for certain experiences.
Between the seventh month and the
end of the second year, he is wide
open to language stimulus. He
catches at each syllable, each new
word he hears, and works at it until
he gets 1t fixed In his vocabulary.
Between the ages of S and he is
eager to learn to read. Now it is
easy to teach him and he learns
willingly, rapidly, the mechanics of
reading This plan of growth holds
throughout his life. one set of ex-
periences being welcomed after the
other through maturity. 1t is during
preadolescence that children begin
to taste lifelong activities, try out
their skills, discover talents and
tastes. 1t is the function of the
junior high school to furnish op-
portunitieS for these investigations
and discoveries.
Children won't take to art, to
crafts, to trades. to specialized ex-
periences unless they are stimulated
by experiences with these activities.
You never know until you try
whether you can play the violin or
not and the time to find out is just
after your 18th birthday.
But I offered him a violin when
he was 3 years old. And kept At it
until he was S. and he would have
none Of it, Very likely. You see, he
may not have grown the ears for a
violin at 3 or at 5, but he might
have grown them by the time he was
II or Is or IA. You won't know
until you try. Tastes and powers
develop differently in different chill
dren. The genius starts his work
early sometimes, but he is quite GER
tain to show 1t in preadolescent
years.
Don't wish without acting to
bring your wish to fulfillment. If
you want child to enjoy his church
take him there with you. Don't send
him as a duty, but take him along
as an experience you'd hate to have
him miss. If you wish he would love
art take him to the galleries: don't
send him for lesson. If you'd have
him become q scientist fill his ex-
periences with delightful scientific
discoveries and enjoy them with him
The best time for the discovery
and development Of talent is in pre-
adolescence, and the right place is
the junior high school, backed up,
of course. with home influences and
home experiences.