Marketable Hobbies??

[cornflake]

There are general mommy and me music classes, sure. But not formal lessons, which is what the op appears to be looking for. A toddler is not capable of taking formal music lessons. Fun classes to introduce music and songs and let them bang around on a variety of instruments are much more appropriate.

Yes, formal lessons. I was in private, formal music lessons, playing an actual (not toy) instrument, from a little under 2 1/2. As were many other kids in the school. It's not rare, there are methods besides Suzuki's, though he popularized it, but it exists many places.

As I said the school I attended is still in business and I believe starts at 2, for a variety of instruments.

 

[Southernmiss]

I realize that in my reply I gave an indirect marketable skill. Cooking! Why not cooking--always need bakers, personal chefs, etc.?



A wonderful quote I learned in a Mom's group--"For children, play is there work." That's the purpose of childhood--play.

 

[aprincessatlast]

I am going to have to agree with a few others and say your crazy! , however I totally see where you are coming from. I have had your line of thought for years.

I totally look at my kids and think what are things that I can expose them to give them an advantage. Lets face it, who knows if college will be valuable enough to give them that edge down the road. Look at all the kids who have degrees and can not get jobs. You are thinking about it a little early. However I doubth there is harm in that as long as you don't over schedule them.

Two things I always wanted my kids to learn:
Piano
Mandarin (chinese)

I researched chinese schools at one time. Typically each big or semi big city has one. They expose your kids to amazing stuff. I think they start around 3-4. They typically incorporate a lesson in music or dance as well as the mandarin language. It is usually on sundays and it last all through the school year. They teach according to the grade level and learn to read, write, and speak the language. The big question is do you have to be chinese? The answer is no but be prepared to stand out if you are not.

As far as music when I signed my son up for piano they started to push a class for my daughter called Musik Makers. It was interesting and supposedly helped teach them rhythm which later helps with learning intruments and music. Not sure if it really does as I was too cheap to sign her up. LOL

Wanting and doing are two different things. I know for my oldest I had all these ideas but when the second came, then the third, well you get the
idea!

ETA: I have read many articles about over scheduling. I think that the majority of time there are very few things that give a child an edge when exposing them at an early age. Music and language are the only two that I have heard of. The really good sports stars typically where not exposed until they were much older. i.e. high school level

 

[waffles77]

Both learning a language and playing an instrument are important in good brain development. I don't think that it's always important about which language or instrument she picks, she'll have better brain development to think of things when she is older.

Plus, what skill I really think is important to impart with your children is to teach them to work hard and always give it their all. It doesn't matter what hobby or subject, if they know how to work hard they'll be more marketable.

 

[Feckless]

My mom taught piano for 60 years. So, although this is anecdotal, I believe it to be true. A preschool child can be taught to play simple tunes by ear on the piano. However, to move further and to learn to play anything more complex, they will have to be able to read music. Reading music is a skill that is beyond a preschooler (unless the child is a true protege.) Mom taught many children who started with Suzuki or other listening-based programs, and found that these kids all had to relearn how to play once they learned how to read music. For piano, her opinion was that the listening-based programs are nothing but parlour tricks, and in the vast majority of cases are actually counterproductive to producing a good pianist. There are exceptions, as with everything. Also, she found that starting a child at 5 or 6 with a traditional piano lesson was a waste of time for most kids. She said that when you start a child at 8, in 6 months or so they will have caught up to the child that started at 6, and the 8 year old won't be frustrated or bored or burned out.

I am not commenting on the OPs "marketable skills for toddlers" post because others have expressed my opinion quite well already.

 

[Lynne M]

You can't choose a hobby for someone else. By definition, a hobby is something you do because you love to. You have no idea what your daughter is going to love to do, or what her abilities will be. And both will change, frequently, throughout her life. My hobbies now are not the same thing they were 10 years ago, and the hobbies I had 10 years ago weren't the same ones I had 20 years ago.

Please, please, let her find out who she is, and what she loves to do, on her own. If you impose a hobby on her because it's potentially marketable, she's going to hate it, and resent you. Then it's not a hobby, it's job training.

And what if you choose a hobby that she has no ability in? I have zero artistic ability. I can't imagine my mother deciding - before I could even talk - that portrait painting would be my hobby because it would be marketable. I'd certainly never make any money at it, because I'd never be able to paint anything anyone would want to buy.

I've never needed any of my hobbies as a fallback source of income. I don't think most people do. Over my lifetime, I've developed job skills in a number of different professions - those are my fallbacks. I got them from working, not from hobbies that my parents imposed on me. My parents never even suggested a career to me. I found my own, based on my own interests and skills. I'm successful and happy.

You can't plan a child's life like a trip to Disney World. Well, you can try, but it's not going to work. And the minute she can be independent, she's going to go off and live her life the way she wants to, anyway. She'll pick her own career, and her own hobbies.

 

[badblackpug]

Okay, I have 4 kids. I will tell you from experience, that a PP is correct, they don't have "organized activities" for 16m olds because 16m is too young to participate in organized activities. 16m olds need to run, play, explore their environment, and stretch their imagination. 16m olds need to work on language development and communication skills. The mommy and me and gymboree type things are great for mommy socialization and bonding, but organized activities such as classes aren't available for 16m olds because 16m olds aren't capable of following complex instructions.

No one has mentioned this, but I think, if you live in the U.S., the most important thing you can do right now is make sure that your child is fluent in English. I think knowing a second language is a wonderful advantage, but I know families who "don't speak English at home," and their children were far behind their peers when they started school.

Incidentally, if your child doesn't speak or understand English (assuming you live in the U.S.) how do you expect her to participate in any organized activities even if she were old enough to do so?

 

[spacemountainmom]

Okay, I have 4 kids. I will tell you from experience, that a PP is correct, they don't have "organized activities" for 16m olds because 16m is too young to participate in organized activities. 16m olds need to run, play, explore their environment, and stretch their imagination. 16m olds need to work on language development and communication skills. The mommy and me and gymboree type things are great for mommy socialization and bonding, but organized activities such as classes aren't available for 16m olds because 16m olds aren't capable of following complex instructions.

No one has mentioned this, but I think, if you live in the U.S., the most important thing you can do right now is make sure that your child is fluent in English. I think knowing a second language is a wonderful advantage, but I know families who "don't speak English at home," and their children were far behind their peers when they started school.

Incidentally, if your child doesn't speak or understand English (assuming you live in the U.S.) how do you expect her to participate in any organized activities even if she were old enough to do so?

I spent years as a volunteer reading tutor for 1st graders. I tutored many kids who "didn't speak English at home". They definately were at a disadvantage when it came to school. There were several that I ended up tutoring in other subjects as well.

I am all for people being multi-lingual, but in this country it is important to speak, write and understand the English language.

 

[tinkarooni]

I know a mother who feels the same way you do OP. My 12 year old went to preschool with her son. She was always trying to plan for his future, get him the best marketable skills, train him for a career......

Just FYI and flash forward 11 years in your future, the child is an overscheduled, over aggressive mess afraid of failing at anything in life and disappointing his mother, he has few friends because his personality is horrible. He needs to be the best, he needs to succeed and he is 12. Oh and by the way, he hates his mother, literally hates her.....everyone can see it, he speaks poorly of her behind her back and sometimes right to her face.

So the moral of my story would be to lighten up. I hope your post wasn't serious but if it was I strongly recommend that you reconsider your path before you end up like the woman I know. Your child is 18 months old, she is not a marketable commodity, she should be a child.

I also agree with previous poster that it sounds as if the unhappiness you have had in your life means that you are now trying to live vicariously through your child.