Seeds of Interest
Which activities the child is drawn to right now — making, or exploring, or expressing, or helping?
What it measures
This is not for steering the child toward a profession — that is the last thing an eight-year-old needs. The benefit is in exposure: what the child leans toward is widened, so their attachment to school grows, and what they have not tried is tried before its door closes for no reason.
How to read the result
Array
Before administering
Say to the child: "I am going to ask you about things you like to do. There is no right and wrong in it, and nobody is going to give you a grade. Answer about what you like." And sit close to the child if they are in the early grades and read the items out to them.
Its limits
Childhood interests are unstable, and they are affected by what the child has tried lately and by the people around them. This is a picture of this term, not a map of their future, and it is not fit for steering them into a track and not fit for judging their ability.
Its dimensions
- Making and BuildingWhen high: Drawn to what is made by hand and whose result can be seen.
- Exploring and AskingWhen high: Asks “why” and likes to know the reason.
- Drawing and ExpressingWhen high: Expresses themselves through drawing, story and voice.
- Helping OthersWhen high: Is at ease helping classmates and working with them.