• Reading
  • Science
  • Math
  • Writing
  • Recipes
  • Travel

The Educators' Spin On It

Learning Games and Activities

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Deals
  • Shop
  • Contact

By Amanda Boyarshinov Leave a Comment

Parental Support Matters: Encouraging Your Kids to Follow Their Passion

By Matthew Mayers

Matthew Mayers is a recent engineering graduate of McGill University and an advocate for starting kids off with STEM activities at an early age.  We have connected online (You all know how passionate I am about STEAM) and I wanted to share his message with you.  Sometimes as parents it is hard to peek into our young child’s future and remember that all these little things we do every day add up to be big things as our children become adults. Parenting with purpose truly takes on all forms and it warms my heart to see successful, well rounded college graduates ready to take on the world. This is the story of two awesome young adults who are trying to get kids (and parents) excited about STEM too with their latest project Prismland. They accredit much of their academic and professional success to the support of their parents.  Parenting with purpose makes a difference. Enjoy his article! And thank you MATT for sharing your story.  I can only imagine how proud your parents are of you! ~ Amanda

Parental Support Matters: Read how encouraging your kids to follow their passion can turn out to be a good thing.



Affiliate Links

The Story of Parental Support: It Matters


Anyone who’s seen The Graduate starring a 30 year old Dustin Hoffman knows this story. Fresh out of school, unsettled, and with a future so foggy it’s difficult to predict what we’re going to be doing tomorrow, let alone in 5-10 years. Fortunately, consistent parental support and encouragement has granted us an advantageous asset that not all 23 year olds can proudly say they have, a place to start.

Encouraging Your Kids to Think Beyond the Box

I loved Lego. For years, I would spend weekend afternoons with my lifelong friend, Noah, sitting cross-legged on any available surface pushing the pieces together. We weren’t just playing, we were creating. The bricks, occasionally handed to us by our generous families, became the ultimate outlet for our wild imaginations.

My parents didn’t shower me with new Lego sets on a weekly basis, rather, they encouraged me to break down the structures we made, and create something new with what was available. A new set purchased for a holiday or birthday was considered a treat, thus fostering an attitude of resourcefulness and appreciation for new tools. While I wasn’t conscious of it at the time, this was my first step towards a possible future in engineering.


A sweet quote about parental encouragement: break down the structures to create something new. can truly be applied to any difficult situation


Supporting Your Child’s Passions

As I grew, my desire to explore the process of design was further encouraged by my parents who were happy to get behind my STEM related interests. They registered me for a weekly robotics course where, at the age of 10, I began learning about mechanics and circuitry. In the first activity, “Toy-Autopsies”, we took toys apart and attempted to reconstruct them and return their functionality. We proceeded to spend hours using seemingly unlimited amounts of foamcore, X-Acto Knives, hot glue, motors, and remote controllers to construct primitive robots which we couldn’t be more proud of. I later went on to be a member of my university robotics design team and participated in the design of a lunar rover and an autonomous submarine.

This pattern of encouragement to do what I love early on helped to grant me the fundamental skills, drive, and confidence I needed to ultimately obtain my Mechanical Engineering degree a few months ago. I don’t know where it’s going to take me, but it’s a step in the right direction.


Start your child off at an early age with STEM: Read and Do Early Readers


Encourage Your Children to Follow their Dreams

Jess’ story is a little more uncommon. While a career in the world of art is not always as easy for a parent to support, her parents persuaded her to follow her dream and find a way to make a career out of doing what she loves.

It didn’t take long for Jess to discover her talent for drawing and painting, inherited by her skilled father. She began drawing classes at the age of 6 and continued to do so virtually every weekend until she was 14. She then continued to develop her skills in art class throughout high school and independently at home as her parents bought her art supplies for every birthday throughout her teenage years.


Be There to Support and Advocate for Your Child’s Passions When They Come to a Cross Road.


In high school, she made it her goal to achieve a degree in Biology. She decided that while art was her passion, the sensible path to take was to follow the herd of her social circle and pursue an education in STEM. This wasn’t what she really wanted though and it took a dedicated parent to recognize that. During the university application process, Jess’ father questioned her decision to turn her back on her passion and suggested she look into the Ontario College of Art and Design. At the last minute, she whipped together a portfolio, sent in her application, and aced the interview. Five years later, she has an undergraduate degree in fine arts and a diploma in Graphic Design from Parsons in New York City. She now has the opportunity to do what she loves every single day simply because her father suggested she follow her dreams.

As you can see, we followed dramatically different paths, but they were our own. Thanks to the guidance of our supportive parents, we were able to find those paths and turn them into valuable launching points for what will hopefully be successful careers.

Prismland Kickstarter Picture: STEM Stuffie


To help support them on their most recent adventure – we encourage you to consider donating or sharing their Kickstarter.  The toys are designed by Jess Chen, who is a local Toronto artist and recent graduate of the Parsons School of Design in New York. These plush toys will make for incredible tools to introduce young children to the world of 3D shapes and geometry. They will each include a character-specific booklet detailing their personalities and geometrical properties in a fun, humorous way.You can also connect with them here: Website   Facebook    Twitter   Instagram

For More Parenting With Purpose Articles here at the Educators’ Spin On It, We Recommend:

  • A Father’s Guide to STEM
  • Six Ways I Became a Better Parent
  • Bridging the Gap Between Home and School
  • Moms Fighting Hunger
  • Making Music Every Day
  • Parenting Children with Grateful Hearts
  • Connecting with Adoptive Children
  • Everyday Moments

Like this idea? Pin for later or share now with a friend!

  • Twitter
  • Facebook151

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Parenting, Parenting with Purpose, STEAM, STEM

About Amanda Boyarshinov

K - 12 masters reading teacher, author and mom to 3. Amanda is a National Board Certified teacher with oodles of experience in early childhood education.

« Vocabulary Words Study Tips and Tricks: Acing Your Vocabulary Test
Teach About Community Helpers with Role Playing | A Preschool Lesson Plan »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to our Newsletter!


For ages…

Grade School
Preschool
Toddler
Baby

Search for an Activity

POPULAR POSTS

Virtual Field Trips for Kids
Valentine's Day Activities for Baby or Toddler
Easter Eggs stacked using Playdough for STEM Challenge
10 things to put in a pinata that are not candy
spring virtual field trips for kids with flowers, trees, baby animals and more
February Activity Calendar

GRAB OUR BOOK!

100 fun and Easy Learning Games for Kids Book Cover Standing

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

You Might Also Like

Homemade Valentines Day card Ideas for Kids

20 Adorable Homemade Valentines for Classmates

Valentine Activities for Babies and Toddlers from The Educators' Spin On It

Valentine’s Day Activities for Babies and Toddlers

Valentine's Day Books for kids of all ages

Top 40 Valentine’s Day Books

february activities for school ages

February Themed After School Activities for Kids

Best Place to See Dolphins in the Florida Keys: Dolphin Research Center

Best Place to See Dolphins in the Keys: Dolphin Research Center

Let’s Connect!

Kim Vij

Early childhood teacher, author, speaker and mom of 3. Kim Vij shares ways to make learning fun and parenting an adventure by sharing all kinds of easy kid crafts, activities and even recipes for kids!
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Shop
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023