“Intense interests fuel curiosity and focus—a key component of executive function,” says Dr. Dimitri Christakis, the director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Research Institute. “They can be opportunities to teach a love of inquiry and reading. They can build self-esteem, and they can foster imaginative play. All of these are wonderful skills and traits in the long run even if your child doesn’t become a paleontologist.”
Childhood development experts refer to obsessions as “intense interests” and say about one-third of kids will dive deep into a particular subject, activity, or object.
“If your child becomes so self-motivated to learn about a topic that they begin asking you about something or even to teach them about it, they probably have one,” says Dr. Christakis. “Roll with them and learn along with your child.”
Whether it be dinosaurs, dolls, or dogs, leaning into obsessions can have life-long advantages. We asked our KiwiCo childhood development expert, Director of Product Design Claire Liu, how parents can support their child’s interests and the benefits they’ll see from rolling with them.
Deepens Learning & Engagement
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Having an intense interest drives children to seek knowledge. This excitement for new information helps build a lifelong approach to learning. Children learn to self-direct their learning, persist in finding new information, and are more motivated to understand new knowledge as it relates to their favorite subject. Try to find activities that provide hands-on, engaging experiences that allow your child an opportunity to learn as an active participant. As your child explores their intense interest, you can support them by sharing what you’re observing with them and asking leading questions (e.g. “I see that you found the [type of dinosaur]. What kind of dinosaur do you think you’ll find here?”). This not only helps them develop critical thinking skills, it also makes them feel like you are interested in what they’ve learned!
Claire’s KiwiCo Picks
Koala Crate Dinosaurs (Ages 3+)
Paleontologist Starter Kit (Ages 6+)
Veterinarian Starter Kit (Ages 6+)
Builds Confidence & Creativity
Children build self-esteem as they become more knowledgeable on a subject. Spending time immersed in their interests also allows children to experience positive feelings—like joy, enthusiasm, and pride—more frequently. By building confidence, kids are more willing to experiment with their creativity without fear of failure. Parents and grownups can help support this by providing different types of resources and activities that expand or build on their child’s intense interests. KiwiCo’s Deluxe Books program pairs projects with books, allowing children to dive deeper into STEAM subjects. This is great way to provide your child with more information and inspiration before they explore a subject creatively. You can add Deluxe to any of our subscription lines at checkout!
Claire’s KiwiCo Picks
Window Garden Book Set (Ages 3+)
Chomping Mechanical Dinosaur Costume and Book Set (Ages 5+)
Solar System Book Set (Ages 5+)
Inspires Imagination & Socialization
Acting out Intense interests encourages children to tap into pretend play! Research shows that pretend play has a multitude of benefits for childhood development. Kids learn to apply their knowledge, think flexibly, resolve conflict, and practice empathy in imaginary scenarios in their minds or while playing with others. To help support pretend play at home, try to think up creative scenarios that relate back to your child’s interests, and then act them out together. You can dive even deeper into pretend play with costumes or props!
