Elena M. (ILE) about the diversity of interests and love of reading

An ILE child is interested in everything. My interests were constantly changing. I would sew some toys, then grow flowers, then collect stamps, then sing in a choir, then knit, then dance, then learn to play the piano and the guitar. Besides that, I did sports—gymnastics, rifle and pistol shooting. As long as there was some truly interesting activity to get absorbed in, I would stay passionate about it for a long time, until the interest faded or I outgrew it, I suppose.

<...> I wasn’t loud or noisy, the kind of child who attracts attention. As a child, I found it interesting just being by myself. For as long as I can remember, I was always alone, studying or observing something. I remember when I was bought a construction set with instructions—I'd sit for hours figuring out how to assemble everything. If something didn’t work out, it just didn’t, and I would only go ask someone for help as a last resort, when it absolutely wouldn’t come together. I could complain a bit sometimes, but mostly I managed on my own.

<...> If an ILE child is cranky or irritated, you can interest them with something. You can leave them alone for a while without insisting on anything, but casually suggest something interesting: “Would you like to go over there?” You need to look for ways to distract them. And when something sparks their curiosity inside, everything becomes much easier. They forget about the uncomfortable psychological situation. A new interest becomes more appealing than continuing stubborn resistance.

<...> Such a child constantly needs food for the mind, time and conditions that allow them to sit down and occupy themselves; they need their own space. A place where they have interesting things. And they will spend long periods engaged in something that fascinates them.

It’s important to teach such a child to read books. If a child is read to from an early age, a book becomes a huge source of information. I was read to a lot. I loved fairy tales, especially those where the world of fantasy was rich and vivid.

I learned to read at the age of six. And as soon as I learned, I immediately signed up for two libraries—the school library and the district one—and would borrow books in whole stacks. Going to the library was one of my favorite activities. When I read, I immersed myself in the world of the book, and it felt as though you were living that life. A book pulls you in so deeply that if you don’t have your own active life, you can disappear into the world of books entirely. I was most interested in adventure books, where there was a hero—strong, brave, vivid. Someone you could emotionally care about, with fascinating relationships. As a child, I loved reading about space travel; Dunno on the Moon was a masterpiece. His adventures, how he flew somewhere unknown, to the stars, weightlessness—something mystical. All the “magical” books about Old Man Hottabych, flying on a magic carpet, magic wands—I found them incredibly interesting and read them with great pleasure.