Raise Smart Children
A child's brain growth comes from experience and the exercise the brain receives. Sight, sound, touch, taste and smell stimulate the brain's cell connections (called synapses) and create trillions more. The more complex these interconnections, the smarter your child will be. When you provide your child with early stimulation and a wide range of experiences, you can accelerate his brain development.
Steps
- Interact with your child. Scientists have observed that babies who were not cuddled, played with and loved have stunted brain growth. They also observed that babies who were not held and did not receive attention failed to grow, became depressed, and eventually died. On the other hand, many studies have shown that hugging, interacting and playing with your child has a strong effect on developing his intelligence. The loving connection formed between you and your child and your one-on-one interaction with him provide the foundation for his higher thinking skills.
- Talk to your child. Also, listen to when your child is speaking. This reinforces their effort to communicate and for language. You may also read books to your child. Start reading to even if your child does not understand the words. This gives them a head start in developing language skills. Children who are read to when young are more likely to develop a lifelong interest in reading, do well in school, and succeed in adult life. Reading books is one of the most important activities that make children smart.
- Expose your child to things that develop both sides of their brain - the left side functions for reasoning, logic, and language while the right side features creativity and the arts.
- Let your child play – When your child plays, they are creating the foundation for their intellectual, social, physical and emotional skills. When your child plays with other children, they learn to combine ideas, impressions and feelings with others.
- Encourage your child to exercise - Physical exercise does not only make your child strong, but it also makes your child smart! Exercise increases the flow of blood to the brain and builds new brain cells. Exercise is good for adults' mental sharpness, but it has a more long-lasting effect on your child's developing brain.
- Make music a part of your child’s life – Studies have shown that listening to music can boost memory, attention, motivation, and learning. It can also lower stress that is destructive to your child's brain. Learning to play a musical instrument has an effect on the brain’s proportional thinking and spatial-temporal reasoning that lay the foundation for abstract math. If possible, start with the piano. After learning to read music and play up to 10 notes at a time, it will be much easier for them to learn any of the other instruments. But starting them with music young--no matter what the instrument--is the important thing.
- Let your child witness you doing smart things - Children learn by modeling adult’s behavior. If they see you engaged in reading books, writing, making music, or doing creative things, they will imitate you, and in the process get smarter.
- Let your child play smart computer games - The best computer games teach your child about letters, math, music, phonics and many others. It also develops their hand-eye coordination and prepares them for tomorrow’s technology. More importantly, the child learns these while they play. Learning and having fun at the same time is the best way for your child to learn.
- Feed your child properly - Giving the right food is important to Raise a Child A protein-rich diet (egg, fish, meat, beans, peanuts, etc.) improves their attention, alertness, and thinking. Carbohydrates give his brain the fuel that is used in thinking. The best ones are those that come from whole grain and fruits. Processed carbohydrates and sugar have bad effects on attention span, focusing ability, and activity level. Vitamins and minerals are also important.
- Take them on outings. Some good options are the museum and tourist attractions. Once they are old enough take them on educational yet very thrilling/exciting places such as The London Dungeons. Taking them on affordable trips abroad is a good option too.
- Show your child that they can improve with practice and hard work. In a study, researchers showed that teaching 7th graders that intelligence is not fixed but malleable (and that it can be improved through hard work) resulted in an upward trajectory of math grades in junior high school .
Tips
- Make sure he or she has a balanced and healthy diet.
- Have lots of patience with your kids, try not to shout at them.
- Always be a good role model; kids imitate the behaviors they see.
- Always love, and care for your child no matter what. Always be there for them and always make time for them.
- Place a map in your child's room for good global knowledge.
- Make your child read non-fiction books.
- Relate your child's experiences and troubles to your own from your past.
- Love your child and make every day unforgettable for both of you.
- Don't be too pushy or strict, let your child have fun.
- You shouldn't punish your child if they get a bad grade if they tried their best.
- Teach them to respect their elders.
Warnings
- If your child just does not understand something, do not make him/her feel stupid. Always try to motivate your child to learn, because as he/she gets into the higher grades, just being "smart" isn't as helpful.
Related Articles
- Encourage Your Child to Play a Musical Instrument
- Practice Conscious Parenting
- Build Your Young Child's Social Skills
- Be Patient When Doing Homework with Your Young Child
- Spend Free Quality Time With Your Kids
- Encourage Kids to Read
