Genetics play a role in a child’s intelligence, but external factors also influence their mental development. The early years of a child’s growth, from birth to age four, are when their brain starts to create a firm foundation for learning in later life. A parent can help their child’s brain expand during those formative years with accelerated cognitive growth by making sure that the child has adequate nutrition, close family relationships and a feeling of safety. All of those key components are easily achieved by simply spending quality time with the child, giving him ample praise and exposing him to new experiences that help broaden his perspective of the world around him.
Scientific studies have also found that there are other steps that a parent can take to help the child reach their full intellectual ability and succeed.
Music
The University of Toronto found in a study they performed that children between the ages of six and eleven experienced a significant increase in IQ when they were exposed to music lessons. Drama lessons were also found to boost IQ, but not as dramatically as early music exposure.
Reading
Reading opens up new worlds to a child. Parents shouldn’t focus much on what a child reads, it doesn’t matter if its fiction or non-fiction, but on what a child enjoys reading. From infancy, many parents read to their baby to help create an interest in books, but as the child grows older parents often forget when to stop reading the book to the child and let the child take over the reading. Encouraging a child to read out loud to a parent helps increase the child’s brain power significantly. It also becomes a bonding experience between the child and the parent as they both share an activity together that they enjoy.
Breakfast
Each morning providing a nutritious breakfast for a child is like giving the brain the building blocks it needs to create ideas and thoughts throughout the day. Children have been found to be better focused when they consume a well-rounded breakfast each morning.
Play
Parents might mistakenly think that playing is a waste of time for a child, but studies have found that playing increases a child’s imagination. A brain that imagines and day dreams is a brain that is functioning at an accelerated rate and the child’s cognitive skills are improving with each play session.
Physical Fitness
Running, jumping and being physically fit is about more than just the body, it’s also about the brain. The increased blood flow and oxygen levels help the brain make connections and build new cells which boost intelligence. Children who play sports also appear to experience greater communication skills because group sports help encourage children to talk together and strategize.
Sometimes there are no magic steps a parent can take to significantly increase their child’s intelligence that are greater than simply being a part of their child’s life and activities. Parents who show an interest in their child’s day to day experiences and become involved help boost their child’s intelligence substantially.
