Keys to Raising Smart Kids from day one

Posted on by Windy LiLy
We reside in an era marked by intense competition, making it imperative for us to stay abreast of global developments. In such times, parenting becomes a significant concern for individuals, especially for those aspiring to nurture intelligent offspring.
Frequently, parents are anxious about their child’s cognitive abilities and ponder ways to enhance their intelligence. While fostering intelligence in children is achievable, parents must be aware of the specific actions required for this purpose.
What does it entail to raise intelligent children? Presented below are some recommendations to facilitate the intellectual growth of your kids.

Five Primary Pillars of Early Childhood Development

Personal/Social
  • Fostering personal and social development in children is crucial as they acquire the skills to care for themselves, establish routines, and practice basic hygiene. Additionally, they learn vital social skills such as interacting with others, sharing, and forming friendships. Pretend play serves as an effective method to facilitate this development, allowing children to express their thoughts, emotions, fears, and anxieties.
Physical
  • As children progress in age, their bodies undergo changes, leading to the development of both fine and gross motor skills. Gross motor skills involve coordinating large muscle groups like legs and arms, while fine motor skills focus on coordinating smaller muscles like fingers and hands. Fine motor skills, distinct from gross motor skills, require less precision and accuracy for execution.
Emotional
  • Children cultivate emotional coping and intelligence skills, encompassing self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, and empathy for others. They acquire the ability to understand, decode, and discern emotions based on expressive and situational cues with a consensus on their emotional meaning.
Language
  • Early childhood involves the crucial development of language proficiency, with children acquiring the ability to perceive and use their first language for effective communication. Essential language skills such as speaking, reading, writing, and listening form the foundations of literacy and language development.
Cognitive
  • Cognitive development encompasses problem-solving, abstract thinking, learning, and exploration, spanning motor (physical), language and communication, cognitive, and social/emotional areas. It reflects how children think, explore, and comprehend the world, including the acquisition of knowledge and the cultivation of skills.
  • In the initial years, providing children with consistent attention, support, and mentorship is paramount, with parents serving as their first teachers. Understanding the unique needs of their children is crucial for parents to facilitate their growth into intellectually adept individuals.

Top Key Of Raising Smart Kids

Cultivate Spatial Ability from Birth
Developing spatial ability in children is a foundational step toward nurturing future innovators like Einstein, Faraday, and Tesla. This skill is integral to creative discoveries and societal advancements. Early development begins as soon as a child is born, with actions like reaching for toys aiding in understanding three-dimensional space. Research indicates that preschoolers excelling in visualizing spatial relationships tend to perform better in primary school math. Practical tips include encouraging exploration, playing spatially-oriented games like hide and seek, and engaging in activities like filling and emptying objects or participating in spatial sports such as soccer and gymnastics.
Expose Children to Diverse Experiences
Adult identities often trace back to childhood experiences. Exposing children to a wide array of experiences enhances positive learning outcomes and shapes meaningful life goals. This exposure broadens their perspectives, satisfies their need for exploration, and encourages inquiry. Practical tips involve taking children to diverse places like construction sites, car plants, fire stations, nature walks, and events like light festivals and 3D art galleries.
Foster a Growth Mindset Through Effort-Based Praise
Shifting from praising inherent abilities to recognizing effort helps instill a growth mindset in children. While traditional praise may lead to a fear of failure, acknowledging the process fosters resilience and problem-solving skills. Encouraging phrases include praising specific efforts, such as careful construction or empathetic actions. This approach builds flexibility, resilience, and a focus on strategies to overcome challenges.
Read to Your Child Twice Daily
Establishing a reading routine from a young age lays the groundwork for independent reading. This practice not only enriches a child’s vocabulary but also strengthens the parent-child connection. Reading expressively, allowing the child to choose books, and asking open-ended questions during reading sessions are effective strategies. Regular reading sessions before naps and bedtime contribute significantly to a child’s literacy development.
Encourage Independent Problem-Solving
Allowing children to navigate and solve their problems from a young age builds crucial life skills, confidence, and self-esteem. These skills progressively advance, with early problem-solving forming the basis for tackling more complex challenges later on. Practical tips include posing open-ended questions, providing time for free play, reinforcing the child’s solutions, and resisting the urge to intervene immediately, signaling confidence in the child’s ability to tackle challenges independently.
Lead by Modeling Positive Behavior
Children learn by observing their parents, making it crucial to model the behavior you want them to emulate. This not only sets a guidepost for what is right and wrong but also aids in the development of self-regulation and essential skills like attentiveness, cooperation, and persistence. Practical tips include being mindful of your behavior, reading books that demonstrate positive behavior, and limiting exposure to negative behaviors from various sources, such as television, family, friends, and books.
Limit Screen Time for Children Under Two Years
Acknowledging the rapid brain development in children under two, experts recommend restricting screen time to video chatting. Excessive screen use during this critical period can hinder development and limit engagement in non-electronic activities. Practical tips involve minimal screen exposure for children aged 2-5, with high-quality programs, and considering eliminating a TV at home to enhance family time and avoid exposure to inappropriate content.
Develop Connection Through Quality Time
Establishing a strong connection with your child fosters a sense of safety and protection, allowing effective communication and reasoning. Connecting with your child helps regulate their emotions and behavior. Practical tips include giving undivided attention, playing as if the child is the stronger one, and listening to them during both good and challenging times to strengthen the parent-child relationship.
Instill Self-Discipline Through Structure and Consistency
Self-discipline plays a pivotal role in academic success and overall well-being. Providing structure, engaging in games promoting self-discipline, and modeling self-discipline set the foundation for developing this crucial skill. Structured environments and consistent routines contribute to building self-discipline, enhancing academic performance, attendance, and relationship skills.
Prioritize Free Play for Comprehensive Development
Encouraging unstructured playtime allows children to build cognitive, socio-emotional, language, and self-regulation skills. Free play, both indoors and outdoors, supports the development of gross motor skills, problem-solving abilities, and social skills. Practical tips include allowing ample time for unstructured play, facilitating play with other children, and incorporating various types of play such as toy/object play, physical play, outdoor play, and pretend play.
Enrich Vocabulary Through Conversations
Exposure to rich spoken language from birth to age 3 significantly impacts a child’s IQ and academic success. Engaging in conversations with a broad vocabulary enhances a child’s language learning. Practical tips involve using a rich vocabulary, talking your child through daily activities, and avoiding excessive questioning, instead opting for modeling and describing activities.
Provide Open-Ended Toys for Creative Play
Opting for open-ended toys promotes creativity, spontaneous play, and the development of resilience and problem-solving skills. Unlike complex, single-function toys, open-ended toys, such as blocks, magnetic tiles, and art supplies, allow children to make choices and engage in imaginative play, fostering competent and capable adults.
Combine Parenting Methods for a Holistic Approach
Recognizing the strengths and limitations of various parenting methods, consider combining elements from different approaches, such as Montessori, STEM, and Waldorf. Tailoring your parenting approach to incorporate the best practices from multiple methods can provide a well-rounded and effective strategy for your child’s development. Stay informed and open to different methods to create a personalized approach that suits your child’s needs.
Windy LiLy