What is Intelligence?
Intelligence is a multifaceted structure that includes cognitive abilities such as reasoning, problem solving and learning. While it is partly determined by genetics, environmental factors also play an important role in the development of intelligence. Parents can take steps to support their children's intellectual development and help them reach their full potential. Let's take a closer look at these steps and some effective strategies that parents can use to increase their children's intelligence.
Provide your children with a favorable environment to stimulate their minds:
First, parents should provide children with an environment that encourages curiosity and exploration. They can do this by exposing them to a wide range of experiences, such as visiting museums, participating in hands-on activities like science experiments or art projects. Also, reading is one of the best ways to develop intelligence. (Büyüker, S., 2021) To encourage your child to read books that interest them, you can provide them with a variety of reading materials such as books, newspapers, magazines and comics. To encourage them to read, you can be a role model by reading books yourself. (Ustunzekalilar.Org., n.d.) By providing your children with opportunities to learn and explore, you can help them develop a love of learning and acquire new skills. Children learn best through experience. So provide opportunities to experiment and learn through activities that support their hands-on learning, such as building, experimenting and creating. Providing opportunities for them to explore different topics and interests encourages them to ask questions, try new things and explore the world around them.
Encourage your children to engage in challenging activities:
To help your children develop their intelligence, you can encourage them to engage in activities that challenge their minds. What might these activities be?
Have your child learn a new language: Children have a great opportunity to challenge their minds and contribute to their intellectual development by learning a new language. (Akbaba, Y. E., n.d.) Learning a new language makes children's brains work in a different way and improves their language skills. (Akbaba, Y. E., n.d.) It also improves their social skills and exposes them to different cultures.
Introduce your child to a new musical instrument: Playing a musical instrument is a great way to increase children's mental capacity. (Büyüker, S., 2021) This helps children develop their motor skills, improve their hand-eye coordination skills and get different parts of their brain to work together. (Effects of Music Education on Children's Intelligence., n.d.) Playing a musical instrument also develops children's creativity skills and prepares them for a musical career.
Play brain teasers and strategy games with your child: Strategy games help children develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. (Büyüker, S., 2021) These games develop children's thinking skills and challenge their minds.
Get your child into the habit of reading: Reading is one of the most important activities that contribute to the development of children's intelligence. (Büyüker, S., 2021) Reading increases children's vocabulary, develops their imagination and adds new knowledge. It is of great importance for children to acquire the habit of reading regularly, which is an area that many people have difficulty in acquiring and maintaining, at a young age.
In short, activities such as puzzles, brain teasers and strategy games that can help develop critical thinking and problem solving skills are mind challenging activities that can play an important role in the development of a child's intelligence. (Büyüker, S., 2021) You can also contribute to the development of your children's intelligence by encouraging them to learn a new language or musical instrument that can improve their cognitive abilities and creativity.
Pay attention to your children's physical health:
Since physical health and cognitive performance are closely linked, as parents, you can support your children's intellectual development by prioritizing their physical health. (Büyüker, S., 2021) Encouraging regular exercise and a healthy diet can help improve children's brain function, memory and attention span. In addition, since sleep is necessary to consolidate learning and memory, making sure children get enough sleep is crucial for their cognitive development. Children's physical health is crucial for their mental development. Adequate sleep, a healthy diet and regular exercise help children's brains to develop and function in a healthy way.(Büyüker, S., 2021) Regular exercise helps children's brains to develop better, thus increasing their mental function. At the same time, getting enough sleep helps children improve their memory, attention and problem-solving skills. A healthy diet also helps children's brains develop. In particular, foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, protein and vitamins contribute to the healthy development of children's brains. Therefore, parents can support their children's mental development by taking care of their physical health.
Help your children develop self-esteem and confidence:
Parents should create an environment that supports and nurtures their children's self-esteem and self-confidence. Children who are confident in their abilities are more likely to take risks, try new things, challenge themselves, and thus develop the characteristics mentioned, which can lead to greater intellectual development. Parents can help their children develop self-confidence by giving positive feedback, setting achievable goals and celebrating their children's successes. In this way, children's intelligence levels are also expected to increase.
Reduce your children's screen time:
Children's intellectual development is influenced by many factors, including proper nutrition, exercise and adequate sleep. However, children today often spend most of their time in front of TV, computer and phone screens. Parents can increase their children's potential to develop their intelligence by reducing their screen time. When screen time is reduced, children can spend more time reading books, playing games, interacting socially with friends and learning new skills. In addition, activities such as physical activities and outdoor activities can also support children's intellectual development. Reducing screen time can help increase children's attention, improve their ability to focus, develop their imagination and increase their creativity. Therefore, it is important for parents to provide their children with many alternative activities that can benefit the development of their intelligence by reducing screen time. In addition, parents should limit their children's exposure to technology and screen time, as overuse of electronic devices can have negative effects on cognitive development. Research has shown that children who spend more time on screens have lower academic performance and lower cognitive abilities compared to children who spend less time on screens. Parents who reduce their children's screen time can instead encourage them to engage in activities that promote learning and creativity, such as reading books, playing outside or engaging in social activities.
Encourage your children to brainstorm when faced with a problem:
It develops critical thinking: Brainstorming requires children to analyze problems, evaluate different solutions and choose the best option. (Ustunzekalilar.Org., n.d.) This can help them develop critical thinking skills and teach them to make decisions based on evidence and logical reasoning.
Builds confidence: Brainstorming provides a safe and supportive environment for children to express their ideas without fear of criticism or judgment. This can help boost their confidence and self-esteem, which is important for overall academic success.
Supports intelligence: In general, brainstorming is an effective tool for developing children's intelligence as it helps to improve their creativity, communication, critical thinking and self-confidence. By encouraging children to think creatively and work collaboratively with others, brainstorming can help prepare them for success in both academic and professional settings.
It improves problem solving ability: Brainstorming is a creative problem-solving technique that involves generating a large number of ideas in a short period of time. (Ustunzekalilar.Org., n.d.) This technique can be especially beneficial for children's intelligence as it helps to stimulate their minds and support their cognitive development in a variety of ways:
It encourages creativity: Brainstorming encourages children to think outside the box and come up with new and innovative ideas. This can help develop their creativity and imagination, which are essential skills for problem solving and critical thinking.
Improves communication skills: Brainstorming is a group activity that requires children to listen to each other, share ideas and build on each other's thinking. This can help them develop their communication skills and teach them how to work cooperatively with others.
Answer your child's questions patiently:
It is very important for the mental development and intelligence of children that parents patiently answer their children's questions. (Ustunzekalilar.Org., n.d.) Children's sense of curiosity is at its peak at an age when they begin to understand and explore the world. Asking questions is an important part of their journey of learning and discovery. When parents take the time to answer their children's questions, it feeds their sense of curiosity and desire to learn. This, in turn, helps children develop their intellectual capacity and approach the world from a different perspective. By answering their children's questions, parents are actively participating in their learning process and thus encouraging their children to acquire knowledge. Moreover, answering their children's questions strengthens parents' communication with their children and creates a secure bond. This in turn helps children develop self-expression skills and is crucial for their intellectual development.
In conclusion, increasing children's intelligence requires a multifaceted holistic approach that includes creating a stimulating environment, engaging in challenging activities, prioritizing physical health, developing a sense of self-esteem and limiting screen time. By adopting these strategies, parents can help their children reach their full mental potential and set them on a path to success.
Remember, every child is different and what works for one child may not work for another. It is important to observe your child's interests and abilities and tailor your approach to their needs.
References
Ustunzekalilar.Org. (n.d.). How to develop children's intelligence? Gifted Institute | School for Gifted Children. Retrieved May 4, 2023, from
https://ustunzekalilar.org/tr/Makaleler/Icerik/67-Cocuklarin-Zekasi-Nasil-Gelistirilir
The Effects of Music Education on Child Intelligence. (n.d.). Retrieved May 3, 2023, from
https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/210008
Akbaba, Y. E. (n.d.). Turkey Intelligence Foundation. Retrieved May 4, 2023, from
https://www.tzv.org.tr/#/haber/3925
Büyüker, S. (2021). 10 effective methods that trigger the development of intelligence in children. dergiCE.com. Retrieved May 4, 2023, from
https://dergice.com/cocuklarda-zeka-gelisimini-tetikleyici-10-etkili-yontem
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