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9 Ways To Make Your Child Smarter Today
By
Jessica Pegis |
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You know all the usual ways to foster intelligence--from educational toys to books to classical music. Here are nine ways you probably never thought of. Try these ideas today and watch your child’s mind grow.
1. Talk and listen.
Have you ever explored an idea with a trusted friend? Your conversation probably helped you figure out what you thought or felt. Talking out loud does not just express your thinking; it actually helps you to think.
Researchers have been observing the power of talk in the classroom for decades. They’ve noticed that kids are natural thinkers and problem-solvers, provided they get the chance to think out loud. At home, think and wonder out loud yourself and build on your child’s observations.
2. Embrace problems.
Employers and guidance counsellors have said it for years: problem-solvers will rule the century. If you’ve ever hired a problem-solver, you know what I mean. Problem-solvers say, “Ok, here’s what we could do.” People who can’t problem-solve stare at you blankly and say, “Janice isn’t back until Tuesday.” Always involve your child in problem-solving and invite her solutions to the problem.
3. Argue.
From the classroom to the boardroom, the ability to argue well is a hot thinking skill. Arguing means making a claim and backing it up with evidence, or reasons. A claim sounds like this: Recycling should be the law. A reason sounds like this: because the world is running out of space for all the garbage.
Dream up some claims with your child and argue them together. They can be silly or serious. You can take one side and she can take the other. Praise good reasons even if you don’t agree with them, and plant the seed for civil discourse.
4. Become obsessed with cause and effect.
Seize every opportunity to talk about the way stuff works and how one thing leads to another. This develops your child’s ability to recognize and use causal reasoning. Your examples can be everyday--why the dust disappears when you suck it up with a vacuum cleaner; why you pay to get on the bus; what happens when you put the pot of water on the stove. These conversations will feed your child’s natural curiosity and encourage him to learn more. If you’re unsure about how something works, visit the How Stuff Works website to brush up.
5. Say when you don’t get it.
When you say you don’t get it, two things happen: 1. Your child sees you as a person who instinctively evaluates the information she receives; 2. You send a message that being smart doesn’t mean you understand everything.
Only confident people say that don’t get it because they feel entitled to understand. This should be every child’s entitlement--and yours--at home and school. When your child doesn’t understand a concept, never blame him. Encourage him to explain his current understanding so that you can help him move forward. Never let him think he should keep quiet to avoid looking stupid. Smart people always speak up.
6. Ask for the executive summary.
Heck, it saves time and it makes your child think--hard. Summarizing is filtering thinking: it means isolating the key ideas and omitting unnecessary detail. think of the last time you tried to summarize your thoughts in front of a friend or boss and failed. Did your brain feel like spaghetti? That’s how mine feels when I haven’t come prepared to summarize.
Ask your child to summarize often. It can be anything--a movie, a school day, a birthday party. When your child masters how to summarize, her brain will start to autocruise for key ideas all the time. A recent article in the Journal of Business Communication characterized the ability to summarize as “key to business survival” but noted that few people could do it well.
7. Offer choices.
Choices, rather than directives, force your child to think. You don’t have to offer a complete smorgasbord of options--just a range. Lunch ideas, movie rentals, things to do on the weekend, lessons, hobbies, and extra-curricular activities are some areas where your child benefits from exercising choice within a controlled range. Once your child lives with her choices for awhile, she will start to think more deeply about the implications of them.
8. Watch TV.
That’s right--TV. Television increases your child’s general knowledge; exposes him to narrative and all its devices, including characterization, conflict, and chronology; and often offers up a feast of vocabulary.
Start listening to television with your child and talk about what you see and hear. Why was a character funny? Why was a situation unfair? What does quasar mean, anyway? Share with your child the storylines and characters that intrigue you or make you laugh.
9. Dig advertising.
Advertisements need not be empty lures; they can be an education in media literacy. If an ad pushes your buttons, don’t get disgusted--get even by talking about the ad with your child. As an adult consumer, you already know the basics of advertising manipulation--from catchy slogan to eye-catching graphics. If you and your child want to know more, visit the Ad Detective at Don’t Buy It! (a PBS website for kids). It’s one of the best sites out there.
Author's Bio
Jessica Pegis of
www.talkplaythink.com is a mom, author, and consultant specializing in learning resources kids and professional resources for educators. She is the mother of 10-year-old Simone, her sternest critic and loudest cheerleader.
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