IQ plays a crucial role in a child’s overall development, with higher IQ linked to quicker thinking, learning, and comprehension. While each person’s IQ varies, it can be improved through consistent practice.
Here are 10 methods to enhance a child’s IQ:
1. Ensure Adequate Sleep
Research from Stanford University indicates that children with sufficient sleep perform better in language, math, and reading compared to their sleep-deprived peers.
Infants require at least 11 hours of sleep, while 12-year-old children need a minimum of 10 hours.
2. Provide a Nutritious Breakfast
The period before age 3 is a critical time for brain development. A child’s developing brain requires ample nutrients such as glucose, iron, vitamins A and B, zinc, and folic acid. Breakfast is crucial as it replenishes the brain’s energy after an extended period since the previous day’s dinner.
Many children skip breakfast due to late wake-up times and rush to school, resulting in decreased attentiveness and academic performance. Prolonged breakfast skipping can impair a child’s cognitive abilities.
Studies have shown that children who eat breakfast have better memory and higher concentration levels.
Therefore, parents should establish a routine for their children to wake up early and have a wholesome breakfast before school.
3. Allow Unstructured Playtime
While it may seem simple, many parents restrict their children’s playtime, imposing structured activities and play patterns.
In reality, unstructured play is essential for cognitive development. During playtime, parents should refrain from interfering. Play is not a test with right or wrong answers; it allows children to engage their imaginations and develop critical thinking without the constraints of adult logic.
4. Read to Your Child
Children who are read to develop writing and numeracy skills at a faster pace than their peers. Books provide vast knowledge, which stimulates the child’s brain to synthesize information, leading to enhanced IQ.
5. Encourage Physical Exercise
A study conducted in Sweden found a strong correlation between physical fitness and IQ.
Research has shown that children aged 9-10 who engage in 20 minutes of exercise before taking a test exhibit significant improvement in their scores.
Physical exercise promotes a healthy body and an alert mind. Without physical fitness, a child’s cognitive abilities may be hindered.
6. Limit Screen Time
Excessive screen time can hinder the development of creativity and critical thinking, as individuals passively receive information without engaging in cognitive processing.
Moreover, prolonged television viewing can lead to a sedentary brain. Therefore, it’s essential to limit children’s screen time.
7. Introduce a Foreign Language
Bilingual children have higher levels of concentration and cognitive flexibility. Learning a foreign language also broadens their worldview. Parents should encourage their children to learn a new language if they show interest.
8. Provide Encouragement, Not Just Results-Oriented Feedback
The most detrimental approach to child-rearing is an overly results-oriented mindset, where effort is disregarded in favor of outcomes.
Offering consistent encouragement, regardless of success or failure, motivates children to learn and explore. They become less apprehensive about challenges and setbacks, fostering better brain development.
9. Nurture Musical Ability
“Music makes you smarter.” Numerous studies have demonstrated that music enhances cognitive development.
Experiments have shown that music not only cultivates a child’s creativity but also strengthens neural concentration, leading to improved academic performance.
Research suggests that learning to play the piano can boost intelligence. This is primarily because hand movements are guided by the brain. As children’s finger dexterity improves through practicing the piano, so does their brain development.
10. Engage in Moderate Video Game Play
Video games can enhance various skills in children. According to research conducted by the University of California, Berkeley, video games can improve hand-eye coordination, problem-solving, reasoning, visual discrimination, judgment, hypothesis testing, reaction and thinking speed, memory, and decision-making.
However, it’s crucial to avoid excessive gaming. Parents should guide children to play video games moderately, rather than outright banning them.
Experienced teacher notices that children with these two characteristics are often intelligent and top of the class, does your child have them?
According to ancient wisdom, it was believed that the personality traits of an individual can be predicted by observing them at the age of 3. Similarly, experienced preschool teachers often claim that children who possess these two qualities tend to excel in their academic pursuits when they grow up.