Developing Intellectual Skills

Parents are understandably proud when their children are bright and successful. Developing intellectual skills begins at birth, and hopefully continues throughout all of life, with learning being the goal at every age.

Off to a Good Start

Parents who actively engage their babies and young children - reading, singing, and playing with them on a regular basis, are building a foundation from which the children can flourish intellectually. Babies learn their first lessons about the world from their parents and other immediate family members.

Learning and Playing

Long before kids head off to school for the very first time, they have well established learning habits. Playing affords young children with many opportunities for learning and thinking, and parents who engage in mindful play with their children can further enhance their children's intellectual development. Simple word games, such as making up stories together or inventing silly rhyming words not only helps to build children's vocabularies, but also encourages their creativity and imaginations. Foreign language classes are another good choice for developing minds, with young children typically able to master a second language quite readily.

As children get older, parents should continue seeking out games and pastimes that are intellectually stimulating. Kids should be encouraged to join clubs and organisations that cater to their interests and when feasible, parents should allow their children to take music instruction as it has been shown to increase children's overall capacity to learn.

Encouraging Independent Thought

Parents who encourage their little ones to think for themselves are sowing the seeds for future learning, so it is important for kids to be given choices whenever possible. Offering kids opportunities to make decisions, even to make mistakes, provides them with valuable learning experiences. Each time that children look for solutions to problems, they increase their base of knowledge, making it easier for them to draw conclusions as time progresses. Additionally, it benefits children when parents and other carers pose questions that require the kids to think. For example, when reading books, parents can stop midway and ask their children to guess at what might happen next or to wonder what might have happened if characters had made other choices along the way. Seizing opportunities to promote children's thinking process helps them to become intellectually stronger.

Real World Learning

While classrooms afford children many opportunities for learning, there are as many (or more) lessons to be learned outside of the confines of the school setting. Parents are wise to schedule outings that coincide with lessons being taught at school, reinforcing the teaching. For instance, a trip to a planetarium can highlight the things that kids may be currently learning about the solar system, making the lessons come to life. Adults can sometimes go about their lives without realising that the world is filled with many opportunities for intellectual development, but for children, who are often seeing things for the very first time, every nature walk, trip to the zoo, or ride on a train affords them new insight. Parents should take advantage of their children's natural curiosity and zest for learning by seeking out lessons in their everyday lives.