Raising a smart and intelligent kid takes concerted effort directed at various areas of the child’s mind and body. A child’s brain grows depending on both the exercise and experience it receives from the senses. Their brains tend to soak up everything it comes across. Complex interactions making up these experiences make the kid smarter especially once the child is exposed to stimulation of the brain at an early age. Here are a few tips that could go a long way in bringing up an intelligent kid.

1.   Interacting with your Child

Interacting with your child stimulates their senses. Several scientific researches show that cuddling, loving and playing with kids reduces stunted brain growth by a large extent. Babies’ brains thrive on attention which makes holding your baby a very important factor towards their intelligence. By doing so, they become fit and actually perform better in their academics. Other methods of interaction include hugging, talking and playing.

2.   Get your kid to take Music Lessons

Again, this is backed by solid scientific research. Children who are involved in musical activities tend to be smarter than those who aren’t. Music tends to increase a child’s IQ to be like that of an adult, albeit by a relatively small margin. It is however not only for kids. Music brightens imagination as it engages the mind in many new wonders while it feeds the soul. Music is not for kids as it can help older people slow down some of the effects of aging.

3.   Reading with your Child

Most parents tend to read to their kids and not with them. They will start reading and get on with it while the child just stares. However, this should not be the case. Instead, practice what is known as shared book reading since this promotes early literacy within the child at a very young age. This also enables the child to develop reading skills and its strategies. Ensure you direct attention to the words you read so that the child becomes involved.

4.   Give the Child ample time to Sleep

It is said that when a child is deprived of a single hour of sleep, the effect is similar to two years’ worth of development and cognitive maturity in the kid. Research has found that the academic performance of children was directly related to the minutes of sleep they had. The smartest kids averaged more than thirty minutes of sleep above the average-performing students. As a parent or a caregiver, set a slumber time for your child and strictly adhere to it. The end results will clearly show from the child’s behavior and academic performance.

5.   Cultivate Happiness

Research shows that happier kids always outperform their peers in school. Raising happy kids is another job altogether but basically involves creating a favorable environment that’s conducive for the kids away from fights, stress, lack, and inadequate love and appreciation. After all, a happy child means a happy mother which translates to a happier home.

6.   Assign the Child Chores

One thing that children find less fun and enjoyable is doing chores. Of course, they would rather play than perform duties. They see it as a punishment hence have developed a negative attitude towards them. In real sense, chores play a great role in nurturing a child. For instance, they teach them how to be responsible and self-reliant, time management skills and also reinforce respect. Research proves that a child who is always engaged in chores becomes sharp, very active and performs so well in their academics. It is therefore a requirement that parents and caregivers make sure to regularly assign chores to their kids then follow up on them, to ensure that they perform the given chores without failure.

7.   Ensure the child Eats Proper Meals

Without a doubt, food is a daily basic need and we are aware to always eat a balanced diet. But what really is food? Food is what we eat that adds us proper nutrients like iron, for a healthier brain tissue growth, so that our bodies function correctly. Most people ignore the fact that junk isn’t food. Others actually live on junk foods. Regular eating of junk food creates children who are easily prone to ailments. It is very compulsory that parents and caregivers monitor the kinds of foods their children eat, in order to promote a healthier growth for them.

8.   Do not over Shield the Child

It is not wrong to want to protect your child, just don’t overdo it. When children are wrong, parents frequently rush to their defense. By doing so, you deprive your child from developing problem solving skills. This also makes no room for them to learn and understand what action they should take in case the situation repeats itself. As a parent, allow your child to be able to deal with situations that challenge them. This way, they become smarter and more intelligent.

9.   Give the Child Real Life Examples

There are great men and women who have built empires around the world. People like Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Rachel Carson, Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama. They have written books where they have shared their life experiences. Some are very challenging while others are encouraging. Get to share these stories with your child, see the impact they might have on them. Who knows, they might end up inspired and motivated to work extra hard to be able to be like them.

10. Take the Child Sightseeing

Most of us believe in the cliché “seeing is believing”. Research also proves that things seen are not easily forgotten. Taking your child sightseeing therefore, has a great impact on them because they would not be able to forget that fast. Before they are able to cover the topic ‘Rivers’ in class with their teacher, ensure that your child has an idea of what a river looks like. This gives them the advantage of being familiar with whatever they learn. It is for this reason, schools are encouraged to take their pupils to tours, for them to get to see what they learn in books in reality.

Conclusion

Traits of intelligence and smartness come along with high levels of self-esteem and confidence. From the ten posts, it is clear that a child requires so much to be able to become intelligent and smart. It is also very clear that a parent has to invest much more in their child to make them intelligent and smart. Though all these come back to the child, this shows that it is a child’s duty to ensure that all the efforts put in them bear fruits.