As parents, we only want what is best for our children. We know that if they are smart and able to learn fast, they are more likely to obtain a good job later on in life. But are there really things that you can do in order to help your child learn better and faster, or does each child simply have a learning style that he or she is stuck with? Science has demonstrated that, while every individual does have a unique learning style, there are plenty of things that you can do to help your child along the way. Let’s take a look at some of these things.
Music Lessons
It has been scientifically proven that children who take music lessons have an increased full scale IQ. While the effect is quite small, it is certainly there. Interestingly, taking music lessons later on in life can also help with cognition.
Physical Activity
Most of us have a stereotypical idea of the ‘dump jock’, who excels at sports but lacks intelligence in all other areas. In reality, however, people who are in good physical shape are also better at learning. German research has shown that, after exercise, new vocabulary is picked up at a 20% increased rate. The same study found that if an exercise regime is continued for three months, learning and memory are improved by 30%.
Read with Your Children
When children are ready to start reading, it is tempting as parents to just let them look at the pictures while we read. However, what you should do is actually read with them, helping them to recognize letters and words. The earlier children are able to read, the smarter they are likely to become.
Children who have self-discipline fare better later on in life than those with a high IQ.
Make Them Sleep
Losing just a single hour of sleep has been scientifically proven to equate to a two year loss in cognitive development and maturation. Teenagers with an A average grade usually sleep at least 15 minutes per night more than B students, who sleep 15 minutes more than C students, and so on. This study has been consistently replicated several times.
Teach Your Children Self-Discipline
Children who have self-discipline fare better later on in life than those with a high IQ. Willpower has been proven to be the most important habit that leads to success in over 12 different studies. Children with willpower do better in school and are admitted to better universities. This is despite IQ levels being the same. To help your children learn better and faster and be more successful, therefore, you need to find out what their passion is and build on that.
Remember to Stay Active Not Passive
It is likely that you have a number of electronic games for your children that are said to promote learning. In reality, however, these games do not improve cognitive ability at all, with some actually harming them. On average, infants who watched videos and DVDs that were supposed to be educational know six to eight fewer words than other infants. Brains learn not by watching, but by doing.
Give a Treat to Your Children at the Right Time
Your children should have a healthy, nutritious breakfast that includes fibers and carbohydrates and other slow-digesting ingredients every day. Make sure they do not consume too many fats, nor should you feed them a low carb diet. Naturally, your children will eat some bad foods every once in a while, which is fine if done at the right time. Glucose and caffeine, for instance, have been shown to benefit the attention system, as well as being excellent rewards. Make sure you give them these when they are studying and not when they are doing nothing.
Focus on Your Children’s Happiness
A happy child is an intelligent child. We live in a world where everything seems to be about performance, and not about happiness. You need to teach your children that it is vital that they do the things they love. Those who have this ingrained in them have consistently shown to be more successful in every element of their life.
Check Their Friends
Peer pressure is unavoidable. No matter how much you raise your children to be strong and independent, their friends will influence them. Your role, therefore, is to make sure that they have the right kinds of friends, who will influence them in the right way. This does not mean that their friends should spend all their time studying and never being out and having fun. Rather, it means that they should value the importance of education.
Last but not least, always believe in your kids.
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