There are contradictory researches around intelligence. Some say intelligence is genetic while others say it can be nurtured. However, for any parent it doesn’t matter what research says. We still would see our children as the most beautiful and intelligent creations on the planet. Having said that, we can take some simple actions to nurture our children’s cognitive functioning:

  1. Keep talking: Hearing you talk will help build your child’s language skill. Tell stories; talk about the world; explain the how, why and where of things… talk about everything. Children in high-language households have higher IQs than kids who grow up in households with less talking.
  2. Reading: Yes, reading concept books with pictures is a fabulous way to build your child’s linguistic skills. Story books with dialogues are engaging and great for building language skills.
  3. Send them to preschool: Exposure to other children and a language-intensive environment at a pre-school raises a child’s IQ by 7 points. So don’t keep them at home. Let them out to learn.
  4. Sweet dreams: A child needs to get at least eight hours of sleep to retain the information and learning he/she gathered during the day. Sleep makes this learning permanent. So if you are strict about bedtime, you are on the right track.
  5. Music and chess: These two activities are found to exercise a child’s brain. They help inculcate concentration skills and strengthen the thinking process. So if you are confused about which structured activities to choose from. Your decision making just became simpler.
  6. Show them the love: Your love is like a security net for your child. When your child believes in your love, his/her mind is free to explore, observe and learn. An insecure child will focus more on you rather than the outside world. So listen to them, make eye contact and express your love.
  7. Free play: Structured activities are important but children must get time to use their imagination to create and play their own games.
  8. Get crafty: Let them cut, paste, stick and colour to their heart’s content. Not only will it encourage their creativity and occupy them for hours, it will improve their motor skills too.
  9. Outdoor games: Physical activity boosts the flow of fresh blood to all parts of the body. When the brain receives oxygenated blood, it enhances clear thinking, creativity and concentration powers. Basketball, swimming or just a run in the park is excellent for your child’s mental development.
  10. Intelligent toys: Give them toys like lego, Lincoln Logs and blocks to strengthen their spatial skills. Activities that require finding the differences between pictures or solving a maze or constructing a jigsaw puzzle are also wonderful exercises for their minds.
  11. Talk in numbers: Sneak in math concepts into your daily conversation. Create a game out of simple addition while dropping them to school. Give them a digital watch until they are older to help them tell the time. Create your own fun games around numbers
  12. Don’t label: Last but definitely the most important. Do not label your child as more or less intelligent, especially in comparison to someone else. Some research shows that intelligence is not a fixed trait. It can be built upon and expanded with the right approach. Research also shows that children and adults who perceive intelligence to be a fixed trait may avoid challenges and fail to learn from their mistakes.

Help your child explore and develop their language, mathematical, spatial, emotional, social and imaginative skills with various activities. They may excel at one and be mediocre at another. Work with what they have and what they enjoy. The important thing is to give them an opportunity to expand their mind.