Top Tips To Help Raise Smarter Kids

Raising happy, healthy and intelligent children are things that all parents want for their kids to help them live a great life. It’s a joyous thing to watch children expand their horizons and learn new things as they discover about the world and develop their interests and hobbies. Parenting plays a crucial role in this and there are steps you can take to help your kid reach their potential and become successful. Below are some of our tips to help further encourage and stimulate intellectual development in kids. 

Learn at home

Promoting home learning is crucial in helping kids develop. Learning shouldn’t be just restricted to school time, if it is then kids can associate learning with “having to do as they are told” or “being quiet in class”. The truth is that kids are curious and want to learn about the world, so actively encourage this but in a more fun way. 

A study showed that one of the best ways to improve intelligence at home is by encouraging reading. When doing this, focus on making reading an enjoyable activity for your kids. Try reading to your kids at bedtime and make it fun by doing different voices and sounds to make them laugh. If your kids are too old to read to, engage in discussion about their book. Ask about their favorite characters and recommend other books they might be interested in that are similar. 

Choose the right toys

Toys are more than just a bit of fun for your kids to play with. So much of a child’s time is spent with toys and the right toys can help your kids grow key skills such as emotional intelligence, spacial awareness, problem solving and more. Look for creative and artistic toys, strategy games, puzzles and games that require cooperation with teammates. 

The best toys are ones that help them develop and are also ones they’re interested in and are appropriate for their age. If you don’t have a fun toy that they enjoy, they simply won’t play with it enough to reap the rewards. Look at something related to one of their favorite characters or interests. If the toy isn’t age appropriate, for example it’s too advanced, then they may get frustrated and refuse to play with the toy. Websites like www.goodoldgifts.com are great at helping to find toys that are both fun and age appropriate. 

Regulate screen time

When most of us were kids there weren’t the constant distractions of screens and video games so it can be hard for us to relate to kids who want to look at screens regularly. Screen time in moderation can help kids develop and learn, however, studies such as by the Minnesota Department of Health state that excessive screen time can cause impaired social skills. 

Limit your kids’ screen time, that includes tablets, computers, televisions and mobile phones. Screen time should be viewed as a treat, not as an all night activity. Finally, try to ensure that screen time creates active engagement rather than passive watching. If your kids are watching TV but not paying attention, this won’t help them learn as much as if they’re thinking about what’s going on. Look for games and programs that your kids genuinely enjoy to help engage their brain and help make them smarter.