How To Raise A Smart Child

If you are wondering, is it even possible to raise a smart child without struggle, then the answer is YES! All you need is a conducive environment which includes love, support & care, encouragement along with a positive attitude and a firm belief in your child. As a parent, you need to understand how your child learns as well as, be mindful of how you address the challenges your child faces whilst learning. Resorting to an authoritative parenting style isn’t a solution. Also, genetics plays a part, however, being smart isn’t something you are born and stuck with, how your child thrives and uses his/her skills is all dependent on how you raise him/her; the more they practice, the better they get. Smart doesn’t mean achieving high results, but it means thinking differently from the rest. It also doesn’t mean your child needs to focus on just education 24/7 in order to be smart. Whether it’s at school or your child’s personal developmental skills, be supportive and encourage his/her successes.

Tips To Raise A Smart Child, Without Stress Or Pressure:

1. Spark An Interest & Love For Reading- Read as often as you can to your kids & practice what you preach; you can’t expect your child to love reading if you don’t enjoy it yourself! You can read aloud, create a home library, or use books-on-tape. At least 20 minutes of reading to/with your child, with interaction, is recommended to reap the benefits. It’s better to have a routine, so for example reading before bedtimes, which forms a habit that your child gets accustomed to. It’s always better to start them early! Make sure you use age-appropriate books for your child, so your child can actually comprehend, so for example, when they are younger you can start with picture books. Another good idea, is to use this as a treat or a gift. So if it’s a birthday, buy them a book they would enjoy.

2. Praise Your Child’s Effort – Instead of praising the child for doing everything correctly or perfectly, it’s better to praise the effort. This helps the child prepared for times when things do go as expected. Mistakes are a part of life and children should love challenges, not fear them because of the fear of making mistakes. It’s taking on the challenge and how the child faces it and what the child learns at the end of it that matters. Therefore, always praise your child’s effort, as it will make them want to keep learning.

3. Make Learning A Fun Experience, Not A Task- Your child needs to find pleasure in doing homework or school work, just as they do whilst playing. This is all on how you as a parent phrase challengers and learning. If your child is struggling with something, instead of negative, use positive phrases, such as you are doing a good job on the quiz or was that quiz too easy, maybe next time we find something better. Your child needs to love challenges and learning, not love the idea of winning or scoring high!

4. Let Your Child Be Curious And Ask Questions- If your child asks the why and how questions, it shows he/she is curious to learn. Don’t shut your child out. Let them ask and give them an appropriate answer without judging the question asked. Labelling your child as annoying, or silly, can deter your child from asking any questions. Your child should be comfortable asking away whatever he/she wants to.

5. Let Your Child Talk & Express- If you communicate with your child allowing critical thinking and allowing your child to express their thoughts, it helps to build your child’s vocabulary as well as enhances critical thinking. You as the parent can help introduce new words whilst communicating with your child, encourage healthy conversations for example, after your child has finished reading a book, ask his/her thoughts on the book, ask him/her to summarize the moral of a story for example. There’s a teaching opportunity, be it at the bedside or on the dining table.

6. Find The Balance Between Education & Play- Learning the alphabets, numbers and so on so forth is important, and at the same time including some play time is also important. You shouldn’t just have back-to-back activities, play time can help your child unwind but also at the same time can be educational as your child explores a new toy or game.

7. Trust Your Child’s Ability & Allow Him/Her To Fail- Let your child amaze you with his/her skills. Don’t limit your child to some text book also let your child teach you what he/she can or can’t do. Encourage your child and don’t be afraid if your child fails, as your child will only learn from his/her mistakes! Your job is to only help them navigate through the process, and failing is a part of life.