7 ways to bring up a brilliant child

A love of learning and confidence in their own abilities will help your child on their way to becoming a well-rounded and happily balanced adult. But nurturing these qualities is often put on the back burner as we encourage our kids to strive for success at school.

Children have an innate curiosity about the world, and can also have lots of confidence –qualities that are crucial to help them face the future successfully. However, as they grow older, they can lose these traits unless they’re encouraged and nurtured.

Kids are highly receptive to new information between the ages of one and seven, so try these age-appropriate ideas today.

Age one: Teach them about independence

Help your child to trust in their own abilities when they take their first steps. Keep a distance of around two feet between you, get down to their eye level, open your arms, smile, and encourage your toddler to walk towards you. They can be confident doing this, knowing that you’re there to catch them if they fall.

You can also let your little one self-feed. Hand them a sippy cup and a soft spoon and be prepared to dodge any food missiles thrown your way. Don’t worry about the mess – your child will not only be learning independence, you’ll also be helping them to develop confidence.

Age two: Nurture their curiosity

Toddlers are inquisitive, and feeding this natural curiosity is one of the key ways to establish a lifelong love of learning. One of the best ways to do this is by reading books – to them and with them. Research shows us that reading to our children from as early as two years old (or younger) helps them become good students with an appetite for learning.

Reading to your child can help their language and speaking skills develop as well as teaching them about the world. It can also encourage them to start reading on their own and it’s a good way to develop working memory, which is an important executive function skill. Ask your child simple questions after each story to hone this skill.

Age three: Encourage self-confidence

At three, kids can be keen to try things by themselves but they’re often not allowed because they can’t do the task ‘properly’, or it makes a mess. But discouraging children from doing things independently can dampen their confidence in their own abilities.

So, nurture your child’s faith in their own skills. Allow your child to do little things on their own with your guidance and encouragement. It could be putting on their jacket or helping you with simple chores. Trust in your little one’s abilities and you’ll be surprised by just how much they can do independently.

Age four: Teach them how to set goals

The ability to set – and achieve – goals is an important life skill. Give your child a head start in life by helping them learn about this.

One fun activity to try is ‘Three stars and a wish’. Ask your four-year-old to list three things they are proud of – it could be that they are a great friend or can count up to 20. Then ask

what they “wish” they could do. Write it down and discuss the steps for how to make the wish a reality.

If you set a time frame, then you’re also teaching your child how to manage their time to achieve a goal. Additionally, this task helps to hone self-control, a crucial executive function skill. Unless all the steps are followed, your child won’t achieve the goal – and to do this takes patience.

Age five: Talk about nutrition

It’s never too early to help a child understand how a balanced diet can help them be at their best, physically and mentally. But instead of just telling your child they can’t have all the sweets and cookies they want, explain why it’s better to choose a more nutritious option, such as a fruit salad. Teach them about the various nutrients in a balanced diet and what each of these does for the body and brain.

Take your child grocery shopping with you, and involve them in choosing healthy foods. You could even let your five-year-old help you cook a simple meal with you and eat it together.

Age six: Teach critical thinking skills

There’s no doubt that the ability to think logically in order to make an informed decision (critical thinking) is a significant marker of an exceptional child. It involves making connections and understanding that what worked the last time for a certain problem might not apply in a slightly different situation.

You can nurture this skill in your child. If the answer to a problem doesn’t appear, encourage them to consider different solutions and approaches. By doing this, you’re helping them to develop cognitive flexibility, or the ability to switch between thinking about two different concepts.

To encourage this skill, try answering your child’s questions with a question. You can ask why, what, and how (“Why do you feel that way?”); ask for clarification (“Can you say what you mean by that?”) or ask for more details (“Show me what you mean by that”). Listen to and respect your child’s responses, whether or not you think they’re correct.

Age seven: Help them learn to be accountable

Disciplining children is part of parenting. However, instead of doling out time-outs for inappropriate behavior, help them understand why their actions aren’t acceptable. Crucially, teach your child the importance of taking responsibility for their mistakes, and how to fix them; focus on humility and being willing to accept mistakes and learn from them.

Remember: Start nurturing good qualities in your child early, and as they use them more in everyday situations, they will be well on their way to becoming well-rounded adults.”,

UTM-EM-057-MAY-21

References
Entrepreneur - To Raise Exceptional Children, Teach Them These 7 Values
The Guardian - How to raise a brilliant child without screwing them up