In today’s time where most parents find it real difficult to spend time, it is natural for parents to look for ways that will make for joyful families. This is because as kids are left alone or at day care, their learning is quite limited.
If you are also one of the worried moms who are desperately looking out for ways to make the kids happier and smarter, then these 8 tips, backed by science will make difference in your kids’ attitude and also make them smarter.
1. Music Lessons: Research indicates that music lessons help kids become smarter. The children in music groups exhibit greater increase in the full-scale IQ in comparison to the children in control groups. Though, the effects are smaller in proportion, but it can be generalized across various index scores and IQ subtests.
2. Exercise: Research shows that kids who are in good shape learn faster. Kids after exercise pick vocabulary words almost 20% faster than they could before the exercise. This is because the learning rate is directly related to BDNF levels. This is not all, exercise increases the blood flow to the brain’s part that helps in increasing the memory.
3. Read With The Kids: Against the common practice of reading to the kids it is suggested to read with them. It is not a great practice to let the kids look at the pictures while you do the reading. Call for the kids’ attention while you are reading the words. This helps in building the reading skills. It also promotes the early literacy ability.
4. Proper Sleep: There is no doubt that sleep deprivation makes the kid dumb. Research shows that a loss of an hour of sleep is equal to loss of two consecutive years of cognitive development. It won’t be wrong to say that if sixth grader misses an hour of sleep, their brain turns to of a fourth grader. So, as a parent, always remember that there is a correlation between the amount of sleep and grades.
5. Self-Discipline: It will not be wrong to say that the kids with high IQ but low self-discipline will not be very successful in life. Willpower is of great importance for individual success. Kids who exercise high level of willpower earn better grades and get admission in best colleges. So, make sure as a parent you focus on developing self-discipline in the kids through engaging them in sports and other activities.
6. Continuous Learning : Always remember that real learning is active and not passive. The brain of kids learns faster by doing things and not merely listening about them. Research shows that kids must spend two-third of their time testing the skill rather than putting efforts to absorb it.
7. Food We Eat: Ideally kids must eat healthy as eating makes a big difference on their grades. As a parent you must ensure that the kids take high fiber and carbohydrates diet in the breakfast. But remember the food that your kid ate in the span of one week, affects their performance. Also, remember glucose and caffeine has beneficial effect on the kid’s cognitive performance and increase the attentional system. Treat the kids with candies or sodas while studying than while relaxing.
8. Happy Kids: There is no doubt that happier kids turn into accomplished and successful adults. Happiness adds to the performance and thus happy kids are more successful than unhappy kids. To promote happiness as a parent, be a happy parent.
Last but not the least, believe in your kid’s ability. If you believe that your kid is smarter, then they tend to perform better. As this boosts their confidence and makes them feel happier and satisfied.
