Register | Login
Login
Sign in with:
---------- OR ----------
Create Account | Login
Create account
As a Member You Can:
  • Join clubs to discuss your interests
  • Connect with people like you
  • Share information, seek advice, get support

   
parenting
in Mumbai (change city)
Select City
  • All
  • Delhi
  • New Delhi
  • Gurgaon
  • Noida
  • Mumbai
  • Pune
  • Banglore
  • Hyderabad
  • Ghaziabad
  • Chandigarh
  • Ahmedabad
  • Kolkata
  • Chennai
  • Coimbatore
  • Jaipur
select‌ stage
 
Intelligent Child Topics..

 
You are here : home > Intelligent Child > What is IQ? Can it be Improved? > Intelligence - Can it be improved?

Intelligence - Can It Be Improved?

Intelligence - Can It Be Improved?

Even an average child can excel if parents provide right kind of stimulation to child’s brain. Read on to find out what can parents do to improve intelligence of children.

Nature vs. Nurture

Is intelligence heriditary or can it be nurtured? The nature versus nurture debate is one that has raged long and hard. Innumerable studies have been conducted and what has been resolved is that intelligence is something that is hereditary, but that environment can play a role to enrich it. But to what extent can intelligence be nurtured or "acquired" - is it 20% or 50%? Nobody is sure.

Today, parents are more involved in their children's lives as a result of the pressure on children to perform at a younger and younger age. Every parent would like to see his or her child excel. Dr. Sushma Mehrotra, psychologist, believes that if parents give the right kind of stimulation even an average child can excel. On the other hand, if there is a lack of stimulation, even a bright child will not reach its full potential.

Stimulate your Child: Select the right toys

What is the right kind of stimulation? Dr. Mehrotra says, "Parents should spend a lot of time with their children. They should not just give them toys, they should also play with them. There are age-appropriate toys available in the market. For instance, Lego is an excellent toy for developing attention and concentration. However, if you leave a child alone with a Lego set, he will probably just throw the pieces around, as he will not understand what he is supposed to do with them. Parents should demonstrate how to use Lego to their children and also show their keenness towards the toy. If parents are going to sit around and watch movies and expect their children to play on their own, there is no point. Children need parental involvement and guidance."

Another way in which parents can help is by helping their children to draw properly. Even that will help develop their attention and concentration and improve their perception skills. Parents should select toys that require the child to sit still for a longer period of time. They should select toys that require greater sensory involvement, toys that require the use of touch, sight and hearing. The greater the sensory involvement, the greater the learning.

Video games, for instance, instead of developing attention and concentration, only result in the fluctuation of attention and concentration. These games just have fast-moving images on a screen that requires no concentration or thinking. The child merely has to make mechanical actions. It's just for fun, there is no learning involved. First of all, the child has to focus its attention on the object. Whereas in toys like Ludo, Carrom, and Lego, a child has to think and use its imagination.

Parents have no substitutes

Children should not just be given toys. Parents need to find the time to play with their children. Parents shouldn't feel that they are too old to play with their children. Sometimes parents make older siblings sit with the younger children. But this is not a solution. The children are quite likely to fight. Older children are not necessarily equipped with the patience required to deal with a small child. They are also not ready to handle any kind of problem that might arise from the interaction between the children.

Nobody can substitute for parents - not tuition teachers, not playgroups, or different classes. Parents are busy taking their children from one class to another rather than doing anything themselves. It would be good enough if the parents even sat down and ate their meals together with their children, which is quite uncommon these days. Parents feel that wealth and money can compensate for their absence.

Don't Overdo

Children cannot learn everything. They should take up activities according to their interest and aptitude. However, certain things cannot be done at home. For instance, sports like squash and swimming. There is no harm in the child taking up one or two sports. But by sending children to a whole host of different classes, parents are just making them more vulnerable. This keeping up with the Joneses' attitude only makes children more prone to stress. They get tired and trying to cope with their busy schedules can kill their natural interest for these activities. This also leads to aggression and frustration among children as targets are set that cannot always be met.

There are some children who do very well at an early age and then suddenly their performance drops when they reach the fifth or sixth standard. This is because parents overdo things in the beginning. It doesn't make much of a difference in the early years of school because while the pressure to perform is great, the academic expectation is not so high that the child cannot cope. But after the fifth or sixth standard, if the child is not particularly intelligent, then his or her performance drops. But the parents continue to maintain the same standards and expect their child to stand first in class.

The fact remains that intelligence cannot be changed. Yes, it can be enriched to a certain extent, but beyond a point you cannot do anything.




You may also be interested in:

Gift the reading habit
(46713 views)
De-Stress Your Child
(25731 views)
Help Your Child Study
(34610 views)
Cancel
Save Edit
parenting
Notifications
47 Comments
Sort by Newest

avatar

Pragya
Pragya.9 years ago
I think that parents should use only natural ways to boost intelligence of a child as mentioned in the article. Putting too much pressure on children is bad for their development.
 
 
 
.
Reply
Rishi
Rishi.9 years ago
The article is very nice. I have learnt that an environment in which children are raised can definitely help in improving child's intelligence.
 
 
 
.
Reply
Shikha
Shikha.9 years ago
After reading this article I realised that it is important for parent to get involved and parents can do a lot to improve child's intelligence.
 
 
 
.
Reply
C-Tech
C-Tech.11 years ago
sorry for my bad language i will try to avoid big gramatical mistakes :)) Ok i have forgat "nature vs. nurture" has many things...that is why movement and correct nutrition can increase intelligence, nature (meaning respect the body and the body will respect you, means that with movement -> sport a person can increase intelligence, that is why yoga has haves and is the king of mind development "movement designed for the nervous system, and nurture what we eat, we are...i don't need to explain this do i?...C.
 
 
 
.
Reply
C-Tech
C-Tech.11 years ago
In my opinion those researches are not even slightly empirical, sorry there is a lot of error in it (only subjective study not scientific for me)... there are evidence that average I.Q. persons with Deliberate Practice(the newest discovery) have increased on a nearly genius level (genius level is a handicap like retardation because over 4% of the brain is used in intelligece in contrast to it's 96% that is critical for body function). Yes there a few intellectuals in the world but believe me those people are not even close to good I.Q. (except for some that can do benefits by chance), inventing something doesen't need a genius mind but a dream....Sorry Guys but for me Psychology may be used only in social, personality,cognition (function only) -> Behaviour on an NON-Empirical Level (because psychology is subjective not an exact science)... for cognition and human perfomance -> only neurology (biolgoy tries to approach the study of the human mind by exact explanations), including all studies from embriology to all histological deveopment. Best Regards and good luck on your researches...To be honest we do not need intelligence the average I.Q. is enough to be in top shape in all areas including being good in math, biology, languages etc...time management is secret, and thoase that move from a sayng (move slow and think fast) excell in almost everything in the world...C.
 
 
 
.
Reply
mini
mini.14 years ago
the article made an interesting reading.
but i would like to know how the older generation of people grew up without any parents guidance, books or journals to help them. were they also not intelligent? infact there were more nobel prize winners in india in the early days and not now a days.
 
 
 
.
Reply
sANDEEP
sANDEEP.14 years ago
i wanted to read your artical for all the do's and don'ts for parents towards a growing child, now that is fine but it seems you never suggested the solution in the end , but end up the artical very adruptly, write some more words.
 
 
 
.
Reply
Ravi Kulkarni (kulkarniravi@yahoo.com)
i totally disagree with the author in her contention that intelligence is something fixed and can't be changed at all. first of all there is nothing called one "intelligence". it is now clear that there are multiple "intelligences" and it highly dependent upon the culture in which a person grows up as to which one or many of those intelligences show up more prominently. secondly, brain is not something that comes totally preprogrammed at birth. a whole lot of learning takes place which is very fundamental in nature, which lays the foundation for all future learning, between the ages of -1 (prenatally) and 3 years. if appropriate stimulation is provided at this stage, there is really no limit to which a child can grow. my own son (now 19 months) can already speak in full sentences, can draw rudimentary pictures, sings simple tunes and so on.
 
 
 
.
Reply
Lakmali
Lakmali.14 years ago
your artical is better. but problem is there were no separet to age group. because it was be different to age to age. eg. when we get yrs 1-5 age group & 5-10 age group. it was to be a different 1 by 1. because there memory capasity is different. inthat, when we improve there intelligencey.but how ever bacically your ideas better as commenly.
i will hope better articals in yours' website in the future. we will improve our children's intelligency, since there baby time.
 
 
 
.
Reply
Maureen Bell
Maureen Bell.14 years ago
i believe it is necessary to give much time to your children. but giving so much time is sometimes impossible. today, one needs to make money in order to live and the only way to do so is to work, away from your children. however, since my husband has a fine job, i am an at-home mom. still, though, i find it difficult to spend much time with my children, as i must scrub dishes and clean floors on my
hands and feet. i must shop, cook meals, and i love to read. time is of the essence.
where does it all go?
 
 
 
.
Reply
load more comments
Back to Previous Page   |   More on Intelligent Child Index

 








Subscribe




All tips on What Is IQ? Can It Be Improved?
You ever wanted in one place.
No need to go anywhere else. No spam.

*No spam only genuine emails
Follow us on:



Featured Articles - Infertility | Baby Development | Health and Fitness | How to Get Pregnant | Parenting Advice | Weight Loss | Pregnancy Advice | Name Numerology
Baby - Baby Photo Contest | Lucky Names | Lucky Birthdates | Horoscopes | Chinese Calendar | Compatibility Test | Fun Zone
Parenting - Message Boards | Planning a Baby | Pregnancy | Parents of Babies | Baby Names | Baby Name Poll | Birth Announcements | Parenting Quiz
Family - Cooking Club | Love & Relationships | Beauty Tips | Kids Weight Calculator | Recipe Maker
General - Calorie Counter | Personality Quiz | Love Signs | Compatibility Quiz