11 Ways to Boost Your Child’s Brain Power
All parents want their children to succeed as adults. While luck plays a role, much of their future success comes from early childhood experiences. Studies have repeatedly shown just how influential a child’s early years are, impacting everything from emotional well-being and social development to academic performance.
That extends to their later career success and how their early development plays a part in shaping their adulthood. Strong academic performance is a big indicator of professional achievements in adulthood and is linked to the child’s brain power. It’s simply much easier for them to do well in school if their critical thinking, concentration, and memory skills have been fully developed.
As a parent, you can gently nudge your child’s brain power in the right direction. In this post, we’ll look at a bunch of handy tips that should, all combined, give your child a slight — yet impactful — advantage.
Let Their Imagination Run Wild
A child’s imagination can be pretty wild. While it might be difficult for you to keep up with their trains of thought, it’s recommended to encourage them to engage in creative thinking. Studies have shown that engaging in creative exercises — including thinking — helps to make the brain more flexible, aids connection-building, and enhances decision-making and concentration.
The next time your child seems to be in a world of their own imagination, remember that they’re doing more than simply playing. They’re giving their brain the tools it needs to be at its best.
Playing Games
It can sometimes be difficult to get children to engage in brain-boosting activities. After all, they would argue — not incorrectly — that they already spend enough time at school and doing homework. Asking them to do extra work that may one day benefit their career may be slightly too much.
The solution? Encourage them to put their brain to work without them even realizing it. Some games, such as Wordle, chess, Sudoku, and Scrabble have been shown to boost problem-solving and critical thinking skills, allowing your child to enhance their brain power while also having fun. While you will want to allow them to play “normal” games on occasion, try to make a habit of playing those brain-boosting games — and don’t forget that you can also play them to enhance your own brainpower!
Be a Reading Household
Want an effective way to get your child to read more? Fill your home with books. It’s not realistic to think that a child will go out of their way — say, to the library — to find a book to read, but when they’re already surrounded by books? Then you’ll be greatly increasing the chances that they pick one up and begin reading.
Note that it’s unlikely to be enough to just have books around the house. Remember that children pick up habits from their parents. If you’re scrolling on your phone all day, then that’s probably what they’ll do too. On the other hand, if you’re continually sitting down reading, then it’ll be more likely that they follow suit.
Learn a Second Language
There’s a lot of value in teaching your child a second language. Becoming multilingual helps children to be more flexible thinkers, and has also been shown to enhance empathy. Even if your child is a little resistant to the idea of learning a second language, it’s one of those things that’ll pay off in the long run. There’s a lot of confidence that can come from traveling to a foreign country and being able to speak the local language!
If you’re looking for a language that’s not English for a child to learn, consider one of the Romance languages, such as French or Spanish. Knowing one of these makes it much easier to learn the others, and opens up a world of traveling opportunities, including Europe and South America.
Follow a Healthy Diet
It’s no secret that it’s important for children to follow a healthy diet. More than anything, it’ll help to encourage them to follow a healthy diet in adulthood. But it can also help to give their brain a boost, too. Some foods have been linked to enhanced brain performance, including fatty fish, dark leafy greens (such as spinach), walnuts, and berries.
And the best part of those ingredients? They’re all delicious! Look up a good recipe that includes those ingredients, and you’ll be giving your family a healthy, nutritious meal that supports both their mental and physical well-being.
Prioritize Education
Some children are naturally motivated to do well in school, but most need a little encouragement. And, of course, the best source of that motivation is the parents. Getting your child to take their education seriously isn’t about simply lecturing them about the consequences of poor academic consequences. It’s about showing respect for education. For example, this could mean taking the time to meet your child’s teachers, making sure that there’s a well-oiled school routine, and finding your child a tutor for any subjects that they’re finding difficult.
Get Outdoors
There’s much to love about taking a hike in the great outdoors as a family — including the effect that it’ll have on your child’s brain power (and also yours!). One study found that spending time outside had as much of a positive impact on cognitive thinking as acute exercise.
There are other benefits to spending time in nature as a family, of course. It’s a great way to develop the family bond, encourage an appreciation for nature, and enhance physical fitness, for example. As with most things, the more you put in, the more you’ll get out. Make a habit of going for a walk in the woods every couple of weeks, and you’ll be encouraging a healthy practice that’ll stay with your child for the rest of their lives.
Encourage Physical Activity
We mentioned above that acute exercise can have a positive impact on cognitive thinking. While your child will likely get some exercise at school, it’s recommended to find an activity that you can all do together as a family. Studies have shown that the most brain-boosting benefits of exercise happen when physical activity happens multiple times a week. You don’t need to overthink the type of activity that you do; it can be going for a walk, bike ride, or playing some ball games together. So long as it’s active and gets the heart rate up, it’ll work!
Sleeping Well
Even the most intellectually gifted of us struggle to perform when we’re tired. A lack of sleep decreases a person’s capacity for concentration and impacts their memory. If your child struggles to fall — or stay — asleep, then look at putting together a pre-bed routine that puts their body and mind into a relaxed state, including limiting screen time, since research suggests that using a device in the one before going to bed can impact sleep quality.
Try Mindfulness
There’s an increasing body of research that suggests that meditation and mindfulness can offer profound benefits to children, including improving focus and concentration, elevating mood, and helping to regulate emotions. And aside from giving your child’s mind and mood a boost, starting a regular meditation practice when they’re young can put them on an early path toward wellness, which can make a big difference when they’re in adulthood.
Ask Questions
Finally, you can encourage your child to put their brain to work by asking them open-ended questions. You can do this with anything, from asking them about their days to getting their musings on bigger matters, such as what they think is out there in the cosmos. It’s a good way to spark their curiosity and teach them the power of using their brains.
