How to improve a child’s success?
One of the common misconceptions that you have encountered as a parent is that intellect, memory and concentration, the crucial elements that determine a child’s success at school and in life, are immutable.
However, experts in education and development claim the opposite a person’s intellect, memory and concentration can be trained, and thus improved.
Instead of teaching their child to read and write before they start primary school, experts believe that parents can do much more for their child’s development by having them exercise their:
- intellect
- memory
- concentration
Not only that, if we don’t actively work on the development of these abilities, a child will never be able to reach their full potential, regardless of how talented they may be.
Good schools work methodically on this, but parents can also help a lot if they practice with their child.
A formula for improving a child’s success
The basic factors used to predict a child’s success at school does not refer to any specific skills or knowledge the child possesses, but to their general ability to acquire knowledge, and knowledge acquisition directly depends on three things: intellect, memory and concentration.
And while many parents complain that their child’s memory is underdeveloped or that they struggle with concentration, reconciling with the situation as if it were impossible to change, they can actually help their child improve these abilities with a few simple exercises.
Namely, intellect, memory and concentration have something in common with muscles: if they are trained, they grow and develop, if not, they get weakened and atrophied. Regardless of how gifted your child is, if you don’t work with them and use adequate exercises, they won’t realize their capacities. So, you need to exercise with your child.
We will show you a few simple and effective techniques that you can use to help your child improve their intellect, memory and concentration, thus becoming more successful at school, and eventually, in life.
Intellect
Talking about intellect usually implies solving intelligence tests, understanding numbers, quantities and spatial relations. However, these are just a small part of intellect. The truth is that there are multiple intelligences
Experts from the renowned Harvard University, or more precisely, Howard Gardner established that there are 8 types of intelligence:
- Nature smart
- People smart
- Number smart
- Picture smart
- Music smart
- Body smart
- Word smart
- Self smart
Your child possesses each of these 8 types of intelligence, however, not all of them are equally developed. The thing they all have in common is that they can be developed through exercise. Research shows that children who have worked on strengthening their intellect from an early age achieve significantly better results at school, and later in their career. The lesson we need to learn from this is a child’s innate intelligence is not immutable, but needs to be developed.
How to motivate your child to develop their intellect
1. Encourage the child to broaden their interests
If, for example, they like computers, help them learn more about educational possibilities of modern technologies beyond the world of video games.
2. Show interest in their world
You will not only show that you care about what happens in your child’s life, but allow them to share the things they’ve learned playing or participating in a preschool play with you, and thus understand them better.
3. Play is a child’s best friend
Through play, children gain self-confidence, new knowledge and skills that will be important when they grow up. Let them play.
4. Let them do what they’re good at, but support them when things get difficult
Depending on their interests and preferences, some children are more interested in natural sciences, whereas others excel at sports or languages. Allow your child to find out what they are good at, and encourage them to not to give up when things don’t go smoothly.
5. Teach them to manage their obligations
If you notice that your child has too many responsibilities, help them to organize themselves better. Redefine their priorities together, as well as deadlines by which they must be completed. Be realistic and don’t overburden your child.
6. Enroll your child in extracurricular activities
Various school clubs for children are as important as regular classes. By becoming members of these clubs, children will discover their talents, affinities, and some may even discover their future occupations or hobbies. Allow your child to choose between sports, dance, acting, writing, playing an instrument or computer skills.
7. Make sure your child eat’s healthy
Children need healthy food for proper development and to have enough energy for their daily activities. A good diet also impacts the development of a person’s intellectual capabilities and allows them to successfully complete their daily tasks. Studies have shown that children who eat healthy, balanced meals every day have better concentration and memory.
Memory
If we had to underline one thing without which learning would be completely impossible, it would be memory. Simply, in order to learn anything, a person needs to memorize it, which is why a good memory is crucial for a child’s success at school.
Memory can be improved with simple exercises designed and implemented by people who are widely known for their exceptional memory capability. Whether your child has memory-related problems or not, exercise will help them to significantly improve this ability.
So, practice with your child and help them to strengthen this crucial skill, and you’ll see that these exercises will benefit you as well.
Six tips to improve memory
1. Help them visualize
We best remember things we can see, so help your child visualize the image of what they are reading or listening to, even if it’s not in front of them. If, for example, they are learning about historical figures, encourage him/her to imagine them in his/her room doing something. Take your child to museums or historical sites. Create a small play, and play the roles of knights, soldiers, kings, princesses, heroines.
2. Play educational games
Many games develop children’s memory, apart from being fun, and the best ones are played in company, so play memory games, logical video games, and puzzles with your child. Not only will the child improve their memory, but you will also practice yours.
3. Read with your child
Read interesting texts with your child aloud and discuss them later. Encourage them to share their opinions. This way, you will not only improve their memory, but broaden their knowledge and teach them to think critically as well.
4. Engage all senses
Children learn better if they use more than one sense in the process. Things that can be touched, seen and smelled remain in one’s memory longer, so if your child is learning about apples, take them to the market to see what it looks like in real life.
5. Integrate new information with old knowledge
A child will memorize new information more easily if they integrate it with prior knowledge, which is why this is a great way to improve their memory. For example, if they are learning about monkeys at school, remind them of your trip to the zoo and what they saw there.
Concentration
Many children have difficulties concentrating in our digital world. The unparalleled information flow directly causes a shorter attention span, which is why today’s children find it difficult to maintain focus.
Although concentration is a sensitive thing, easily disturbed by various distractions from our environment over which we have no influence, your child can learn to maintain their concentration.
5 techniques to improve concentration
1. Neat study space
First of all, you need to find a well-lit and ventilated study space for your child in your apartment/house, and to make sure that they always study there. Then, you need to clear away all the unnecessary clutter and things that have nothing to do with learning.
2. Soft instrumental music helps
Music unleashes a person’s creativity and maintains a healthy body. Don Campbell says that soft, pleasant and low-key music improves learning up to five times and motivates students. It is important to choose instrumental music so the child could focus on learning instead of lyrics.
3. Study plan
It is well-known that planning increases learning efficiency, so make a daily and weekly study plan with your child they need to stick to so you could supervise their progress.
4. Motivate your child
When the child is motivated, their concentration is better. Try to be positive when introducing your child to learning so they wouldn’t see it as a tedious chore or punishment, but an enjoyable activity.
5. Make use of modern technologies
Same as everyone else, your child probably spends a lot of time playing video games or fiddling with their phone, unless you show them how to use a smartphone and the computer for interactive learning and improving their memory. So, show your child that technology has an educational side as well, because that would have a much better effect on their concentration than restrictions and punishments.
If you practice with your child at home and implement one of these technologies, you will help them develop the key qualities for success both at school, and in life. Of course, home schooling is not enough. Your child needs to attend a good school that strives to develop their full potential. So be careful to choose a school that can meet your child’s needs.
Allison Academy – a school where children can achieve their maximum
In addition to competent and experienced teachers, state-of-the-art programs and bilingual classes from the very beginning, Allison Academy aims to unlock all the hidden potentials of your child through a regular curriculum and extracurricular activities. That includes development of their intellect, memory and concentration, as well as all other qualities that will help your children acquire the necessary knowledge and skills.
Unique approach to education
Thanks to a careful synthesis of advanced methodological principles and procedures, teaching at Allison Academy is varied, stimulating and rich.
It is aimed at helping children acquire specific knowledge, and developing skills such as intellect, concentration and memory that will enable them to succeed in further education and train them for lifelong learning. The vision of Allison Academy is to teach children how to learn!
This is achieved by:
- Learning based on one’s affinities
- Mastering academic skills
- Improving memory, concentration and focus
- Reflexive learning
- Multidisciplinary classes
- Harvard program for developing multiple intelligences
Students at Allison Academy will develop the key skill needed for success in the 21st century: a passion for lifelong learning.
Allow your child to develop their full potential!
