You want your child to be intelligent and happy and to fully realize their intellect so read these 10 Ways to Increase Your Child’s Cognitive Development.
Both qualities open doors in the future, so it’s essential to start fostering an environment of great cognitive development while they’re young.
If you want to build your child’s brain before they enter school, you’ll need to implement various techniques to ensure their development is going smoothly.
Photo by Ashton Bingham on Unsplash
Table of Contents
Read to Them
Your child may not be old enough to read yet, but you can still expose them to language by reading to them early.
Allow your child to pick out a book.
Make sure it’s appropriate for their age group so they’ll understand all the words.
When you read it to them a couple of times, they should start to grasp the power of words.
They may even offer to read it to you after a while!
Learning to read early in life is linked to success in school because they already know certain words and concepts.
If you don’t want your child to struggle through the English language, you can always read to them early and introduce them to words.
They may be more comfortable trying to read aloud in front of you at home rather than in a classroom full of their peers.
In this way, you can help build their confidence by reading to them in this way.
Teach Them Ahead of School
If your child isn’t in school yet, you have plenty of time to teach them basic things that will give them a step up in class.
Your child may find it easier to grasp more complex topics in school if they’re exposed to them before kindergarten.
Teaching them the alphabet early may also help them learn to write earlier.
They’ll start to form letters more accurately and spell simple words before they go into school.
You can expose your children to various topics before they start school.
Consider teaching them how to count to 20 outside of the classroom to be prepared for counting and basic math in school.
Once they grasp the concepts of addition and subtraction, they’ll be able to perform calculations more efficiently because they’ll know which numbers come after the others.
Speak to Them Normally
“Baby talk” is made up of nonsensical sounds and words.
You wouldn’t speak to an adult in baby talk, so why would you talk to your child the same way when you know you want them to grow?
You can speak normally to your child, just in tones and with an inflection that will catch their attention, and expect them to understand more about conversation and communication.
Young children develop their language skills faster when they have someone to model those skills after, and talking to them in baby talk doesn’t give them the correct example they need.
As tempting as it may be, don’t give into baby talking.
Give Them Choices
While it might not seem like it, giving your child choices can aid in their brain development.
When you let them choose things — such as which toy they want at the store or which of the two options they want for dinner — you’re helping them develop their sense of independence.
Through this practice, they’ll learn more about themselves and what they want to do and should do.
When they go off to school, they’ll have ample opportunities to put this independence into play.
They may have to choose a particular color or topic for a project, and they’ll face whether they should pay attention to the lesson or goof off.
You can’t be there with them through everything, but teaching them how to make disciplined choices can set them up for success.
Play Outside
If you have a playground near your house, take your child there.
Playgrounds are specifically designed to enhance your child’s critical thinking skills and help them create a story out of unstructured, unguided play.
Playgrounds foster their imagination and help them turn into anything they want during playtime.
If you don’t have a playground nearby, consider helping them learn from their environment in the backyard.
Being out in the sun is good for your child.
While they’re growing mentally, they’re also growing physically thanks to the dose of Vitamin D.
Just make sure to use a sunscreen of at least SPF 50, so the sun doesn’t damage their skin.
Your child will be growing with little effort on your part as a parent by playing outside.
Ask Questions
You should ask your child questions, but make sure you know the answer to them.
Questions will challenge their brain.
They’ll come up with a solution after doing some critical thinking.
Responding to you by answering your questions is much like they’ll do in class — it helps them learn and retain information.
With these questions, you can impart wisdom.
If you ask your child why they shouldn’t run with scissors or why they should look both ways before crossing the street, eventually, they’ll come up with an answer that prioritizes safety.
Reinforce their correct answers, and they’ll remember what to do in dangerous situations.
Complete Art Projects Together
Your child doesn’t need to be the next Picasso to earn some great takeaways from making art.
You get a wonderful finished product that you can hang up on the fridge and be proud of your child for, but your kid takes away so much more.
In addition to helping to tune their motor skills, your child can learn things such as the most effective way to color something in and the consequences of an action in terms of coloring.
They can slowly begin to understand the concept of cause and effect, thus developing their brain before they even go into school.
Introduce Them to New Games
Games are great, as you can encourage your child to teach them to other kids on the playground.
Bring up a few games that you enjoyed when you were a child or ones you know are popular today.
It may take a bit for your child to absorb all the instructions, mainly if it’s a complex game, but they may be excited and ready to play it with friends when you’re finished teaching them.
Understanding a concept and then relaying it to other people is a part of learning and can ensure that your child retains the information well.
Take Fun and Educational Field Trips
If your child isn’t in school yet, you have all the time in the world to spend with them and start educating them.
Take a look around the city you live in.
Pack up your child and take them to an educational yet fun space.
You might visit a historical park with plaques you can read to your child.
Another idea is to take them to the zoo and quiz them on what they know about animals.
At the same time, you can read more about the animals who live there and grow your child’s trivia knowledge.
Let Them Help You
When you ask for your child’s help with something, it’s not because you cannot do it yourself.
You ask them for help because you want to see how much they can do and challenge them to learn new skills.
Make sure you give them age-appropriate tasks, such as handing you something or mixing a recipe in a bowl.
Your child may feel their confidence soar in addition to the fine motor skills they’ll be tuning with your suggestion.
Help Your Child Grow Mentally
Your child grows every day, even when you don’t notice it.
Each day, they take in their surroundings and learn more about life.
Before they start school, you are their primary teacher, the one who can instruct them on how to be safe and teach them about the ways of the world.
By fostering their cognitive development, you’ll prepare them for school and teach them how to take care of themselves in the future.
We hope you enjoyed 10 Ways to Increase Your Child’s Cognitive Development.
