Have you ever pondered why some kids are eager to learn and handle their schoolwork effortlessly, while others struggle to concentrate on even the most basic assignments and need continual reminders?
Well! it is simple to believe that some children are just “brainier” than others, but all children have the capacity to learn how to work more efficiently and perform better academically, even though intelligence certainly has some hereditary foundation. Parents should be encouraged and hopeful by this growing potential.
Here, we’ve curated a list of habits that intelligent kids inherit, referring to Bradley Busch, a chartered psychologist and author of Release Your Inner Drive: Everything You Need to Know about How to Get Good at Stuff (Crown House Publishing), to help you raise ‘smart kids’ and how you can help your child develop them.
- Aware of Their Capability:
Some children have a defeatist attitude toward academics because they think their intelligence is fixed. You may hear from them, “Oh! This periodic table goes off my mind!” “Oh! I can’t solve this math problem!” or “I know I can’t do this, so there’s no point even trying.”
Bradley claims that “these kids are less likely to strive; they frequently give up on tasks that they find challenging and reject feedback.”
On the other hand, some kids think they could perform better. They will say things like, “I know I can do this – I’m not giving up,” or “I find mathematics difficult, so I’m going to try even harder.”
These children possess a growth mindset, which is the conviction that improved performance is possible through hard work, effort, and learning from mistakes. Bradley asserts that since people think they can become better, they become better learners.
Practice this:
- Acknowledge your child’s effort rather than their accomplishment.
- Try stating something like, “I’m pleased with how hard you worked on your writing,” rather than, “Don’t worry; I know you’re not very good at English.”
- Encourage them to think about what else they could do to improve, fostering a growth mindset in their approach to learning.
- Reading is Fun to Them
Many don’t enjoy reading, but kids who read during their free time significantly advance their education. Bradley says, “We know children who read for pleasure do far better at school.” This should inspire parents to foster a love for reading in their children, as it improves their academic performance and brings them joy and inspiration.
Practice this:
If your child isn’t interested in books:
- Practice reading your favorite books to them.
- Set up a small library.
This will inspire them to practice reading.
- Healthy Sleep Schedule
Lack of sleep makes kids grumpy and agitated, affecting their school performance. “Children who consistently get a good night’s sleep tend to raise their results by one grade per subject when it comes to exams,” Bradley claims. This underscores the responsibility of parents to ensure that children get enough rest and make them feel committed and dedicated to their academic success.
Practice this:
- Never allow your child to leave their tablet, phone, or laptop in their room overnight.
- Enforce a screen-time ban one hour before bedtime. They may miss an hour of sleep if they use screens right before bed.
- Avoid Comparison
Unsurprisingly, many youngsters do the same thing because we all compare ourselves and our kids to others. However, intelligent kids are more inclined to concentrate on their own accomplishments than on how they stack up against others. We call this self-referencing.
“I know I’m good at ten-pin bowling because I always win” is one thing, whereas “I know I’m good at ten-pin bowling because I used to get 90 points, and now I get 110” is a different matter. Bradley states “More confidence and motivation result from self-referencing.”
Practice this:
- Stop comparing your children to one another if you have more than one.
- Ability to understand purpose
Your kid will likely be motivated to do their studies if it looks worthwhile. However, intelligent children can concentrate on an activity’s goal, which enables them to complete it. According to Bradley, “Children find a task more interesting and put forth more effort if they understand why they’re doing it or how it will help them.”
Practice this:
- At the beginning of each session, a skilled instructor will briefly explain the task’s purpose, such as, “This will help you understand what we’re going to do in science next week.” Discuss the rationale behind the assignment’s assignment with your child at home to help them understand its purpose:
- Assess their understanding.
- Make them understand the purpose of their learnings/assignments.
- Refrains from Procrastination:
Children instinctively put off doing things they don’t want to do, just like adults do. However, children who work more efficiently understand that putting things off doesn’t help them long-term. “Children frequently put off tasks because they are unsure of where to begin, the task appears too challenging, or they don’t believe they can complete it all at once,” Bradley explains. Also adds, “Once they begin the task, they frequently discover it is not as difficult as they initially believed.”
Practice this:
- Set a ten-minute timer with the assurance that they can stop when the bell rings.
- Urge your youngster to at least begin the work.
- Knows Balancing:
Contrary to popular belief, intelligent children are not those who spend endless hours on homework assignments and quit attending after-school clubs to study for tests. Instead, they are those who manage to strike a balance between their workload and leisure activities, social gatherings with friends, or simply lounging at home. Bradley states, “Social interaction and physical activity are linked to mental and physical well-being, which has a knock-on effect on their schoolwork.”
Practice this:
- Set aside time for your family to go to the park or go for a run or walk. You must set a good example if you want your child to have a healthy work/life balance.
- Seeks Help Often:
Bradley cites that as elementary school draws close, “We often see kids, particularly males, growing afraid to ask for assistance because they believe it to be a show of weakness.” However, asking for assistance when a task is challenging, or they don’t understand something is one of the characteristics of a resilient learner.
Practice this:
- Tell your youngster that asking for assistance is a sign of a mature learner, not a weakness.
- To help children who are having trouble with their assignments, encourage them to record a note in their homework notebook or jotter, reminding them to ask the instructor for clarification.
- Learns from Feedback:
Are your kids able to take in the teacher’s feedback and figure out how to improve for the next time, or do they become irritated when their schoolwork isn’t perfect? According to Bradley, “many students interpret feedback as criticism and are less likely to take it on board.” They will, however, be able to improve when they try the same work again if they pay attention to the teacher’s guidance.
Practice this:
- Instead of posing the question, “Is this okay?” which encourages kids to accept work that falls short of their capabilities, have your youngster ask, “How can I improve this?”
- Make them understand the value of feedback.
Practice these habits and make your kids smarter than before.
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