RAISING A GENIUS- Helping your child exercise their learning potential- part 2

Continuing from part 1:

4. Every opportunity is a teaching opportunity: Learning is not only limited to a classroom. “What shape is a stop sign?” I asked my daughter when she was 4. “Octagon”, came the reply. How did she know that? I had told her previously. Sometimes people ask me, “How do your children know this?” I teach them. I taught my 2 year old how to use a mouse. My husband taught our older daughter how to spell her name when she was three. On long drives we count all the way to 100, learn songs, recite ABCs and do mini “spelling bees”. We got a bean once and planted it in an old flower pot to see how things grow. It is not hard to teach children in a way that encourages a love of learning.

5. Encourage thinking outside the box: Encourage critical thinking. Ask questions and encourage them to ask questions too. When they stray off the beaten path ask yourself, is what they are doing unsafe for them or others? Is it destructive? Is it just wrong? If not, it’s ok to get dirty, it’s ok to tear up styrofoam, it’s ok to mix two colors of playdoh; it’s ok to color outside the lines; it’s ok to write in “robot letters”; it’s ok to put “Sharpie””make-up” on the doll’s face.

6. Study your children and follow your instincts: Some types of schooling work better for certain children. Some children learn more at daycare/ nursery than at home. Some are better off taught at home before the compulsory school years. Some children thrive in Montessori schools( I know mine wouldn’t). Some children need more structure( mine does). Some children are visual learners, some prefer to hear things recited. Use tools that appeal to your child the most. Do not bother about doing what everyone else is doing. You may choose public school, Christian schools, private schools, homeschooling. The point is if none of the schooling methods are wrong, you are free to choose what sits right with you.

7. Relax: Every child learns at their own pace. If your two year old is not reading yet, it’s ok! Work with them where they are. One thing which works for me is to remember that God gave me my children, but He also gave me to them! I realize that I have what it takes to help them reach their potential and ultimately fulfill their purpose.

RAISING A GENIUS- Helping your children exercise their learning potential

This is really not about geniuses at all, but about helping your little one be all they can be and develop a lifelong love for learning. Babies are not dumb little creatures, they are capable of absorbing vast amounts of information with ease. These tips apply mainly to babies and preschoolers, although there are applications in older children too.

1. Start early: Talk to your baby while he is in the womb. Sing to your baby, start reading to them before they are one year old. Do not talk to them in “baby talk” and it is ok to use so-called big words. If you speak two languages in your home speak them both to your child. As early as six months of age, start to name the parts of the body( except privates) during baby’s bath. Before the age of one get plastic ABCs( lower case) and show them to your baby, naming the letters. This should not be done as a task, but as part of play.

2. Exalt character above being smart: There is no use being a smart jerk. If your child grows up being rude and uncouth, because being smart was exalted above good character, you will be the loser. There are so many smart people who are arrogant. This is sad really. They have book smart, but no one ever trained them to be a good human being!

3. Read, read, read: Read to them! Read books yourself. Children mirror the behavior they see. Readers are learners and learning means growth. Read to your six month old. Read to your six year old. Buy interesting books. Read them the Bible. Apart from learning how to live a godly life, they will learn some big words too! 🙂 Start with reading the alphabet then graduate to books above your child’s so called reading grade. Remember this should be fun. Do not make a task of it or they will lose interest. If they don’t feel like reading a book one day it is ok and it won’t affect their chances of getting into Harvard later.

Watch out for the concluding segment

Receive the Kingdom as a child

Truly I say to you, whoever does not accept and receive and welcome the kingdom of God like a little child [does] shall not in any way enter it [at all]. (Luke 18:17 AMP)

In what way does God expect us to be like a child?What do children do? When the Bible compares us to things,it is a good idea to find out the characteristics of those things and draw parallels from them.

1.Receive joyfully: Have you ever given a child something they like? They take it with joy, they do not wonder wether they “deserve it”. They do not try to be worthy of it, they just take it and play with it or wear it or eat it( depending on what it is). God wants us to receive His blessing happily without wondering weather we deserve it or not.

2.No condemnation: Let’s say you were to chastise your child about something, then send them out to go play or give them their dinner. What would they do? Move on! They would not hang around looking sad, trying to “make up” for what they did. “Oh mom, I need to do more chores to make for my bad behavior”. God wants us to accept his forgiveness once we repent and not keep dredging up the past.

3.Like to play: Children love to play! Learning to enjoy everyday life is not about shirking your responsibilities, it’s about loosening up and enjoying the journey. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves to play. Jesus said, “I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly”. That sounds like a happy life to me!

4.Like to laugh: Children laugh. They laugh, and they laugh. Sometimes you just have to find something to laugh about. Laughter is indeed the best medicine.

5 Curious: Children want to know and want to learn. Most of the time, their curiosity is almost tangible. If we don’t learn we don’t grow and if we stop growing, we start dying. God wants us to be teachable and to keep learning more about Him. Let us not think that we know it all.

6. Expect parents to take care of them: Children expect their parents to take care of them, in fact, the average little child expects its parents to be able to cough up its demands at a moments notice. God expects us to trust that He will take care of us.

7.Think that parents can do anything, have absolute faith in parents: In line with point 6 above children think their parents are all-powerful. God is all powerful and can do anything. He deserves our unwavering trust.