Category Archives: Mind Development
7 Mind Development Ideas for Children
The growing years are extremely important in shaping the child’s emotional, mental and intellectual capabilities. However, no two children are the same. This makes it essential for parents and those in involved in molding children to understand and develop ideas that would help in building their minds.
1. Give Them Daily Chores
One of the primary aspects of any civilized society is responsibility. Teaching children to be responsible in their growing years will enable them to grow up as responsible individuals and responsible citizens. The nature of being responsible can be inculcated by giving them daily chores to do. This is could be as simple tidying up their room, helping you with shopping groceries or even helping an elderly neighbor with some mundane chore.
Responsibility also enables to build a child’s self-esteem. A responsible child will not be rash and will pause before taking any negative decisions.
2. Art and Craft
A good way to develop the mind and enable a child to explore his or her own creativity is through art and craft. This is also a good time for a child to unwind and also to bond with the parents or siblings or may be even friends. You can get innovative; call your children’s friends over for an afternoon of creativity. Watch your child experience the joy of playing with colors and see how your child’s imagination takes wings. There are many innovative craft and art kits available in the market. Choose ones that are not toxic and are child friendly.
3. Games
Physical games not only help build healthy bodies but it also enables in building healthy minds. As children bond with other children during their play time they learn a number of times. During playtime, your child will come across children with different personality traits and behavioral patterns. This is a good time to discuss and make your child understand the implications of positive and negative behavior and response. Using practical real-life example to teach a trait or a behavior is more effective and will help the child understand better.
When a child comes with a situation, ask questions and see how he or she responds. If possible encourage the child to come up with a solution and guide them to the right answer. This can help them in their critical thinking and decision making. There are also many indoor games that are available to enhance a child’s thinking ability.
4. Listen and Encourage Their Ideas
To be able to understand the talents and capabilities that your child is naturally gifted with, you have to spend quality time with your child. Listening to your child is an important habit that parents need to develop. Listening at a superficial level will not suffice. There is much more to listening, it’s about observing. Listening and observing will give you a lot of cues relating to your child’s strengths and weaknesses. Understanding this will help parents to sketch out personalized ideas to improve your child’s mind.
5. Encourage Positive Thinking
Use every day practical issues that your child encounters as opportunities to build positive attitude in the children. The way you approach these issues can make significant impact on the child’s personality development. Help your child to accept the world as it is with all its pros and cons. The next step would be to make your child understand that no matter how stark the situations are, your child can still choose to respond and be a positive force to reckon. This kind of training can and should ideally start with most insignificant issues. For example, tell your child to use the bin even if others around him or her don’t care to.
6. Provide New Learning Experiences
Exposing children to new activities, games, thoughts or even new situations will open up their expanse of thinking. Say for example, if your child is more into outdoor activities try getting your child to read a book. The act of reading a book seems almost like a long-forgotten art among today’s generation.
7. Creating A Happy Environment
The most precious thing parents can give their child is a happy and secure environment to grow in. A child who grows in a happy and secure environment is stable and balanced.
Since no two children are the same and parents need to come up with creative ways to enhance the child ‘s mind development. Working with your child to this end can be very fulfilling indeed.