Photo Credit
The jury is still out on whether or not that is as effective as TV may have us believe, but preparing your child to perform well academically is still high on nearly every parents’ list of priorities.
There is no Bible for raising children. There are a lot of books, sure, but none of them are considered to be 100% gospel. Parent’s do their best, and that is all that can be asked of them and so, here are some tips and advice for raising a child who shows promise at an early age.
Find the Right School
You want to ensure that your child is in the best educational environment as possible, but there are so many schools that all boast to be the best in the area it can be challenging to decide which is the best one for you.
Setting your child on the correct path to success begins in preschool, where your child will learn to socialize, share and learn essential life skills that will benefit them as they grow older. Preschools, such as Abacus Schools, are ideal to aid your child by introducing them to a supportive and comfortable environment.
You want to look for institutions that emphasize the relationship between teacher and student, encourage the learning of new things, as well as providing the right balance between work and play. In the early years, children are naturally inclined to distractions, with so many different mental stimulants catching their attention, and any parent will know that providing them with the opportunity to blow off some steam is essential to keeping their focus when the education matters.
You are Also an Educator
Most parents (hopefully all parents) will be aware that school is not the only place where your child has the opportunity to learn. While continuing learning upon getting home may seem like the last thing your child will want to do, finding time every evening to approach further, additional education is essential to keeping the brain active at home.
There are many different ways to continue your child’s education after school, and the benefits of activities such as reading - either to your child or having them read to you, depending on their level - will aid them in bringing these skills to the classroom and succeeding in their academic pursuits.
Furthermore, it does not just have to be academic endeavors that are undertaken at home. Parents can also explore more artistic activities such as music or drawing or even things such as joining clubs, where they can interact with other children that share similar interests and build friendships and have a life outside of home and school.
Search for Diversity
Concentrating on one singular subject and mastering it seems like an efficient way to ensure your child is top of their class, but only in one discipline. This can go on to affect their performance in other classroom activities.
You don’t want your child to exceed in any one area, in fact, it is best to encourage them to be proficient in as many subjects as possible. They will, of course, naturally be drawn to specific subjects, those that they feel they have the highest aptitude for and their passion for this should be encouraged, but not at the expense of other subjects.
This is particularly true in their early years, during pre-school and elementary. They will have the opportunity to learn the basics of Math, Science, Geography, English and more and from there can make their own decisions on what they prefer.
Look For Challenges
Part of learning more in life is taking on challenges that are unfamiliar. It is all too easy to remain in your comfort zone for as long as possible, but when it comes to facing these difficulties later in life, a lack of experience with dealing with the unfamiliar can hurt the ability for growth.
While it is not advised to push your child too hard, encouraging them to explore new opportunities is going to aid them in self-improvement and allow them to be more open-minded when approaching new environments.
Gifted children who demonstrate high intelligence from an early age will be naturally curious, so much of these challenges may be welcomed with open arms. No matter what these problems are, it is essential that parents encourage and support what they show passion in regardless of it being academic or artistic or vocational.
However, challenging your child for the sake of challenging them can lead them to resent whatever activity you choose. Constant communication is vital to understanding whether your child is enjoying what they do.
We have all been there in our youth; being unable to do something with a lack of experience and wanting to quit before we have given it a chance. But children grow up, learn what their strengths are, and begin to focus on what they are passionate about if they really want to undertake specific challenges, they will.
Don't Pile on the Pressure
Giving your child the label of genius or prodigy can have detrimental effects on their self-esteem and state of mind. Creating somewhat unrealistic expectations for them to achieve will only hurt their prospects in the long run.
While having an intelligent child is nice, it is not the be all and end all; far from it. Putting the pressure on your child to succeed, particularly in subjects they are either not as proficient as other in, or do not have the same passion as some of their favored subjects, will only bring about unnecessary stress and a fear of failure.
This can hurt your child’s prospect. Being terrified of failure has the potential to damage their love of education and learning and turn them away from academic pursuits. Too many times have parents made their child feel like grades are the only reflection of someone’s worth, don’t let this happen to your child.
Furthermore, intelligence and genius do not solely come from the classroom and pouring over textbooks every free minute of the day. Your child also needs the social intelligence to succeed in an ever-connected world, where making connections with people is essential for success.
Encouraging your child to socialize with others will set them up with an excellent, reliable network of friends and peers to offer support through the good times and the bad during their years at school.
Anyone Can be A Genius
Above all, it doesn’t matter if your child is the smartest person ever to have lived, what matters is that they are happy in who they are and treat the world and other people with the respect and dignity you would expect from them.
Your child doesn’t have to solve the mysteries of the world, and it is more than likely that they won’t. However, that doesn’t mean that they can’t still be the biggest success they possibly could be, through learning as much as possible, by following their passions and striving to improve both themselves and the world around them.
You can still do your part to encourage excellent academic performance but do not make their whole life all about learning and gaining knowledge from the classroom. Curiosity is one of the biggest factors that can aid your child in learning as much as possible. Encourage them to travel, meet new people, and try new things. They might just stumble upon the secret to everything you, and us, have ever wondered.
0 Comments