As a child’s mind develops, he becomes more intelligent. How intelligent the child becomes will depend on two main factors:
⇛Genes: these controls the amount of natural intelligence he or she has.
⇛Environment: the use the child makes of his intelligence will be very much influenced by the environment in which he grows up.
Development of a baby’s mind is helped when parents:
⇛Environment: the use the child makes of his intelligence will be very much influenced by the environment in which he grows up.
How to encourage intellectual development in a child
In the first year:
- Talk to the baby.
- Play with the baby.
- Place the baby in a position where he can see what is going on around him or her.
- Provide toys and objects which he or she can handle and investigate, and which encourage him or her to concentrate.
- Allow him or her to practice new skills as soon as he ready – e.g. feeding himself.
- From the age of about 9 months, start to read to him or her, tell him or her stories and show him pictures.
After the first year
- Talk.
- Practice new skills – dressing himself or herself, drawing, playing games.
- Be curious and ask questions.
- Explore new places.
- Play with other children.
- Play with toys which stimulate his imagination.
- Be creative and make things.
- Listen to stories.
- Look at books, and eventually learn to read.
Conditions which hinder intellectual development in a child
- Lack of enough opportunities for talking and playing.
- Nothing of interest for the child to do.
- Constant nagging or bullying from other people
- Deafness
- Poor eyesight
- Poor concentration
- Frequent illness
- Frequent absence from school.
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parenting