- Encourage curiosity: Parents who show curiosity and encourage their children to explore new ideas teach them a valuable lesson: Seeking knowledge is important. Support your kids’ hobbies and interests by asking them questions, teaching them new skills and taking them on educational outings to develop intellectual curiosity.
- Teach confidence: Positively reinforce their kids with encouragement and optimistic assurances. Participation in team sports and other social activities also helps build confidence during the awkward “tween” years when children’s peers are least supportive.
- Read: Reading is a sure-fire, low-tech way to improve learning and cognitive developing in children of all ages. Read to your children from an early age, sign your child up for a library card and keep the house stocked with books.
- Outdoor Play: Participation in organized sports fosters confidence, teamwork and leadership, according to research by the Oppenheimer Funds. This study also found that 81 percent of women business executives played team sports as girls.
- Create Music: According to a study by University of Toronto researchers, organized music lessons appear to benefit children’s IQ and academic performance—and the more years the student takes lessons, the greater the effect.
- Cut Junk food: Cutting out sugar, trans fats and other junk food from your child’s diet and replacing them with high-nutrient alternatives can do wonders for early childhood mental and motor development
- Play Brain games – Chess, crosswords, cryptograms, riddles—they all train the brain to perform mental gymnastics. Games like Sudoku can be fun while promoting strategic thinking, problem-solving and complex decision-making. Keep brainteasers around the house and challenge your children to help you solve the trickier problems.
Source: Multiple including http://healthyliving.msn.com
