How to Raise Smart Kids: The Ultimate Guide You Must Read

Which kids do you believe are smart? Parents typically comprehend high IQ, learning progress, school success, or specific talents such as excellent math or linguistic abilities when they refer to a "smart child."

However, intelligence encompasses far more than that. For example, emotional intelligence (EI) is a child's ability to control emotions, empathize with others, and develop positive relationships.

Nurturing a child's intellectual growth is essential to their success in life.

What does it take to raise smart kids?

Fortunately, we do not have to guess, thanks to neuroscience and research findings on various aspects of the human intellect.

However, it's vital to grasp the fundamentals of human brain growth to figure out when particular abilities are most susceptible and how to encourage them.

In this blog article, we mined pure gold nuggets to help you understand how to raise smart kids.

There are several suggestions on different aspects of brain skill improvement. It's all up to you, though, to decide which are the most relevant for your kids and family.

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Recognize your child's cognitive development stages

"Children learn with their bodies before they learn with their brains" - Sally Goddard Blythe.

The human brain has a unique pattern of development that you must understand to raise healthy and well-rounded children. Right from the start, we want to emphasize that the first three years in a human's life is the most important period for brain development.

When a child is born, her brain already has multiple neural connections that will advance during the first year of life. The first part of the brain, called the survival brain, has already pretty matured neural pathways. This brain part is responsible for breathing, heart beating, and other physiological reactions. The other three parts will grow connections and evolve for many years. The frontal cortex fully matures in the mid-20s - early 30s.

Clarification: we borrowed this 4-part brain classification from Nathan Wallis for the sake of explanation simplicity. However, other classifications might be more scientifically correct.

What are the 4 brain parts?

1. Survival brain, as we have already mentioned, is responsible for the physiological reactions of the organism. Moreover, this brain also helps form attachment between a child and primary caregiver as a part of the survival strategy for this little human being. Any disruptions in the attachment can have a tremendous impact on this person's entire life, including their cognitive skills and health conditions. This attachment survival strategy is crucial for the first 6 months of a child's life.

2. Movement brain also starts maturing from birth, peaking between 6 to 18 months when a child makes a quantum leap in motor skills. Babies develop movement skills from a young age, starting with hand-eye coordination.

Survival and movement brains together form a part that scientists usually refer to as the lizard or reptilian brain.

It's worth noting that in reptilian parts of newborn brains, several neural connections are dedicated to primitive reflexes. These primitive reflexes evolved to assist our children in surviving during their early months. These primitive reflexes should disappear during the first couple of months when they are integrated into more advanced motor actions. However, if primitive reflexes persist throughout the early years and into school age, children may acquire several learning difficulties as a result of unintegrated primitive reactions. We have a fantastic blog article dedicated to diagnosing and correcting retained primitive reflexes in children, which you can read here.

Child development basics.

A child must correctly pass through all motor development stages to lay a firm foundation for more sophisticated brain abilities, such as learning and self-control.

For example, tummy time is essential for babies since it helps develop the vestibular system. When the vestibular system is activated, the entire brain gets activated.

Crawling is another critical stage of brain development that every child should get through adequately. Thus, cross-lateral movements stimulate the growth of nerve cells. Furthermore, such whole-body activities help youngsters comprehend the world, improve their visual-motor coordination and spatial reasoning, and learn about their bodies. Babies can understand the world with their bodies first; their brain is the last to get it.

According to neuroscientist Dr. Carla Hannaford, a child should not walk before age one. Early walking may cause difficulties activating other brain systems, such as vision in kids. Infants must practice different movements before walking.

3. Emotional brain includes our limbic system. The emotional brain matures from 18-24 months to 7 years. During this time, children absorb human values. Also, they learn about well-being, contribution, respect for themselves, belonging, creativity, and positive dispositions such as independence, perseverance to failure, curiosity, responsibility, resilience, patience, playfulness, being friendly, considerate, etc. The foundations of social-emotional intelligence are laid during this period.

Children under 7 acquire most of their positive learning dispositions through play. During this time, free, child-led play is crucial for future learning. Later in this blog post, we'll discuss more about play.

Every parent should be aware that, according to research, children who learned to read at the ages of 5 and 7 do not differ in their reading abilities when they are all 11 years old. It also implies that young children should not be rushed into reading and literacy at an early age out of fear of missing out. On the contrary, when children are forced into academic learning too early, their emotional brain skills remain underdeveloped as all the energy goes into the frontal cortex and learning. These kids may then lose the desire to learn and explore, cope with failure, think creatively, and learn independently.

To preserve our children's brains, we must remember that the brain develops from bottom to top, with the newest part of our brain (prefrontal cortex) maturing last.

4. The frontal cortex is the final component of our brain that handles higher human intellect. Even though intermediate maturation stages occur throughout childhood, this brain region takes a long time to fully mature. Full brain maturation occurs in the mid-20s to early-30s in different people.

The slow maturation of the frontal cortex is why academic education begins at 7 in many countries when children have developed enough to learn the cognitive curriculum.

In his book "The Whole-Brain Child," Dr. Siegel describes the brain as a house with many floors. So if the house's foundation is insufficient, all other structure sections will be constructed inadequately. The survival and movement brains form the basis of our cognitive skills. Therefore, when a child has learning disabilities, occupational therapists and health practitioners look for signs of neuromotor immaturity.

There is a child screening questionnaire on the Institute of Neuro-Physiological Psychology's website. Supposedly, if you answer 7 or more "yes" to the survey questions, this will indicate the neuromotor immaturity in a kid.

Neuromotor immaturity correction may assist a lot with learning difficulties in children at school. Such correction improves the brain's structural base and helps to form connections that were not appropriately established during the early years.

We have also a blog article that goes over all the physical skills a kid must have to be ready for kindergarten, and it is well worth reading!

Play and learn to boost your child's intelligence. 

Why is play important for kids?

Children's learning occurs primarily through play for all early years and throughout the first school years. By playing, children improve 4 important developmental domains, such as:

• physical when kids obtain fundamental movement skills
• emotional, which turns on the limbic system
• cognitive when children build their executive function skills through play
• creative which blooms when kids use their imagination and creative thinking in play

As you can see, play is an essential instrument for a child's whole development into a decent person. According to many studies, play has a strong positive impact on a child's language development, creativity, and well-being.

Based on everything we've said so far, we'd like to emphasize the necessity of free time for play in a child's hectic schedule. By scheduling play, you'll guarantee you don't fill this time with another extracurricular activity or chores. However, be sure your child does not spend their free time watching television or playing video games. Throughout their playtime, children may engage in any sort of play, from physical activity to pretend and narrative play. You can schedule playdates for your kids or encourage them to play at home. We have a variety of terrific blog articles to assist you if you're organizing a playdate for your kids: 

Playdate For Kids 101: Help Your Child Make Friends

21 Playdate Ideas for 5-7-Year-Olds: Outdoor, Indoor & Adventure Games

What to Do on a Playdate: 70+ Play Ideas for 1- to 4-Year-Olds

How can I encourage play at home?

All types of play benefit children: physical, pretend, symbolic, rough and tumble, game, etc. Children are generally the initiators of play, which is terrific since child-led play helps kids to express themselves more freely. Parents should be aware of three critical elements of child-led play: freely chosen, intrinsically motivated, and personally directed. 

However, not all kids are used to playing for many reasons, such as too many toys, toys kept in toy bags, messy play areas, excessive screen time, a lack of habit to play, and so on. There's a reason why your children don't like to play, and you should fix it.

They will look forward to playing if a child's play area is visually attractive, breathtaking, and exciting. Exciting play space doesn't mean you need to invest much money into a fancy playroom. The goal is to create a space that potentiates children's positive emotions.

It must not be too big or prohibitively expensive.

There are several ways to make your home's play area more appealing to kids:

• Teach your children to maintain their play area clean.
• Each toy must have its place.
• Pay attention to the sort of toys available in the play area. There should be a lot of open-ended and multi-purpose toys for children to be creative with.
• Playspace must have a secluded area for relaxation and alone time: a reading corner, a tent/teepee, or even a cardboard box can suffice in certain situations.
• Let your kids experience wonder by setting up a light table with translucent objects, a metal table with twinkling lights, an unbreakable mirror with LED lights, a big window with translucent blocks, magnetic tiles, etc.
• If you can, rotate or rearrange the toys differently.

There's a science to building exciting play areas, so if you want to learn more, please visit the this website.

Having a decent play area at home is especially useful if you are a working parent who doesn't have time to play with your kids for lengthy periods. In such a play area, children naturally keep themselves busy.

If you have the resources to devote time and effort to assist your kid's play ideas, keep reading; it'll all come down to the correct play invitation setup.

Play experts like Sally Haughey recommend setting up an invitation to play that is within the child's current interests, which immediately sparks their desire to play and motivation.

The invitation to play may look nothing like the perfectly color-matched setup you can find in the accounts of Instagram moms. The play invitation is a research process you must go through to help your children unravel their big play idea.

A proper invitation to play supports children's current play interests and facilitates their play ideas to a new level. Thus, by adding new meaningful materials to children's play, we can provide persistence and intensity to their current play ideas and expand their play.

How to make an invitation to play work properly:

1. Observe children at play - this is an essential step. You can understand your children's interests and motivations by watching them play. There are two ways to do it.

• Look for recurring play actions like connecting things, destroying what has been built, moving stuff from one place to another, etc. There are many such patterns in a child's play; you undoubtedly recognize them already.
• Observe your children's play narratives and what they're up to and saying during play. It's simpler if at least two kids are playing together, as you won't have to break the play to ask questions; you just have to watch them.

2. Identify a recurring play pattern or narrative. After you've observed children playing for some time, you'll be able to do this easily.

3. Assume what item may help the play and place it in the area where you observed the play pattern or narrative.

4. Take a look to see how the item you added affects children's play.

5. Repeat the process.

It is critical to note that you will not always create your invitation to play correctly, but this isn't important. You must watch your children play and try different materials until you notice a significant improvement in their play, then repeat the process. As an adult, you never take the lead or interrupt the play; instead, you simply watch and offer materials you believe will be helpful for the play to unravel.

A real-life example.

My little boy was a big fan of constructing tunnels for his train tracks out of magnetic tiles. Tunnel construction was a recurring play activity that I observed. Still, the play scenario hadn't advanced in a long time. One day, I suggested he build a tunnel with wooden bricks to continue his transparent magnetic tile tunnel. As a result, the tunnel grew longer but also darker. He couldn't see his train in a tunnel and didn't want to create tunnels that were too long without any light since it would be challenging to play with. So I offered him a torch, and he immediately asked to stick it on his train. 

Then, it was a brand-new magic play set up, with tiles that glowed in vibrant hues and fully illuminated tunnels. Sticking the torch on top of a train enabled my son to construct longer tunnels with more materials that I supplied him. This building play continued to evolve for a long time.

Imagine how many new ideas my boy learned during this construction play. He learned a lot about transparency, light, distance, constructing with distinct materials that didn't fit perfectly, spatial relationships, etc. But, most significantly, I had the opportunity to support my son's perseverance, motivation, and focus because I was able to follow his passion for playing.

In the previous example, you may see that a successful invitation to play does not require a fancy setup of meticulously aligned wooden toys. Instead, creating an invitation to play is a dynamic research process in which you actively watch your children and offer new items to deepen their play.

Loose parts work exceptionally well for supporting children's play. Loose parts always come in handy whenever you think of materials for an invitation to play. Moreover, loose parts are irreplaceable during play dates. However, there are some guidelines to bear in mind:

• Have a lot of items for each kind of loose part. It is better to use fewer kinds of loose parts but to have enough things of each type for discovery and play.
• Support your children's play narrative with related material. For example, if children are building something, do not offer peg dolls, as this will distract them from their initial play interest. Offer them more building material instead. If you notice that their play is shifting to pretend or imaginative, you can offer them the items that support this emerging play scenario.

In conclusion, play is an essential aspect of childhood that contributes to developing emotionally and cognitively balanced, motivated children with solid executive function abilities. Playing is critical for children under the age of 7; therefore, even a first-grader must have free play in their routine. As a parent, you may support your child's play in various ways, but the most important is to give them time, space, and resources for play.

Play board games with your children to make them smart.

Board games are an excellent tool for enhancing cognitive development, teaching children social-emotional and executive skills and preparing them for school. Numerous studies have shown that playing traditional board games may boost a variety of cognitive abilities, such as logical thinking and processing speed, numerical skills, executive function, and encourage prosocial behavior and motivation. We have a fantastic blog post on games that improve various cognitive skills in 5-7-year-olds, which we highly recommend for reading: Brain Games for Kids: Boost Your 5-7-Year-Old’s Cognitive Skills In Play!. Also, there is a series of blog posts about the best board games to play with children:

100% Best Board Games for 3 Year Olds Your Family Will Love 

The Best Board Games for 4 Year Olds: Top 10 Family-Friendly Options

The Best Board Game for 5 Year Olds That Kids Really Love

Playing board games with your children encourages their cognitive abilities, stimulates their learning motivation, improves their social skills, and, most importantly, creates exciting memories of family time. Board games are also a fantastic way to connect you with your teenagers, who are more interested in spending time with their friends outside the family circle.

Furthermore, numerous other educational toys and games may help your child's cognitive abilities, such as jigsaw puzzles, brainteasers, blocks, LEGO bricks, etc. We have a comprehensive blog post on preparing your youngster for kindergarten. In this post, we go through all of the educational games to play with toddlers to stimulate their learning:

Kindergarten Readiness: Check & Prep At Home.

Parents are always looking for solutions beneficial to their children while being as easy as possible, such as creating Lego models or engaging in "educational" games on tablets. There's nothing wrong with playing alone, but it is a much less effective approach for children to learn and grow. Children learn best when interacting with other people, which is why board games are so good at fostering kids' development. If you want your child to perform well in school, you must play board games with them regularly. Board games may help your kids learn even in high school. Playing board games might help kids improve specific cognitive skills that will be beneficial in adulthood, even if they do not attend a university.

Choose the right educational curriculum for smart kids. 

The first six to seven years of life are crucial for a person's entire existence. Every encounter, pleasant or unpleasant, that a child has during this period may have a long-term impact on their life. Also, there are scientifically-proven stages of cognitive development that should be respected during the first seven years of life.

Here's a fantastic graph that illustrates the significance of a decent early-childhood education experience.

Heckman, James & Carneiro, Pedro & Cunha, Flavio. (2004). The Technology of Skill Formation. American Economic Review. 97. 10.1257/aer.97.2.31.

Unfortunately, a public school curriculum often puts a lot of pressure on small children to acquire specific knowledge and academic abilities without considering the developmental needs of each child. The research has been conclusive: when children are exposed to academic learning at an early age, their school success is significantly slowed down. However, if they partake in child-initiated early learning experiences instead, they will obtain better grades in middle school.

As a result, many parents nowadays look at different educational systems that they believe would be more beneficial for their children. There's also a growing movement among North American, European, and Australian families to homeschool their children.

With so many alternatives, picking the finest education for your child may be tricky, depending on various criteria such as price, commute, family beliefs, and lifestyle. Unfortunately, there are no ideal solutions for early-childhood education. Every system has its drawbacks and benefits; therefore, the right one for your kid depends on your expectations.

Which educational curriculum fits your family?

When selecting an education program for a little child, the first and most important thing to bear in mind is that it must be based on play. All of the educational programs discussed here are child-led and play-based, so whatever method you choose will still benefit your child.

The most popular educational approaches for early years are Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio-Emilia, Froebel, forest schools, etc.

Montessori curriculum

The Montessori educational approach emphasizes independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child's natural cognitive development.

Because we had children who attended Montessori preschools, we may be biased toward this style of education since we believe it is one of the most comprehensive. However, we'll try to illustrate a few of the benefits and drawbacks of Montessori education.

Montessori cons:

• Schools are expensive because Montessori materials and teacher training cost a lot;
• The quality of education at a Montessori school varies depending on the competence of the teachers. Therefore, we always suggest seeking institutions that have received AMS certificates. They usually fulfill the standards of the Montessori method at such schools.
• The academic accomplishment may not differ from that in the usual educational system. Knowledge gaps can occur in subjects outside of a child's interests, as the Montessori method is less structured and more child-led. However, this problem depends on each school and its approach to academic learning. It is always helpful to ask about school alums and their further achievements.
• Pretend play is absent in Montessori classrooms. The absence of play may be a significant disadvantage for parents aware of research demonstrating how play affects children's development. However, Dr. Montessori purposefully excluded play from her curriculum after several attempts to introduce toys to children early in her method development. Children, she determined, preferred real objects to toy alternatives and real stories to fairy tales. That's why she finally concluded that kids played with toys only when real-life options were unavailable. For small children, distinguishing facts from fiction is a nearly impossible task, according to Maria Montessori. As a result, she also excluded storytelling from her curriculum for children under seven.

In our family, we dealt with these matters by allowing the children to play and read many tales at home since we do not agree with the above two controversial viewpoints.

Furthermore, at our Montessori school, there was a "childcare time" at the end of the day when the Montessori curriculum had ended. By this time, kids transferred to another room full of conventional toys so they could satisfy their desire for play and wait for pick up.

Montessori pros:

• The environment appeals to all five senses and encourages discovery.
• The Montessori approach recognizes the different phases of a child's cognitive development;
• Children are respected as unique individuals with distinct needs and abilities;
• The curriculum allows children to learn at their own pace;
• Children have a lot of social interaction as they work in small groups.
• The Montessori education fosters independence, self-discipline, and creative thinking.
• The Montessori method, which nurtures the development of leadership abilities in children, has had famous graduates such as Jeff Bezos, Larry Page, and Sergey Brin of Google.
• The Montessori method is a holistic education that emphasizes moral values and social skills, emotional intelligence, and fundamental cognitive abilities. This strategy develops entrepreneurial talents in Montessori kids.
• The Montessori method might be a good fit if your kid has physical, developmental, or learning issues.

If you would like to learn more about Montessori activities at home, please check out our blog post "Montessori At Home: Toys And Homeschool Activities."

Waldorf/Steiner approach

Waldorf schools are unique places that resemble a beautiful home with a well-chosen collection of toys and creative materials. Waldorf education promotes children to explore, create their own playthings, and learn life skills, social cooperation, and emotional intelligence.

Waldorf schools often enroll children aged four to five, which is the optimum age to begin Waldorf education.

Around four or five, young children start to develop abstract thinking, which is at the heart of Waldorf education. As a result, due to their developmental stages, we cannot thoroughly recommend the Waldorf curriculum for toddlers and younger preschoolers. However, Waldorf schools for little kids do exist.

The Waldorf approach is the way to go to turn your kid into a creative thinker. However, not all children and families respond well to the Waldorf method, so we'd like to explain it in greater detail for you.

Pros of the Waldorf education:

• Children's curiosity and desire to learn are both encouraged by the curriculum.
• Waldorf teachers are generally really caring and driven.
• There is a lot of interaction and play among the children.
• Waldorf schools value social-emotional learning.
• The curriculum is loaded with right-brain activities, which are excellent for overall brain development in early childhood.
• Waldorf children are treated with respect and recognition.
• Kids are more likely to realize their full potential when there is no rivalry among kids.
• The Waldorf method creates a happier, more enriched childhood for children.

Cons of the Waldorf approach:

• Families who choose Waldorf education share similar beliefs, such as recognizing the importance of childhood and raising "natural children." On the other hand, Waldorf education appeals to many families who are doubtful about vaccination, leading to more unvaccinated kids in Waldorf schools than usual.
• The Waldorf curriculum does not require that students learn to read early on. As a result, children in these schools begin learning to read at seven, which is fine if you consider your child going to a Waldorf elementary school. As we mentioned earlier, at the age of 8, you won't be able to tell the difference between children who learned to read at three and seven. But if you continue your child's education in a non-Waldorf school, they will fall behind their classmates and may find it challenging to catch up.
• Because Waldorf schools avoid technologies and gadgets in their education, your child is more likely to be a tech novice. However, most children have a variety of devices at home, so not having them at school may be beneficial when they take a break from the digital world.
• Although Waldorf schools accept all kids regardless of race, these institutions tend to be more white-dominated than other schools. As a result, you shouldn't anticipate much diversity in Waldorf schools.
• The Waldorf philosophy is quite specific and involves a lot of spiritual backgrounds. Whether or not a school teaches anthroposophy philosophy is entirely up to them. However, if you don't want your child to learn specific spiritual ideas, then the Waldorf school system is probably not the greatest option. We need to add, however, that the National Association of Waldorf Schools in North America claims that they do not teach religious doctrine to kids.
• Waldorf schools are all private and have high tuition costs, making Waldorf education a privilege.

Reggio-Emilia-inspired education

This is a teaching approach that focuses on early childhood and primary education. The child controls the learning process, which entails exploration, discovery, and creativity. Children learn essential social skills, such as cooperation, problem-solving, and conflict management, through a Regio-Emilia-inspired curriculum.

The Regio-Emilia method is based on Vygotsky's zone of proximal development (ZPD) concept. ZPD describes how children learn new skills through interaction with more experienced adults and other kids. In school, teamwork has a significant function; children are frequently involved in decision-making, and their community is an expression of a democratic society.

Pros of the Reggio-Emilia-inspired education:

• School's nurturing environment plays the role of the third teacher, providing children with many opportunities to learn and discover.
• Children learn collaboration and social skills from an early age and work on many projects that can last for days to months.
• The Reggio approach fosters creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills through open-ended play.
• Children develop a lifelong passion for learning and perceive themselves as competent learners.
• Teachers treat youngsters as capable and work closely with parents to create a genuinely welcoming learning experience.
• From asking questions to expressing themselves through the arts, children are urged to communicate in various ways.
• Teachers keep track of each child's progress daily, creating a work portfolio for them.

Cons of the Reggio approach:

• Independent learning style with an emergent curriculum is not for every child and family.
• Even if teachers plan lessons under the Reggio approach, they need to adapt their lessons on the go to fit the child's current interest. Although this technique sounds excellent, it may be impractical compared to a more standard approach due to its heavy reliance on each instructor's abilities and personality.
• A lot of attention and involvement is expected from parents of students at Reggio-inspired schools, which might be difficult for families with full-time working parents.
• Parents cannot track how efficiently this approach is applied to their children.

Forest schools

The practice of educating children outside originates from Scandinavian countries. In forest schools, children spend most of their time outside in nature, where they play, learn, and explore. The forest school concept encourages children to take risks, allows them to move and explore the natural world, and fosters a sense of connection with nature. Under this approach, children should spend extended amounts of time in nature playing unstructured games.

One of the hallmarks of forest schools is risky play. In traditional schools, preschool instructors are hesitant to allow youngsters to play risky games, owing to the potential consequences of health accidents. On the other hand, teachers in forest schools are trained to accept and encourage risky play in children while taking precautions to reduce risks.

What are the benefits of risky play?

• Children develop resilience and self-reliance as they learn how to manage difficulties, failures, or unpleasant outcomes of their behavior.
• In most cases, skills kids gain through risky situations are located in their zone of proximal development, which means they can acquire them with little effort. By dealing with challenging situations, youngsters develop new skills, encounter new possibilities, and broaden their horizons.
• Children's gross and fine motor skills significantly improve through risky physical activities like bouncing on unsteady surfaces, scaling heights, etc.
• Children who learn to overcome and conquer difficulties gain self-confidence, a growth mindset, self-trust, self-awareness
• When children are faced with difficulties and must cope with the consequences, they gain the ability to assess risks and improve self-regulation skills.
• Risk-taking improves creativity and divergent thinking; more on this read here: Creative Children: The Best Ways to Raise Innovative and Anti-fragile Kids.

The advantages of forest schools:

• Children learn actively by interacting with things in a natural setting;
• The scale of play and learning is much broader as children can experiment with materials, noise, sounds, and sizes of their constructions on an impossible level in the classroom. As a result, children's behavior sometimes improves significantly without classroom limitations;
• Assessing risks from a young age helps children internalize this knowledge as their life skills;
• Children who take risks develop confidence and resilience.
• Kids are physically active throughout the day; thus, they develop healthy bodies and brains. They develop physical skills like agility, coordination, and strength in muscles of the core and back, arms, and legs, which are all critical for long hours of sitting in a traditional classroom.
• Children develop social skills and teamwork through problem-solving and exploring the world with their peers, which they acquire naturally. In forest schools, kids learn how to build relationships and feel like community members.
• Forest schools nurture creativity and independence in kids.

Drawbacks of forest schools:

• Even though dangers are reduced in forest schools, they are not excluded, so your kid may still get injured on occasion.
• Not every child can stand being outside in all-year conditions for long hours each day.
• Children may have difficulty adjusting to regular school routines when they move to conventional learning. This is not the common rule, though.
• The curriculum is relatively unstructured and emergent, making the shift to conventional education more challenging.

If you have some risk tolerance for your children, forest schools are a fantastic choice since they allow them to learn many essential life skills. Finally, if you reside in a mild-weather location, then your children will benefit greatly from spending the majority of their time outside. We would, however, consider not sending our children to a forest school during severe winters or heat waves in the summer. We strongly suggest you visit all the forest schools in the area. Discuss their approach during dangerous weather conditions and ways of risk minimization in their setting.

Homeschooling

"Several years ago, I seriously considered homeschooling as our children's educational path. A few years of being a stay-at-home mom changed my mind, however."

We feel that the rise in homeschooled youngsters results from parents' dissatisfaction with the public school system. Homeschooling children under seven may be an excellent alternative when a good preschool/daycare center is not available.

We've recently listened to an interview with Nathan Wallis, a neuroscience educator and the founder of the X-factor education company. In his interview, Mr. Wallis explained how the environment significantly impacts the human brain during the first 1000 days of life. This short period determines what this person will be for the rest of their life.

What stroke us during the interview the most was the investment idea. According to Nathan Wallis, if parents have money to invest in their kid and want the best return on investment, they should put it into their kid's development during the first 1000 days of his or her life. So it might be better to spend your savings to stay with your child at home at this age if you can afford it and talk, talk, talk to them because language is a driver of cognition.

The educational approach doesn't matter; you can follow Montessori, Waldorf, or any other philosophy at home.

Even with a free play child-led curriculum, your children will not lose out on reading and writing abilities if they begin after age seven. Depending on your location, however, teaching kindergarteners literacy might be mandatory.

Social interactions issue.

All parents have to admit that kids learn many skills through peer interaction after age three. Children encounter numerous social situations in their early years of schooling. Also, they get continual feedback on their conduct and form an opinion on what is acceptable and what is not. Kids who attend schools get to know many people with totally different backgrounds and learn to interact with them all. Children learn self-reflection and consequences for their actions in preschool. That is why a rich social experience is necessary during this sensitive period between the ages of 3 and 6-7.

Suppose you can provide your kid with many social interactions and playtime with other children (except siblings). In that case, homeschooling will be an excellent alternative. However, if your child spends all of their time with family and you, then this might cause difficulties in their later social integration into society.

That is why, whenever possible, we recommend choosing the finest preschool available since it will give your child a more enriching environment than can be provided at home. Furthermore, having a kid in preschool may be a lifesaver for parents since they may use this time to work, look after younger children, pursue hobbies, or simply unwind.

If you're still unsure about which educational approach and curriculum to pick for your kid, you may always seek advice from professionals like educators or child development experts.

Teach your children anti-fragile skills. 

Resilience, independence, growth mindset, self-reliance, etc., are all essential skills for success in school, life, and career. As described in the forest school section, allowing children to take some risks is one of the easiest ways to help them learn these skills from an early age. Taking children to a risky playground, teaching and allowing them to play with sharp objects, conquer heights, and face other challenges are all beneficial for children's cognitive and emotional development.

Furthermore, going to school or shopping on their own, as well as playing outside without adult supervision, is a fantastic method to instill independence and resilience in them. Also, acing situations that might expose children to social risks also helps reduce social fears.

Unfortunately, society and legislation have become increasingly risk-averse in many modern Western nations. Sounding weird to readers from several European and Asian countries, children in the US, Canada, and Australia, are not allowed to go to school by themselves before a certain age, different for each country and state, but usually in the range of 12-16. Also, they are not allowed to stay alone at home. These measures result from the growing practice of helicopter parenting and the common belief that life is becoming more perilous due to media spreading the news about bullying, kidnapping, hit-and-runs, etc.

How dangerous is the world today?

In the book "Enlightenment Now," Steven Pinker described how much safer our existence has become in the last 50 years. Homicides and accidents are far less frequent nowadays than in the past. But kids are still getting more and more dependent on their parents until they are at once allowed to drive a car, vote, or take a huge student loan. There have been numerous efforts in the United States and Canada to alleviate pressure on parents and provide children with more independence. However, such initiatives are still minor.

Most society members support the existing legislation and genuinely believe that children should be protected as long as possible from all life problems. However, such an approach leaves children unprepared for adulthood; they often lack the simplest skills to navigate a new place, take care of their car, or pay the bills when they go to college. We have a fantastic post for teenagers explaining all the essential skills they'll need to succeed as adults. Check the blog post to ensure your teen is on the right pass to adulthood. And if your child is still little, look at things that are better to teach them before they leave your home.

Raising kids in North America vs. Europe

A great Youtube channel "Not Just Bikes" compares life in Canada and Netherlands. You must watch their video; it is mindblowing. Children in the Netherlands are far more self-sufficient than children in other countries. Since first grade, they ride to school on their own or with a crew of friends on bikes. They spend additional time socializing and interacting with others outside of school hours. It's no surprise that these are among the happiest kids in the world. This parenting approach allows children to become self-reliant, resilient, non-fragile, and optimistic. They think about their actions ahead of time and maintain a regimented schedule while also being able to take care of themselves. Furthermore, having a rich social life without adult supervision teaches kids how to form and maintain relationships, communicate with people, and make decisions. Set-up playdates will never replace situational and casual communication with peers.

Aside from legislation, a few more restrictions for kids riding a bike to school in the United States are bound to the car-centered lifestyle. Because there are no safe bike paths practically anywhere, especially compared to the Netherlands, riding a bike to school is simply not safe enough.

Swiss parents' approach to raising self-reliant kids is another example to learn from. Like Dutch, Swiss children attend school independently, starting right from the first grade. Moreover, such independence is encouraged not only by parents but at the state level when police officers strictly control traffic around schools during school hours.

Again, children must be allowed to take risks and act independently to develop anti-fragile traits. As a result, we encourage parents to embrace risk-taking and autonomy in their kids as much as possible.

For example,

• Give your child age-appropriate chores and duties;
• Allow your children to assume responsibility for their schoolwork as soon as possible;
• When your children are still in kindergarten, teach them how to schedule their time.
• Give your kids responsibility for their wardrobe. Make a list of clothing your kid will require for the next few months and establish a spending plan. Then let your youngster shop for clothes within budget and according to the list without restricting them. Twelve-year-olds can do this easily; sometimes, even younger kids will succeed with the task. Letting children do the shopping is an excellent way to demonstrate that you value their opinions and build trust in your relationships.
• When planning a family vacation, challenge children to choose places they would like to visit and things they wish to do. Ask kids to plan your family stays according to the budget. You'll be surprised what ideas children can come up with and save a lot of time on vacation planning. 
• Teach your children navigation skills; have them memorize the road to school while driving or on a walk; ask them to find the way to the park, library, etc. Spatial orientation is an essential cognitive skill for school learning and real life.
• If you are in a country that allows children to be independent without strict age limits, encourage them to go to school on their own as early as possible. Also, teach them to use public transportation, shop for food, ask for help if they get lost, use their smartphones to find the best route, etc. Such simple tasks greatly impact a child's development, significantly improving their independence and executive skills.

Importantly, before allowing children to go outside alone, you must instruct them about all lurking dangers and what to do in threatening situations. For example, what to do if you get lost in a metro, how to call the police, what if some stranger is following them, etc. Also, have your kids memorize your and your partner's phone numbers by heart in case their phone stops working so they may call you from any number.

We'd want to emphasize that these are simply ideas, so you should consider your child's local safety and then decide on the degree of independence to grant them.

How to teach delayed gratification skill to a child?

Most likely, you've heard about the marshmallow test and how crucial it is for a child's future success to learn to postpone gratification. This skill enables people to control their wishes and do what is required today to obtain a distant reward.

We combined teaching children about financial literacy, delayed gratification, and investing in our family since nothing can compare to money as a learning tool.

How do we teach delayed gratification to our kids?

We have established a system in which, each week, kids receive a set amount of money. Regardless of their actions, parents' disposition, or the Moon phase, THEY ALWAYS receive their money. Our children know they can expect to get their money every week, and they learn to budget and project how many weeks they'll need to save for something in this manner. That said, we encourage our children to spend their money on valuable and cool things they want, for example, a telescope, an expensive Lego set, or any other item on their wish list.

The key to sparking children's interest in saving money is not to fulfill their wishes immediately.

For example, our son has been interested in space for a long time. We purchased a variety of encyclopedias to encourage and sustain his interest; we watched many documentary series about the solar system, and we went to an observatory to view the stars and the Moon and did a lot of other things to learn even more about space. Our young son said one day that he wished he had a telescope to watch the Moon whenever he wanted. We loved the idea, so we went to see what a telescope would cost and discovered several decent options.

Then, which is critical, we explained to our son that we fully support his enthusiasm but would not purchase him a telescope. It was difficult not to feel bad because we saw how fired up he was. We refused to buy him a telescope, saying it was a pricey item and we didn't have a budget for it. However, we encouraged our son to save money for his telescope. Given the money he received each week, we estimated how long it would take him to save up, which was more than two years of saving.

Of course, a child could not accomplish such a difficult task.

So we decided that once he reached the 50 USD mark with his savings, we would add another 50 USD to it; if he had 350 USD in his savings, we'd add 150 to it. So on and so forth, until he had amassed the required amount to purchase a telescope.

Thus, we split one significant goal into many smaller sub-goals to reduce the child's discouragement during the tedious money-saving process.

Our family's experience with this approach was incredible. Our son had the opportunity to enhance his arithmetic and money skills, determine whether his desire was genuine, and set and achieve his goal. So for us, as parents, it was a great way to teach our child the delayed gratification lesson. Our son could have purchased a lot of other things that he wanted and could afford them earlier with all the money he had saved up at the time.

Frankly, there were times when he said that he would buy several trendy toys with his money. We never discouraged him from making the purchases. Still, we constantly reminded him that if he made another purchase at that time, he would have to save up longer to attain the milestone and earn the extra money. And he always decided to keep saving.

Saving for a telescope was one of his first large-scale saving efforts. The boy was ecstatic when he finally accomplished it.

Investing for smart kids

Investing is another method to teach children who grasp the importance of money about delayed gratification. It's tough to convey the intricacies of stock and ETF investing to a 6-year-old (although we don't say it's impossible). We introduced our children to investing concepts through the products they loved most - Legos. If you're unfamiliar with the topic, many people buy Lego sets, believing they'll be more expensive in a few years, and store them unopened in mint condition for some time. Then they sell their Lego sets for a premium price and earn money.

For children, a basic investment strategy like this is simple enough to grasp and learn about passive income. Moreover, this is a great way to train delayed gratification because of the temptation to open the Lego set to play with it. However, you can always let your child buy two identical sets: one for investment and one to play with; this is the tip from seasoned investors into Lego sets.

It is better to help your child choose the set to invest in, as not every Lego set will get more expensive with the time. There are many video guides on YouTube on selecting the suitable Lego set to invest in, which you may find helpful.

Choose brain-boosting after-school activities.

In today's society, parents are enticed to spend a lot on various extracurricular activities out of fear that their children would fall behind if they did not participate.

Children's calendars are jam-packed with judo, swimming, soccer, baseball, and basketball every weekday. What if we told you there is a more effective method to choose after-school activities for your kids based on neuroscience research data?

But first, you should comprehend why you want to schedule your kid for as many activities as possible. Is it because you want to expose them to various life experiences? Is it for their brain growth or cognitive development? Perhaps you'd like your kid to earn more points when applying for college? Every extra activity in your child's schedule should be considered with a clear focus on what you want to achieve.

From our perspective, all after-school programs should work to achieve particular objectives:

• Improve a child's health and physical performance.
• Improve self-esteem and social-emotional skills.
• Teach teamwork
• Boost certain brain skills
• Help with school learning
• Expand horizons and provide new perspectives
• Help children relax and manage stress
• Encourage children to explore their interests and knowledge on a specific topic.

There are undoubtedly plenty of objectives that we can achieve with extracurricular activities. However, the above points seem the most important to us.

That is why we encourage you to choose priorities when you begin to make your child's timetable.

Choose the right sports.

Physical exercise should take priority in your child's schedule. Today, children do not receive enough movement they need every day, especially in car-dependent parts of the world, like the US, Canada, and Australia. Parents are responsible for transporting them to school, all their events, and anywhere else they need to go. Unfortunately, the days of children walking or riding a bike to school are long gone in these countries. The trend of taking away independence from children concerns us a lot. We believe that future generations will carry the consequences of overprotection and immobility.

A disclaimer: We are not health professionals; here, we provide the information we discovered in open sources, research papers, and several professional trainings. Most activities are safe for children who don't have any health issues. However, if your kid has a health condition, you should always get medical advice before beginning an exercise program. Even if your child doesn't have any restrictions, we recommend consulting with your family doctor to determine which types of sports are best for them.

Sports three times a week or more might help compensate for children's lack of physical activity. But the kind of sports matters. In the first place, children require balanced exercise that builds muscle and promotes health.

For example,

• Swimming 2-3 times a week activates numerous muscle groups and rhythmic breathing, which calms and relaxes the nervous system.

• Individual fitness training for kids. If you can afford a such activity, look for a trainer with experience working with children. Discuss the program, and make sure it's appropriate for all muscle groups your kid needs at school to keep the body upright during long study hours, such as the back, neck, and core muscles.

• Sports such as basketball, soccer, and volleyball always include whole-body exercises before each game. So if the first two aren't an option for you, this may be a viable alternative. However, because soccer exercises the legs so much, ensure your child's health allows it. We like basketball more since it is a highly dynamic sport that improves hand-eye coordination and spatial reasoning, both of which are crucial for learning in school. Team sports, in general, are excellent for developing teamwork and cooperation.

• Yoga is also an excellent physical activity for children; however, not every child can bare yoga classes. Yoga helps children release stress, stretch, relieve tired muscles, and strengthen their core. Yoga helps youngsters become aware of their body parts and improve their balance, which is beneficial for treating various learning disorders. According to numerous studies, children who practice yoga have lower stress and anxiety levels, better sleep, and a greater sense of wellbeing.

• Wall climbing, or rock climbing, is a non-traditional option. However, it is an excellent activity for kids that works all of the body's muscles. It has the side benefit of enhancing attention, impulse control, and self-regulation skills.

As you can see, there are no judo or karate suggestions in this list. In our view, the essential activities, considering how little time a typical school-child has during a week, improve the child's overall health.

Krav Maga lessons may teach your child essential life skills of self-defense, even if they aren't particularly martial arts or a combat sport. We suggest Krav Maga for kids ages 7 and up as an addition to one of the above sports.

The final sort of physical exercise we'd want to mention is brain-boosting activities. Try some brain workouts with your kid if you're looking for activities targeting specific cognitive abilities like spatial orientation, agility, or reaction speed. We have a jam-packed blog article on different brain-boosting exercises that we strongly advise you to read, "Brain Exercises For Kids: 45+ Fun Activities To Develop Your Child’s Brain."

How do you choose sports for preschoolers?

Kids under three need the freedom to crawl, walk, and explore their bodies and environment. Toddlers should be exposed to various movement possibilities, which is critical for developing spatial abilities and future learning. Therefore, encouraging them to explore as much as possible, especially doing things that are difficult for them, is so important.

Sports depend on parental objectives. If you aim to develop an Olympic champion, begin training before three. However, if you just want to raise a healthy kid, there is no need to plan too many activities.

Swimming, gymnastics, and wall climbing, if available for little kids, are all great options; you can add yoga lessons for kids over 3.

Choose Arts.

Various arts can significantly enrich a child's emotional life by helping them relax, release stress and express themselves. Furthermore, many arts affect children's brains and enhance cognitive abilities.

Music Lessons

Researchers found that learning to play musical instruments improves children's empathy, reading skills, mathematics, and potentially several other skills. Music lessons improve children's executive function, which is critical for successful learning at school and professional success in adult life. 

However, learning to play a musical instrument is beneficial for cognitive development and a child's self-esteem, especially during their adolescent years. Think of how important self-actualization and peer approval are to teenagers. Imagine a teenager with 5-7 years of experience playing a musical instrument. At this stage, your child should be able to play pretty well, which means they have a skill set that separates and excels them from their peers at school.

If you want your teen to maintain their interest in music, encourage them to improve their skills to a cooler level. For example, if your child is bored playing the trumpet, encourage them to try the saxophone or switch from classical to electric guitar. Trying a new level might be just what they need.

In addition, if your child participates in group music lessons or concerts, their friend circle is likely composed of other teens who also have a passion for playing music. Children become more motivated to practice and express themselves creatively by sharing their interests. Because all these activities take up so much time after school, your child will only have a small amount of free time to play video games or scroll through their phones.

We still want to emphasize that having the musical instrument your child is currently learning to play at home is critical. A love for playing music is born during a child's free time, not through lessons. Seeing the instrument at home may inspire them to try playing on their own, which is necessary for developing self-motivation.

What are the effects of playing an instrument?

You need to know that musical instruments can have distinct effects on children. If you choose a violin for your child, ensure that a constant tilt of the head to one side does not harm the head and neck blood circulation during lengthy training. We suggest consulting with your child's health practitioner if your kid has several prerequisites, such as scoliosis, osteochondrosis, etc.

Also, a check-up is recommended for playing guitar when children spend many hours hunching over the instrument while learning chords.

Fortunately, several instruments may offer children a variety of benefits:

• Playing wind instruments strengthens and deepens the breath, teaches calm and rhythmic breathing that relaxes children, and strengthens core muscles.

• Drums are excellent for developing interhemispheric connections, reaction speed, motor control, and agility. Drums are also a therapeutic instrument that helps kids in soothing tension and anxiety, as well as getting active since playing drums is a highly dynamic experience. One unexpected benefit of learning to play drums is the improvement in the growth mindset that comes from learning every beat slowly and cultivating the rhythm bit by bit. Eventually, students can speed up and watch their skills grow in real-time – an immensely satisfying experience.

• Research shows that there are numerous benefits to kids taking piano lessons. For example, one study showed that primary-school students who took piano lessons two times a week for three years outperformed their nonmusical peers when it came to reading skills—specifically vocabulary and verbal sequencing. Furthermore, Japanese researchers discovered that a high proportion of successful medical professionals had received keyboard training during their preschool years, implying that such extracurricular activities for children may assist with professional success later in life.

Music lessons are unique in that they can be tailored to each child's specific needs and preferences. Teachers usually teach music lessons one-on-one or in small groups, so they must adjust each lesson to the abilities of their students and make it an appropriate level of difficulty. This adaptability means that a child is constantly receiving training in their personal zone of proximal development, allowing them to grow their skills quickly.

Visual arts

There are many opinions on when it is appropriate to teach children to draw. Many early childhood experts believe that instructing young kids to draw restricts their creativity and inventiveness. From their perspective, when children learn how to mimic items in step-by-step detail, they lose the ability to express themselves.

Our team believes that age 7 and up is the ideal time to teach kids about different visual arts methods. At age 7, children reach a certain level of brain maturity; their left and right hemispheres are more balanced than those of younger kids. Even their prefrontal cortex has reached some degree of maturity.

In other words, 7-year-olds can sit and focus long enough to enjoy the benefits of drawing lessons. They are not small; drawing helps children understand distance, size, and textures and naturally boosts spatial awareness.

Why is visual art important for kids?

While learning to draw, a child strengthens their understanding of object relationships in space and their visual analysis skills. In other words, by taking visual arts classes, children will learn to be more detail-oriented and catch their mistakes early on. This skill is beneficial not only for school learning but in everyday life as well.

Furthermore, research evidence suggests that teaching children to draw facial expressions positively influences their emotion recognition skills. These data clearly show that children who take properly designed visual art classes significantly improve their socio-emotional skills.

Another research demonstrated that art education " remarkably impacts students' academic, social, and emotional outcomes. "

Additionally, several other types of research demonstrated that art-making lowers cortisol levels (stress hormone), reduces anxiety, relaxes and empowers children. Interestingly, one study has shown that coloring, doodling, and drawing activities increase the blood flow in brain regions related to feeling rewarded.

With so many benefits, it's only natural to believe that all children require art education. We strongly advise parents to do so.

Children, however, need time and resources at home to engage in the creative process beyond just art classes. It is in spontaneous creative impulses that their motivation and creativity are born. That is why it is so important to set up a creative environment at your home.

Theater classes

Theater classes for children of all ages have a wide range of benefits, for example:

• Enhance a child's social and emotional development;
• Help children to communicate their ideas and express themselves; 
• Encourage positive academic, social, and behavioral outcomes;
• Provide therapeutic benefits for children and adolescents 
• Theater classes promote fellowship and fun;
• Develop personality and expand the worldview;
• Teach performing skills;
• Develop life competencies. 

All kids can benefit from theater classes, no matter their temperament, type of personality, or social skills. Both introverts and extroverts would benefit from an extended engagement in expressive arts activities. As much as we encourage music education for its cognitive benefits, we recommend drama classes for all children to improve their social skills. Researchers discovered that drama classes had boosted adaptive social behavior among the kids who took part in them but not for those who took music lessons. As a result, drama lessons are an excellent addition to the highly beneficial musical training.

Instill healthy device usage habits in your kids.

Electronic devices are a relatively new phenomenon in human history, and their impact has been profound. Therefore, we must accept this new reality and use all the potential our devices offer. However, the effects of electronic devices on children's brains are still up for debate.

Nevertheless, it has already been backed by science that spending long periods sitting in front of screens leads to bad health, obesity, learning difficulties, short attention span, and poor social wellbeing, and even developmental delays in young kids.

Governments and the World Health Organization have established screen time recommendations to protect children. WHO recommends no screen time for children under 1 year of age; the Australian government suggests no devices for children under 2 years of age; the American Academy of Pediatrics emphasizes the absence of devices for 18-months-old and younger. In general, all of the above institutions insist that young children should not have screen time; the longer, the better.

Parents must set clear rules and limitations around their children's technology use from an early age and assist their children in establishing healthy relationships with technology.

The following are some of the most critical technology use hygiene rules:

• Never combine screen time and meals. The same goes for parents--this rule includes everyone in the family. That means no phones, tablets, or TV while eating at home. And when out at restaurants, kids shouldn't use devices for entertainment either;
• Do not use screens as a babysitter, pacifier, or to end a temper tantrum;
• Use parental control software to limit your children's screen time and content;
• Always track what your children watch on television or social media. Only allow screen time if it will teach children something. This means sitting down with your child and actively watching the show or movie, discussing the content afterward, and using it as a learning opportunity for your child about the world around them.
• Discuss with your children what is and isn't appropriate for social media. Explain to them that everything that goes online remains there forever. If you use the correct language, explanations can work for even 5-year-olds.
• For children aged 7 and up, discuss online predators and how they use the internet for their activity. Let your kid know that they must tell you if somebody requests something inappropriate from them. Explain to your children that by calling the police on predators, we can help keep other children safe.
• Emphasize to teens, especially teen girls, that they should never send nude or otherwise inappropriate photos to anyone, not even the person they love and trust.
• Sit down with your kids and discuss dangerous groups (like Blue Whales) and challenges (such as the Blackout Challenge or Cinnamon Challenge). Explain how to handle it if someone tries to get them involved in suspicious activities.
• To encourage good sleep habits, avoid using electronic devices for 30-60 minutes before bedtime and after waking up in the morning. Set a good example for your kids by following these rules yourself.
• Use screen time to your advantage in several situations where you need to occupy your child's attention but never make screen time an everyday routine.

When parents express concern that their child spends too much time playing video games or watching television, this usually implies that they permitted and even encouraged it several years ago, when their kid was still young. Perhaps they handed their phone to their child in a stroller on a park walk, during family outings, or during dinner because they were picky eaters as toddlers.

Another reason might be that the kid has too much free time and no interest; thus, they are wasting it in front of a screen. If this is the case, talk to your child about a few extracurricular activities they might want to try. You can also allow for creative time in your child's daily routine, where they can engage in any activity they want that doesn't involve electronic screens. You can set up an invitation to play or prepare art materials and loose parts for your kids. However, it is fine even if you let them be bored and explore; boredom fosters creativity.

Help yourself be a better parent.

Have you ever wondered why children of successful and wealthy parents are more likely to succeed? Of course, better education, valuable social contacts, and greater opportunities all contribute. Also, such kids learn the behavior and habits of their successful parents at a young age, which they then internalize. Even though this method isn't foolproof, it works more often than not.

Since birth, parents are their kids' role models. If you want your children to develop certain skills that you consider valuable, it is best to introduce them early on and practice them yourself. For example, if you want your children to be financially literate, you'll need to know the basics yourself. Fortunately, we have a fantastic article on teen financial literacy that can help any adult "Financial Literacy for Teens: 8 Resources to Start Financial Freedom."

Another must-read blogpost for ambitious parents is this: "Successful Parenting: Eye-Opening Advice From 7 World-Class Experts." 

How to spark your child's interest?

Interests in playing music, painting, reading books, and playing basketball, etc., your child can pick up within the family. Even if you cannot hit the ball into the hoop even once, this is your motivation that matters. And your kid will inevitably want to do it with you.

The secret is in not trying to make them like anything; pursue your own interests with motivation, and they will eventually pick it up as well.

The same principles apply to behavior and people skills. If you are emotionally intelligent, children will simply mimic your actions and, in time, master them. If you want to learn more about EQ and teach it to your kids, please, read our fantastic blog post "10 Powerful Emotional Intelligence Activities to Raise Healthy Kids." 

As a result, remember that your children will pick up on your lifestyle habits, so it's best to be aware of your own strengths and limitations and consciously change those behaviors you don't want them to acquire. And be genuine in what you teach and live by your own words.

What being a smart kid means to you?

We must clearly understand what it means to be a "smart kid" to us. The term "smart kid" can mean many different things. What does being an intelligent kid mean to you? Try to answer those questions yourself. For example:

• Having good grades at school;
• Having a high IQ (e.g., 150 and more);
• Being able to organize and manage other kids
• Ability to solve problems creatively, both inside and outside the classroom.
• Being a child prodigy (for example, programming at 5 or playing three instruments like a pro at 7).

This is by no means an exhaustive list, so please feel free to share your own thoughts and ideas on the matter. What matters is that you clearly understand what the phrase "smart kid" means to you as a parent.

Understanding your goals is crucial since you can create your own map for raising bright kids as you see it.

Children are all unique in their own ways, with different skills, talents, and personalities. As parents, it's not our job to choose our children's career paths or plan out their adult lives for them.

Nevertheless, parents have a tremendous impact on their kids' futures. The study of child prodigies, for example, revealed that the majority of them had very passionate parents who transferred their interests onto their children. Been raised in this family had a significant impact on their skills. Would Mozart, Pablo Picasso, or Tiger Woods have become as talented without the help of their parents? The answer is: most likely not. Any parent can turn their children into talented individuals with the proper guidance.

How can I raise a smart kid?

Make a plan. Once you know what being smart means to you, it's time to set a goal. What do you want your child to be like in 10 years? For example, let's say your child is 8 years old. You might think that the most brilliant kids go to Ivy League colleges. Consider what skills and abilities your child will need to be accepted at this educational institution.

Some people may think that the smartest people are those who make a lot of money and have other individuals working for them. If you take this perspective, consider what skills your 6-year-old would need to begin down that path.

It doesn't matter how old your child is: 1 or 16, and you can just utilize the time until they graduate school and begin their adult life. Of course, if you have a baby now, you have plenty of time to apply all of the current brain science discoveries to improve your child's cognitive development.

How to ensure your child gets the best education possible

Step #1. Create a plan for skills you want your child to develop in the future.

For example, in our opinion, the traditional workplace will be drastically different in the next decade. Also, we believe smart individuals will be those with a distinct set of talents that will give them an edge over their competitors in the market. If our kid is three now, we make an "Our smart child in 15 years" list, where we think of all the unique abilities our child may need to succeed in the labor market in 15 years.

In our opinion, programming is an essential skill. Other necessary skills include strong math and engineering skills, a solid understanding of investing principles, creative thinking, strong social-emotional skills, self-study, and self-presenting abilities.

Notice that only two skills on our list will depend on a child's interest: programming and engineering skills.

The meta-skills on the list, such as creative thinking, math skills, financial literacy, and social-emotional competence, are the supervisory or higher order skills every person needs to succeed. Even these meta abilities can provide a solid foundation for a kid without programming knowledge.

Step #2. Divide the skills into interest-based and meta-skills.

In our case, we'll start with interest-based abilities, such as programming and engineering. For the moment, we don't know if our children will enjoy these areas. As a result, we can only consider a variety of extracurricular activities to see whether they like them or not. Robotics and STEM classes, for example.

Step #3. Choose an environment that encourages the development of meta-skills.

In addition to teaching our children valuable meta-skills like financial literacy at home, we would like to send them to an educational system that will supplement our efforts.

Therefore, we need to find suitable educational programs and schools for our children, starting backward from high school and down to preschool.

For example, we found that two high schools are considered the best in teaching children math, so we checked the admission requirements.

Next, we look for the finest possible middle and elementary schools to help our children apply to those top high schools.

Also, we consider whether these secondary schools can foster other meta-skills from our list, like creative thinking, self-education, self-presentation, and social-emotional skills.

Then we go down to elementary and kindergarten levels repeating the process all over again.

And finally, we get to the very bottom of our educational pyramid, where we choose an educational system for our young kids. We keep in mind that the first few years are critical for kids. Every experience and communication they have during these formative years will shape their entire lives. So, we discern what educational system best aligns with our values, plans, lifestyle, and finances to make the wisest choice for our three-year-old. In this post, we've already gone through several educational alternatives for young children, from homeschooling to Montessori to forest schools, allowing us to make an informed decision.

Step #4. We now vet our list of schools by starting with preschool and kindergarten and selecting the schools with compatible educational systems. This way, we can create a unique academic path for our kids that will eventually lead them to the desired goal.

Here, we have shown to you how we would do the educational strategy for our kids. Yours will differ, but it will be tailor-made for your child. So we highly encourage you to take time and think about what future you wish for your kids and create a plan for success.

Professional Disclosure: We are not health or educational professionals and do not intend to provide expert advice in this post. We compiled data for this blog post from several scientific papers, open sources, and professional development courses. We gathered a wealth of information that we've personally put to use, and the tips we provide you in this blog post have worked for us. If you have any particular concerns about your child, we recommend you talk with their doctor and educators before following our tips.

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