Words: Beth Cooper Howell. Living and Loving Magazine December 2015.
Unlock your child’s natural talents by engaging with the world.
Life is busy and getting busier. We’re constantly bombarded with theories about how to increase our children’s intelligence, skills and abilities, but there’s less time than ever to spend on nurturing hidden potential. Australian psychologist and family therapist Andrew Fuller says the contribution made by parents (and grandparents) to a child’s success in both school and life is enormous.
Growing a genius is easier than you think – and it’s more to do with paving the way for your little one, rather than doing the job yourself.
Andrew, in his recently published book, Unlocking Your Child’s Genius (Finch Publishing, 2015) explains that children are born bright and curious with a greater capacity for inner genius than we realise.
Children aged from two to four are ripe and ready to learn and there are several ways to promote their ‘smart spark’ at this age.
Do as I do
Children naturally imitate what they see – and parents are among the first people they’ll mimic and learn from in the early days. Showing children that you’re excited about life and learning will help them develop the same feelings as they grow.
“By taking on hobbies, new courses and discussing new inventions and ideas, we show our children and grandchildren that learning is interesting and is for everyone,” explains Andrew.
“This can be as easy as discussing new ideas and TV shows, interesting facts and discoveries, and reading new books – the key idea is for young people to know that learning is something adults do, too.”
For your little one, new experiences are a huge excitement – no matter how simple the event seems to you. Make a big fuss of the first spring flowers, or of the sun rising on a chilly winter morning, as these moments can be used for education too – how the sun goes up in the morning and ‘goes to sleep’ at night, for example.
Create a creativity corner
It’s essential to create an area in the home that’s allowed to be messy and magical.
“Find somewhere for projects, artworks and collections. Setting this up doesn’t need to be expensive. Creative geniuses need somewhere they can invent, work on and keep ongoing projects.
“A great way to learn about persistence is by starting a project and then building and improving upon it over time. Expect this area to get messy and wild. Becoming a genius is not always neat.”
While young children have shorter attention spans than older children and adults, they’ll enjoy going back to a project over a few days.
Free play is also great. Set out age-appropriate arts and crafts items such as safety scissors (for older preschoolers), bits of paper and a glue stick, empty egg cartons and chubby crayons. Empty ice-cream tubs and cheap plastic boxes are ideal for storing things and keeping at least a little order in the area.
Experience + Reflection = Learning
How often do we chat about our day before bedtime? The supper-bath-bed routine is often rushed and stressed, but reflection is key to learning and growing a big, beautiful brain. “By giving your children new, interesting and positive experiences, you stimulate their brain development and make them smarter,” says Andrew. “By asking them to think about the things they have seen or felt, children consolidate this new experience ”
Don’t keep doing the same things over and over again, he suggests. “Find ways to do new things, visit new places and try out different ways of seeing the world.”
It’s a strange and wacky world
“Imagination and creativity are often about coming up with ideas that no one else really thinks of,” he says.
You can assist with this by playing a game that involves thinking up ways in which different things are alike. For example: “The moon looks like a golf ball or a big piece of playdough.”
Ask questions that don’t necessarily have solid answers, such as, “Why do you and your cat look the same?” or “Where do you think this flower comes from?”
Remember that genius is more about asking questions than having answers.
Mistakes are opportunities
Remember this and teach it to your child; if you can’t make a mistake, you’ll never do anything new.
Children who can’t bear to make a mistake won’t be able to access their inner creative genius. Let your children see you making mistakes and reacting positively to them and they will learn slowly, as they get older, that nobody gets everything right all of the time. Mistakes actually help us to learn.
Stretch ideas and develop concentration
“The world seems to encourage people to seek answers (usually from Google) and then stop thinking,” says Andrew. Allow your little one to safely explore ideas that have caught her interest. If she decides to become a dog for the day, and this role play extends to a week, just play along. She may even ask for food and water outside and pester you with her ‘paws’.
Developing concentration goes hand in hand with ideas. Watch your child to see what captures her interest and build on that. She may see dinosaur toys at a shop, or caterpillars in the garden and become obsessed with either for a long period of time. Use these themes to encourage drawing, talking and role-playing around her chosen interest.
Read with your child, not to her
“Genius is about being more interested in the things we don’t know than the things we do know,” says Andrew. “Reading with kids helps them to gain an interest in new information.”
While movies and computer games also provide new information and a different perspective, nothing beats a good book. Allow time for your child to point at pictures, or even turn the page before you finish reading the last sentence, as she will gradually begin to shape her own story from the book – and even bring it into daily life as a point of reference.
You could also ask her questions, or spend time commenting on a particularly interesting picture.
You’re simply the best
“These days, we talk of someone being a ‘genius’, but we’ve forgotten that everyone is a genius,” Andrew explains. “Within each person is an inner genius – a passion, ability and desire that can be unlocked and drawn out. As parents and grandparents, it is much more important to focus on drawing out potential than on current performance.”
This incredibly simple concept is easy to forget as parents and teachers hone in on outcomes and achievements that are based on a set of predetermined educational and developmental milestones.
However, one of the things that successful people say, explains Andrew, is that they always had someone who believed in them as a child. “When asked how they managed to achieve a remarkable accomplishment, they often pause and reflect that no one ever told them that they couldn’t do it.
“You have the best laboratory for unlocking your child’s genius at your fingertips – it’s called the world,” says Andrew. “By exploring, creating and playing in it, you can expand your child’s mind. By taking time to delight in, wonder at and be curious about the small things, you can ignite sparks that will flicker and flourish throughout your child’s life.”
Allow your little one to safely explore ideas that have caught her interest. If she decides to become a dog for the day, and this role play extends to a week, just play along.
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