Improve Your Child's IQ

by Pat Curry

Most parents will do whatever they can to help their children succeed in school and in life. But that doesn’t have to mean buying expensive, educational toys and computer equipment. These nine simple ways can help parents boost their children’s IQ scores:

Just be there. In the early part of life, bonding between children and their parents is vital, says Dr. Gail Gross, a child development authority, author, and former teacher. “What we have to do is nurture our children and be reliable. If they trust you, they’ll trust themselves,” she says. “If they trust themselves, they’ll trust the outer world. That opens the world to all kinds of opportunities.”

Talk to your baby. New parents may wonder what to say to an infant; it can be as simple as explaining what you’re doing as you dress or bathe him. “The baby isn’t doing much but smiling and looking interested, but they’re getting a sense of sequence,” says Dr. Lorraine McCune, director of the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University. “It’s a part of later intelligence.” Use simple, short phrases, but not baby talk, to build vocabulary.

Turn off the television. “Television is just information put at you,” Gross says. “It’s hypnotic. Children who watch too much TV become depressed.”

Create a safe, secure environment for learning. Give children freedom to explore without fear of injury. Child-sized seats and tables give them control and security. Colorful crates or child-sized shelves for toys help the mind develop in an orderly way.

Let’s pretend. Pretend play ties into intellectual development, McCune says, especially between ages 1 and 3. It helps children remember events they see in their world and imagine how they’d like things to happen. Doll houses, toy vehicles, play food, and dress-up clothes are great aids.

Read. Reading to your child regularly can boost his academic success. It helps his language skills and gives you both a special closeness. Start soon after your baby is born with simple picture books.

Enjoy the arts. A UCLA study of more than 25,000 students found that participation in art, music, dance, and drama increases success in virtually every area of academics—especially for children in low-income areas.

Break out the games. Games can help with math, spelling, memorization, and important skills such as sportsmanship and strategy. “Board games are still sort of a well-kept secret,” McCune says. “It’s something for parents and children to do that’s not TV. They’re talking, sitting around a table together, and topics come up.”

Get a pet. A Kansas State University study found that adding a pet to a happy, stable home can improve both a child’s IQ and his social development. The more the child interacts with the pet, the bigger the impact on his life.

Pat Curry is a Georgia-based freelance writer.

first appeared: 2/10/2002