While every parent believes that their child is the brightest child in the world – there are many steps that you can take to help sharpen their mind. This will help set them up for success further down in life, having a positive influence on everything from their academic success to their ability to connect with others.
With that in mind, here are some top tips that you can use to sharpen your toddler’s mind!
Play educational games. Playing educational games with your child is a great way to turn their natural curiosity and enthusiasm into a learning opportunity. For example, you could start by playing a range of games that help them to develop the number sense (the kills that help us work with numbers). You can find some excellent number sense examples here.
Focus on sensory. Sensory play can play a pivotal role in your child’s development. This is because it can stimulate the brain and help “form neural connections that are essential for cognitive growth.” There are many different games and activities that fall under the umbrella of sensory play, such as creating edible frosting playdough.
Read to your children as much as you can. Reading to your children is one of the easiest ways to sharpen their minds. There are many reasons for this. Firstly, it can help them to develop their language recognition skills and vocabulary, with “children whose parents read to them on a daily basis are exposed to 290,000 more words by the time they enter education than those whose parents do not.”
In addition to this, reading a wide variety of stories can introduce children to different thoughts or ways of life while also encouraging them to put their imagination to use. While they may seem to be more interested in their iPad or the latest Paw Patrol episode, there are many ways in which you can make reading more fun and accessible. For example, you could allow them to choose the stories you read, purchase age-appropriate books with plenty of pictures, and try to be as animated as possible when reading.
Participate in a wide range of activities. The more of the world you expose your child to, the more they will grow and develop. For example, if you wanted to teach them more about the animal kingdom, you could take them to the zoo or a local petting zoo – being sure to share fun facts about each animal you encounter along the way.
Alternatively, you could teach them more about times gone by visiting a local museum. Be sure to do your research ahead of time so that you can find a museum with child-friendly and interactive exhibits, as this means that they can enjoy a more hands-on learning experience. Not only that but the resources there are designed to be easily digested by younger minds, which means they’ll learn without feeling overwhelmed.
Don’t forget about emotional intelligence, either. When finding ways to help sharpen your little one’s mind, it’s easy to focus on their intellectual abilities. However, helping them to develop their emotional intelligence is also crucial. After all, this can have an influence on everything from the way they carry or express themselves to the way they interact with others. For example, emotionally intelligent youngsters will have no trouble making friends, as they’re able to take other people’s feelings into consideration.
There are many different steps that you can take to help your child develop their emotional intelligence, starting by leading by example when it comes to expressing your thoughts and feelings. This shows your child that talking about how they are feeling is not only acceptable but helpful. However, as emotions can be overwhelming (especially for younger minds), you should always try to provide them with a reason why you are feeling a specific way. For example, instead of saying, “I’m angry,” say, “I’m feeling angry because I had a bad day at work.” This will provide them with some guidance when it comes to making sense of their own emotions.
If they get into a fight with a friend or a sibling, try to encourage them to see things from the other person’s point of view using a similar methodology. For example, you could say, “_ is upset because you took the toy they were playing with. If someone did that to you, how would you feel?” While this may take some time, it’s a great way to encourage empathy and understanding, which, in turn, can fuel emotional intelligence.
Focus on developing their speech. Helping your toddler to develop their speech is another great way to sharpen their mind. This is because language is the cornerstone of cognitive development, as it is used as a tool to express ourselves and connect with others.
There are many different ways in which you can help them to develop their speech – the most obvious being simply talking to them. Children, in particular, learn through observation, so the more time you spend chatting with them, such as by talking through what you are doing, the more they will learn. You can take this one step further by ensuring that you are providing them with as much insight into what words mean as possible. For example, when teaching them words such as “dog” or “cat,” you may want to use visual aids.
While language skills develop at different rates among children, you should make sure to reach out for additional help and support should you feel as though your child may need it. For example, if by the time they reach two years old, your child struggles to put two to three-word sentences together (a common milestone for this age group) or has a limited vocabulary compared to other children their age, then they may benefit from working with a speech therapist.
Remember that they’re just a kid! Believe it or not, your child will likely learn something new every day – even if that isn’t through a book or your own guidance. This is because, at this stage in their life, they are likely to learn more from playing than anything else! After all, they are experiencing things for the very first time!
As such, it is important to be mindful of the fact that your little one is exactly that – little. They don’t necessarily need to dedicate a great deal of their time to ‘learning’ in the traditional sense, especially when you consider the benefits of simply having fun at this age.
Moving forward, you should encourage them to put their imagination to use as much as possible and try to fill their days with as many fun activities as you can. Don’t be afraid to take on an active role in their games, either! After all, this provides them with someone to bounce off and learn alongside while also giving you the chance to make lasting memories together.
Final thoughts. There are many steps that you can take to sharpen your toddler’s mind, which, in turn, can support their cognitive development and future success. From speaking out loud to improving their understanding of language to encouraging them to tap into their imagination through play, there are many possibilities to achieve this goal without making significant changes to your daily routines or habits.
These tasks are particularly beneficial as your child nears school age, as it means that they will be more prepared for the transition from your home (or nursery) into a school environment – however, there’s no reason why you can’t get started now!