How to Raise an Intelligent Child

Co-authored by Wits End Parenting

Last Updated: August 28, 2024 References

Raising an intelligent child offers both unique challenges and opportunities. At first glance, it seems that you’ll have to spend a lot more time and put forth a lot more effort to promote intellectual growth and curiosity in your child. While this is true, at the same time, you’ll be rewarded with a closer relationship and a better understanding of your child. You’ll also be able to nurture your child’s gifts and intelligence and expand their horizons.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Promoting Learning at Home

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Read to and with your child. Reading helps develop important communication skills, vocabulary, and grammar. In addition, reading helps children learn a lot more about the world. It expands their horizons and can bring them into contact with people and information that they might never experience otherwise. As a result, reading is one of the most important ways to raise and nurture an intelligent child.
- Try reading with your child every day at least once. It's best to start doing this when your child is a baby.
- Make reading fun for your child; use different voices and sounds to keep their attention.
- Encourage your child to read on their own.
- Encourage your child to discuss what they have read with you.
- Schedule time for regular trips to the library.^{[1]
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Regulate your child’s television watching. While television is not necessarily a bad thing for children to spend time watching, it presents several problems for parents who want to take a proactive stance raising their children. Perhaps most importantly, television occupies time that could be used on more stimulating activities. In addition, some studies have indicated that watching television can stunt the intellect or limit a child’s intellectual growth.
- The US Department of Health recommends that children under the age of two do not watch TV or spend time in front of other screens, such as computers or tablets. Children between the ages of two and five should not have more than one hour of screen time each day and kids between the ages of five and 18 should have no more than two hours of screen time each day.^{[2]
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- Make sure that your child watches shows appropriate for them.
- Have your child watch shows that stimulate his or her brain, such as “Discovery Kids.”
- Treat television as a treat, not a right.
- Make your child's television experience more active rather than passive; have your child sing along with the characters or talk to your child about what they see or hears.^{[3]
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Purchase your child toys that stimulate the brain. As educators and developmental theorist have known for a long time, toys are an important part of a child’s intellectual growth and development. As a result, you should put thought into the toys you purchase for your child and make sure that your child’s toys are developmentally advantageous. Of course all children are different, and different children use toys differently, so use your best judgement.
- Toys and games that promote problem solving (like puzzles) are a good choice.
- Toys and games that allow your child to express creativity (like Legos or Lincoln logs) are beneficial.
- Toys that allow your child to physically move and touch things are often better choices than video games.
- Video game time should be limited, and you should vet every video game to make sure it has educational and intellectual value before allowing your child to play.
EXPERT TIP

Our Family Plays Games
Board Game Experts
Our Family Plays Games, LLC is a family-owned business based in Omaha, Nebraska. Launched in 2018, their mission is to promote growth and awareness of the modern board game hobby and bring more BIPOCs and families into the board game community. In June 2020 they were featured on Good Morning America and have since been featured on NBC News Online, Senet Magazine (UK), Ligadas.com (Brazil), a variety of YouTube programs, podcasts, and on local television. In January of 2022, they launched a second program on their channel, called OFPG Voices to highlight other underrepresented voices in the hobby. In addition, they make special appearances at board game conventions all around the country and work with board game publishers from around the world.

Our Family Plays Games
Board Game Experts

Board games are a fantastic mental workout for both you and your kids. The strategic thinking and problem-solving required during gameplay stimulate cognitive functions like memory and planning. They present mental challenges while still being fun to play, so you can all sharpen your minds together!
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Nurture your child’s interests. An important element of raising an intelligent child is nurturing your child’s interests. Different children will demonstrate different proclivities and different interests. You should nurture this and promote uniqueness. You can do this by:
- Positively reinforcing your child’s interest. If your child demonstrates an interest in history, take them to a historic site. If your child demonstrates an interest in science, take them to a science museum.
- Buy them books that they are interested in.
- Enroll them in programs that cater to their interests. If your child loves environmental science, find a summer environmental program for kids at a local university to enroll them in.
- If your child isn't enthusiastic about school, help them pursue the things they are interested in outside of school so they still develop a passion for learning and research.^{[4]
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  Expert Interview. 5 March 2020.}
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Expose your child to new things to challenge their interests. If you only cater to your child's interests, they might miss out on things they have not been exposed to. In order to prevent this, you should go out of your way to introduce your child to different ideas, cultures, and ways of life. Consider:
- Introduce your children to traditionally feminine and masculine topics such as cooking, childcare, and nurturing, as well as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Tell your children that they can choose to be a cook or a caregiver, and that they can pursue these careers, hobbies, and interests.
- Introduce your child to different ways of viewing the world in terms of gender relations, culture, and intellectualism. Your child does not have to fit into any sort of traditional mold and can adopt different ideas in order to fashion their own unique identity.

Part 2

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Communicating With Your Child

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Play with your child. Interact with your child as they play. You can choose to sit down and play with them, or you can talk to your child as they play. This way, you’ll learn more about your child and about their specific type of intelligence. You might also be able to steer them toward playing styles and activities that are more enriching. But remember:
- Always let your child express their own creativity. Do not inhibit your child's creativity.
- Don’t take over their play time.
- There is no right way to “play.”^{[5]
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Talk to your child. Talk to your child regularly about their interests. This way, you’ll learn about your child and you’ll be able to determine how your child is progressing intellectually over time. You can choose to talk about anything with your child, but it’s better to let your child choose the conversation.
- When your child asks you something, turn it into a conversation rather than just quickly answering them.
- Ask your child questions, and see how they respond. Remember, though, there is no right answer. Your goal should be just to engage your child.
- One of the most important parts of talking is listening. Make sure you listen carefully to what your child is saying, rather than lecturing to them.^{[6]
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Explain the world to your child. Use every opportunity to explain how things work to your child. This is a critical part of how children learn to understand the world. Use their development over time as a way to introduce them to the world.
- When your child is young, between the ages of 2-4, explain basic and simple things.
- Gradually introduce more complex topics as your child gets older.
- Save topics like sex, budgeting, and the complexities of law for children near or over the age of 10.^{[7]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Stimulating Your Child’s Thirst for Knowledge at School

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Enroll your child in the best school for their abilities. Having your child attend the best school possible is key in nurturing your child’s intelligence. This is important because you want your child to be around peers and educators who are as committed to nurturing excellence as you and your child. In addition, you want your child to attend a school that has the resources to fund programs that will help your child stimulate their thirst for knowledge. Consider:
- Charter or magnet schools.
- Private schools.
- Schools with high ratings.
- Schools with special programs that will benefit your child, like those with well-developed STEM or art programs.^{[8]
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Sign your child up for classes that will challenge him or her. While an intelligent child might succeed and prosper in any classroom, you should try to sign your child up for specific classes that will further challenge your child and help him or her expand his or her horizons. Specific classes that might nurture your child’s success include:
- Non-conventional pre-kindergarten programs that promote creative growth.
- Gifted programs in elementary school or middle school.
- Honors classes in middle school and high school.
- Advanced Placement classes in high school.
- International Baccalaureate classes in high school.^{[9]
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Communicate with your child’s teachers and school administrators. Communicating with your child’s teachers and administrators will help ensure that your child is getting the attention they need and are being challenged to a level that will nurture their intelligence.
- Keep an open dialogue with your child’s teachers and always be courteous and respectful.
- Talk to your child’s teachers about higher level work that your child might be able to do in place of other work.
- Talk to your child’s teachers about readings and activities your child can do outside of school.
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Find extracurricular activities that will stimulate your child’s intelligence and thirst for knowledge. Outside of academics, extracurricular activities are a great way to expand your child’s horizons at school. Extracurricular activities will help your child develop into a better-rounded person with a richer base of experiences to draw on. There are a number of activities you can consider:
- Athletics.
- Debate club, school newspaper, Model United Nations, and similar clubs.
- Chorus or band.^{[10]
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Balance your child’s academic life and kid-life. An important part of nurturing your child’s intelligence is to help create a balanced life for your child. This is because down-time and play-time are important for all children and for creativity. Consider the following:
- A child who is overcommitted might be overstressed and develop anxiety.
- A child who is overcommitted might not be able to realize their potential in any one thing.
- A child who is overcommitted might lose interest and harbor resentment against an overbearing parent.
- Overcommitting your child might create undue stress on yourself and on your partner.^{[11]
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