You might stay concerned about the physical growth of your kid. Every parent wants their kids to get a good height, healthy bones, and strong muscles. But do not ignore the mental growth and focus equally on kids’ brain development.
Brain development in kids depends upon internalizing certain habits in them. It depends on the routines and the practices they develop in their early years which readies them to become better thinkers in the future.
Before knowing the tricks of how to develop a kid’s brain, it is vital to learn what brain development in children means.
What is kids’ brain development?
It is an old saying that God had made everyone equal. Does that mean everyone possesses an even brain? If so, how can you develop a kid’s brain? What does it exactly mean?
The truth is every human brain has equal power. Brain growth means increasing the ability of the brain.
Every human holds the equal capacity of the brain yet differs in mental abilities. It is because some people utilize their brains more than others. Brain development in kids depends on the habit you develop among them.
You might think that my kid goes to school and scores well in academics, so he/she is mentally developed. But this is not true. Your kid performing academically well does not imply their mental development. Kids brain development is a broad field beyond the limits of bookish knowledge.
But brain development in children includes logical reasoning, observation skills, analytical skills, cognitive development, calculation, etc. They will need these skills in every field of their life. The upcoming section deals with how to develop a kid’s brain.
Also Read: Teaching Critical Thinking to Children: Games, Activities, and Books
How to develop a kid’s brain?
As you know, kid’s routines affect their brain growth. Here is a list of some healthy habit for kids brain development:
Communicate with Your Kids
The foremost step towards a healthy mind is communication. Since childhood, talk to your kids about everything. Talk to them about your day-to-day activities like cooking, sitting, standing, sleeping. Tell them the taste of food they eat, like sweet, sour, or salty. Tell them the things they cannot see but feel like wind, cold, heat, etc. Describe to them the colour, shape, and name of daily use items like curtains, doors, windows, bed, blankets, pillow, chair, table, etc.
Through this, they will soon learn about a lot of objects. Their vocabulary will grow fast. They will start recognizing the activities of the people around them. You can also ask them to tell you about their day when they return from school or park. It will help you to check their weak points and work on them.
Give Them Books, Narrate Them Stories and Events
Books are a vital part of brain development in children. It contributes to understanding and language development. In the early days ( from 2 months to 4 months ), give them soft books or cloth books. Then you can provide them with broad books ( after four months) and finally after 9 to 10 months they can use paper books. Books will also develop their motor skills ( turning pages, folding books, and holding them).
You can also tell them short stories. It will grow their vocabulary. They will also learn the way of speaking. Soon they will develop an interest in documentaries. After one and a half months, introduce them to activity books. These books involve activities like match the pairs, colouring, crafts, etc. Activities are as crucial as knowledge. It will develop creativity in your kids and ensure their overall growth.
Ask Questions As Much As Possible
Questions are the best way to stimulate and activate your kid’s mental activities. Although, children are curious and ask a lot of questions. If they ask you one, explain them well and then counter-question them. If they are reading an animal book, do not simply tell them that it is an elephant or a lion. Mention various facts related to them like their geographical location, eating habits, physical state, migration, etc.
Then you can ask them questions while doing day-to-day activities like bathing, brushing, shopping, combing, etc. Do not ask them direct questions like showing a picture of an elephant and asking what it is? Instead, twist the questions and ask, ‘I am the heaviest animal and eat bananas. I live near to a water source because I need lots of water. Who am I?’ Your kid will require listening and understanding skills to get the answer. It will act as an exercise for the brain.
Let Them Explore the World Around Them
Kids learn through exploring things around them. Let them go out and play in the garden, in mud, in leaves. Let their clothes get dirty. Let them smell flowers, pick leaves, taste lime, and touch the sand of the garden. Let them see the rainbow, get wet in the rain, see the sky full of stars. It will help them recognize the world. Understand that mud is soft and stones are hard. It will help them differentiate between the smell of rose and lily.
Kids are curious about every detail around them. Their curiosity will increase with exploring things. It is your responsibility to solve their doubts like, why stars twinkle? Why do rainbows form? Why are leaves green? Also, make sure you keep them away from danger. If they are near to a hot cup of coffee, sharp objects, harmful insects, or poisonous plants explain that it might hurt them. But do not stop them from exploring.
Physical Activities are Equally Important
Physical activity brings a lot of impact on kids’ brain development. When your kid is surrounded by work all day, they require some peacetime. Music and dance will help them. They feel calm while listening to music and rhymes. It will also develop their learning skills. While dancing, they jump, move their legs, belly, and they might fall. All these activities will give their bodies strength.
Physical activities are different from mental activities as they do not require any brain work. Kids can move their bodies to dance and lips to sing. But an infusion of cerebral and physical activities brings the best form of art. You can teach various things to your kids while they dance. Kids will enjoy that time while learning.
These are some of the ways to ensure your kids’ brain development.
Also Read: 10 Activities to Raise Your Kids’ IQ: An Intellectual and Smart Approach
Conclusion
Mixing these activities will ensure that your kid grows with a healthy body and brain. Their concentration on studies will also develop. You might also note that diet plays a vital role in brain growth. Most kids try to skip healthy foods. But some alternatives are tasty and healthy. Ensure pulses, eggs, vegetables ( stuff them in their favourite food items ), fruits, dry fruits like apricot, almonds, cashews, etc. These things will grow your kid’s brain. It will give them the energy to perform their work well. By now, you know how to develop a kid’s brain: so what are you waiting for?
