What are the factors that influence the development of childhood intelligence? What can be done at school and at home to nurture adolescent IQ? What does the research say, are the most tried & tested means to enhance your child’s cognitive capabilities?

To any involved parent, their child’s mental growth should mirror their physical development. Studies show that the first 10 years are a critical time to develop the complex neural processes that will form the foundation of a person’s deductive, moral, & problem-solving reasoning.

Amidst the countless theories out there, some ways to encourage critical thinking among young people have been researched and peer-reviewed by accredited sources.  

Here are 5 methods proven by science to enhance a child’s I.Q. development:-

1. Breakfast, truly the most important meal of the day

Students are often reminded to start their day right, with a hearty breakfast on the day of their exams. But one research study shows that a consistent diet that is high in carbohydrates & fibre, can have a positive impact on mental performance over a longer time. 

College students were found to perform better at activities that required thinking faster & longer attention spans, after meals like fish & oatmeal. The same study states that when the students were switched to diets consisting of high fat & protein- but low carb meals that included eggs, meats, & dairy, their tested performance was considerably worse.

2. Confidence in creativity

A recent scientific study revealed that children performed better when their teachers expressed that the kids were very smart and/or capable. The more secure the child felt, the more willing they were to try harder, or take more risks in their creative tasks.

What a teacher or parent says about a student’s abilities, tends to have a profound effect on that kid’s future conduct. A creative writing teacher reports that her students pushed themselves to write more creative stories, once she told them that they had the potential to be great writers.

There seems to be a clear correlation between a student’s higher morale, and better creative boundary-pushing in fields such as creative writing. 

3. Nature AND nurture equally important

Based on the respondents to another study, correlations to intelligence were found to be 50% hereditary, and 50% one’s social environment. 

Translation? While as much as half a person’s IQ could be inherited, the other half could well be determined by the peers they spend the most time with. 

This criterion is especially critical when the child is at an impressionable age, prone to picking up behavioural and social cues from their schoolmates, as much as from their parents and mentor figures.

Hence, if students associated more with friends who were academically motivated, their chances of developing a studious sensibility were significantly increased. The company your child keeps during their formative years can have a lasting effect on their mental development.

4. Practice makes perfect 

Research has shown time and time again that children learn better by doing, rather than by merely observing. Watching a video demonstration of a science experiment does not enhance their intelligence levels nearly as much as actively performing the experiment themselves.

Application-based learning tends to leave a longer imprint on a developing mind, illustrating one of the reasons why active participation in childhood adversely affects both our long-term cognitive memory and our physical muscle memory.

5. Getting enough sleep

One recent study surveyed kids who got different grades, and found that adolescents that got A’s in their exams, slept an average of 15 minutes more than kids of the same age scoring B’s. The same held true for B-students, on average they gained an extra 15 minutes of sleep per night over their peers who scored C’s. 

Experts say that sleep deprived children are at risk of arrested cerebral growth and maturation, and that a minimum of 8 hours sleep per night is vital for adequate rest and development.