Children are the future of the nation’, a sensational saying branding the youth as our greatest investment of all time. A child’s cognitive development is believed to hold a great role in his success as an adult. Cognition refers to the conscious mental aspect that plays a key function in our ability to think, process information, comprehend, listen, regulate emotions, develop motor skills, make decisions, and give judgment.
Nine months of nesting her precious child, a mother will do everything to ensure his nourishment, safety, and future. People’s parenting styles vary, yet you would agree that all mothers are alike – they want all the best in life for their cubs. A good foundation in a child’s cognitive development catapults into a hundred-fold as they pave their way into accomplishing developmental milestones from their childhood to their adult life.
Children move at their own pace and develop individual unique skills. May it be in arts, music, linguistics, mathematics, science, and body kinesthetics. As a parent, you must do your best to support your child’s cognitive development.
Here are seven ways to do just that:
Memorizing The Alphabet and Numbers
Memorization of the alphabet and numbers is a jumpstart to prepare and train the child for more complex tasks. The left brain plays the role in logic-related tasks. This method is thought to stimulate the child’s hippocampus, where memories are indexed for future use.
The alphabet forms words, words form sentences, sentences form paragraphs. Single-digit numbers turn to different forms of mathematical figures and later on, equations. Introducing these to your child is believed to enhance the use of the hippocampus which may be very valuable for future learning. The early introduction may also make learning easy and fun in school later on.
Playing Puzzle Games
Playing puzzles helps stimulate a child’s mind. It is thought to make them intuitive and more patient. Just like a normal adult, a child loves being able to accomplish simple tasks. It stimulates the hormone norepinephrine for focus and excitement. Along with sudoku and crossword puzzles, this also challenges the left brain.
Engaging in puzzles teaches them to be interested in things. Once done with the tasks, comes the hormone dopamine, which we acquire by goal achievement and winning. Puzzles are believed to be one of the best ways to support cognitive development.
Puzzles date back to the 16th century. Due to online shows and games, it went under the radar for quite a while. But recently, modern jigsaw puzzles came into existence. They may be printed to your own liking. Your child can start with smaller puzzles, then go for the 1000 piece puzzles as they get older.
Learning Nursery Rhymes and Sing-alongs
Learning nursery rhymes and sing-alongs is a combination of memorizing and introducing the child to be musically inclined. This engages the child to strengthen his cognitive development in a fun and easier way.
There’s nothing that good music cannot fix. It can also be a way of bonding among family members. It may strengthen the trust and affection of the child to his parents, siblings, and other members of the family. In this way, emotional intelligence may also be improved.
Reading Stories
Reading bedtime stories is the trend. While it forms a bonding between parents and their children, it can also support cognitive development. From memorizing the alphabet, a child will proceed to read picture stories. Progression to reading children’s storybooks is not so far away then.
Reading increases the vocabulary of a child. It makes them learn how to understand and analyze the events in the story. Parents’ efforts and patience are the main investment here. Children tend to have short attention but the constant effort in teaching them will render good outcomes.
Arts and Crafts
Arts and crafts involve axial motor skills. Through this, a child’s dexterity will be strengthened and practiced. Developmental milestones will be witnessed in this aspect. Introduction to arts and crafts will color the minds of the children.
Engagement in coloring books, crayons, and clays is just the start. They’ll be wanting more, for sure! They have the room to think about the things they like to draw, what colors to use, and however artsy and crafty they plan to be. A room to grow and showcase their skills is just what they need to further support their cognitive development.
Engaging in Physical Activities
Discovering and enhancing their physical abilities are also ways to support their cognitive development. Aside from the benefit of getting a good amount of Vitamin D in the early morning, outdoor activities are good for them to be physically fit and active.
Developmental milestones include learning how to walk and run. It stimulates the motor center of their brain thus enhancing their motor skills for better cognitive development.
Exposure To People And Environment
Engaging in conversations call forth the child’s ability to carry out the skills to think, process information, comprehend, listen, regulate emotions, make decisions and judgments. Exposing the child to the environment will make his mind rich with new knowledge and ideas. A larger room to grow is essential for a child developing his cognitive abilities.
How Sure Are You?
Studies associated with how to support cognitive skills are being conducted by researchers, psychologists, and doctors. Methods are being discovered to guide them and attain their goals and dreams with flying colors. In a world full of uncertainty, one thing is for sure, the children are the future.
