Can't Wait for the Next Einstein in the Making? Here are the Tips to Raise a Smarter Child by Kindergarten (2020)

Dr. David Perlmutter is an American celebrity doctor and author who hails from Naples, Florida. He is one such celebrated author in the world who is known to take holistic approach towards brain disorders. He has also served as the president of Perlmutter Health Center.
He is a board-certified neurologist and a three-time New York Times best-selling author. His books are published in 27 languages.

Written by Dr. Perlmutter, the bestselling book focuses on raising the IQ by 30 points by turning on child’s smart genes. Here, the author talks about highly effective and easy strategies that can be used to increase a child’s IQ, increase their brain power and this reduces the risk of developing ADD and ADHD.

Many believe that the intelligence is genetic, but this is a myth. Intelligence can be altered and developed over time in a child by caring parents. Here are some of the activities to improve child’s intelligence.

Being active might sound basic, but is a very important quality to instill in a child. Active body will lead to active mind. Keep the child active at home and outside, create small obstacles while at home and notice how the child reacts to it. It is not the right or wrong move that matters, but the ability of the child to process and react to it. Take him/her to the playground, playing sports will boost blood circulation and keep the child energized. This will promote clear thinking and boost creativity.

Give the kid a box full of blocks of different colors, let him/her play with it for a while. This is an age old technique however, very effective. Here the child learns to recognize colors, shape, spatial awareness and creativity and much more.

Puzzles are a child’s favorite, they are great way to develop your child’s thinking capacity. It develops spatial perception, problem-solving, coordination, cognitive skills and fine motor skills. Puzzles are great for brain development and a must have in any household with a child.

Breastfeeding is a great way to bond with the baby and it is the first food the baby gets nutrition from for few months. There are a lot of health benefits attached to it for both the mother and baby, not only that it is also great for the kid’s IQ.

A number of researches have been conducted in this regard to get clarity on whether breastfeeding actually improves IQ and the outcome has been quite promising. There was a research conducted by comparing the IQs of babies that were breastfed and the babies that were not breastfed. The result showed considerable difference in their IQ level of up to 3.76 points. This is believed to be possible due to the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids present in the breast milk.

The longer baby is breastfed, better are the results. The baby’s weight may be appropriate, high, low or premature, breastfeeding will still make a huge difference if done till a year. There are also studies that say mother’s intelligence, diet and genetics also play a role in the benefits. So be rest assured that breastfeeding does increase your kid’s IQ.

Another way to boost a kid’s IQ is by indulging them in physical activity. Physical activity boosts their metabolism and blood circulation to brain, making it active. They improve the motor skills in a child. It also develops the ability of decision making, judging speed and velocity and improve their coordination skills.

Keep the child active as much as possible and try to make physical activity their daily routine. It keeps the child energetic and lively all the time and keep them away from developing a lethargic behavior. Physical activity also helps children to develop language learning skills, according to a study, children with regular physical activity develop ability to learn new words 20 percent more than the ones that didn’t indulge in any such activity.

Also, making physical activity a part of their daily routine will help them imbibe a better lifestyle in future.

Music is a wonderful way to increase the IQ of a kid. Music is known for its ability to reduce stress, ease pain and improve memory and cognition. People often listen to music when they feel low and stressed and music soothes the suffering and lightens the mood.

Receiving a formal music training helps the kid increase the IQ as it exposes the young brain to absorb a wide range of words and interpret it. Tones and the words that is used in music will later help to build neural pathways and improve their cognitive ability. The ability and enhanced brain activity that is developed in the early year will remain for a lifetime.

Formal music training helps the kid’s IQ by improving the emotional quotient, ability to learn new languages, fine motor skills, auditory expertise, and memory and most importantly it’ll help the kid with improved self-esteem and confidence.

This is possible as music helps the child strengthen corpus callosum, which is a tissue that connects two hemispheres of the brain. When the two hemispheres are strengthened, the child has a better control on his/her emotions, discipline and behavior.

The diet is as important as anything else as nutritious food is the one that boosts the brain for better stimuli. Fruits, vegetables, protein rich meat and home cooked foods are great for children and studies prove that as well. Children who take a healthy diet have a better IQ than those with not-so-healthy according to a recent study.

Allowing and nurturing imaginative plays are the most innovative and fun way to increase a child’s IQ. When a kid is busy with an imaginative play, it involves a lot of brain functions and creativity to do it. The child is actually discovering the way things are done and how to do them, how to react to them. They are understanding or trying to debate what is right and what is wrong in these plays. They begin to realize their likes and dislikes.

Nurture these imaginative plays by providing a platform to your child to do this. Let them be creative and if possible join them and follow their command, be a part of their play. Here they also learn cooperation, communication, interpersonal and problem-solving skills at early stages of growth. They develop emotional intelligence and ability to handle social situations.

The environment in which a child is raised will have significant impact on his/her IQ. Ensure that your child is in a good environment, free of stress and filled with happiness. A happy child will turn out to be a smart and responsible adult in future.

Stress is not good for the brain as it results in behavioral responses, which is based on how a situation is perceived by the brain. Also, they have negative effect and cause hormonal imbalances in the body, which results in complications later.

A child brought up in a good environment is known to possess higher IQ level than the one with a traumatic experience. We all know that stress can have a bad effect on adults, and the impact of it will be much worse on a child. So always be well aware of what’s happening in a child’s surrounding and keep them positive as much as possible. This will help a great deal in the child’s mental development and provides a strong foundation for the future of the child.

Be affectionate to your child by responding each time whenever he/she does something. This assures the child that the world is logical and purposeful. Make them feel that you are there for them, play with them by giving them something to hold, or exchange smiley, talk to him/her. All these actions boost the brain and help them perceive the stimuli better, develop coordination skills, communication skills and language.

Make the baby feel loved and secure, this boosts the baby’s intelligence. When they respond to you and are able understand you to an extent, he/she is starting to be creative and rational. Baby becomes more empathetic and develops morale.

Being affectionate is very important to instill values in a child and to help them be emotionally intelligent. They also develop a sense of importance and know that their actions have an impact on you. According to a study, a child who is given more affectionate care is likely to have a better IQ than the other.

Toxins that are present in household products can have a negative impact on child’s IQ. According to recent studies, researchers say that use of flame retardants and pesticides is known to decline children’s IQ. Use organic products to keep your baby safe from toxic chemicals and always check the contents of a product before making a purchase.

Be mindful of anything that a child touches, consumes or plays with. Make sure they are clean and free of any toxic material as they hinder the brain activity and reduce IQ. Keep the household clean by getting rid of the dust particles as much as possible, this can be done by using a vacuum cleaner or mop everyday/twice a day.

There are small amounts of lead, mercury and pesticides that can be found in a household. Though these might seem less in quantity, but they tend to have harsh effect on the child’s mental growth and IQ. This is mainly because a child is vulnerable and immunity power is still in developing stage (mainly in the early years). So switch to organic food products and keep the household clean to protect the baby against such harmful toxins.

In this book, Dr. Perlmutter takes a practical approach towards achieving optimal health, losing weight, brain vitality and reducing the risk of chronic diseases. Inculcating the lessons from this book can help you to optimize health and achieve peak mental performance

In this book, Dr. Perlmutter provides us a five-week plan that helps train the brain for enlightenment through meditation, dietary supplements and nutritional choice, etc. This helps the readers to get past their trauma and find inner peace.

Grain Brain provides the reader with a 30-day plan that helps them alter their genetic destiny to improve. It talks about how we can take control of our smart genes by dietary and lifestyle choices.

This book presents the readers with 150 recipes to keep the body and brain fit and keep them away from Alzheimer’s, depression, ADHD and epilepsy.

Brain Maker, The Microbiome and the Brain, The Grain Brain Whole Life Plan, The Better Brain Book are also some of Dr. Perlmutter’s best works.