What are some ways a child's mental and physical development be fostered?

Question

What are some ways a child's mental and physical development be fostered?

Answer 1

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Answer 2

I went to Body Worlds in Baltimore last month, and there was a section on the development of synaptic pathways in babies' and children's brains.   Most of a person's pathways are established in early years (which is when we have most of them), and those pathways determine future thought-patterns and their complexity.  The less we vary our experiences and stimulate our brains, the more we lose synaptic patterns to develop fewer, more predictable ones.  My guess, then, is that more stimulation means a more analytical mind.  Here are my suggestions.

1. Order a "Literature of Childhood" textbook that English majors have to read in college.  Try college bookstores where the course is offered.  These books teach you how to read picture books to children so that you teach depth perception, congruence/harmony, color coordination, nonverbal language (facial expressions in the characters' faces, etc.), morals, manners, empathy, etc.  

2. Don't just read the words to children.  Stop and give the child time to view the pictures.  Help them to connect the images to the story.  Ask them questions about it: whether they like the images; what the people are doing; etc.  The more engaged they are, they more they will think for themselves, develop opinions, retain information, enjoy the experience, and learn new things.  When the child is old enough, help him/her to read, too.  Before they know language, they can make up their own stories for the pictures.  When you act impressed, they will develop self-confidence and a love of creative thinking.

3. If your baby isn't talking yet, you can teach it sign language, which helps it to develop thought-symbol assocations.  There are plenty of books and videos in stores like Barnes and Noble and Borders that will guide you through it.  I've seen babies sign on these videos.  It's incredible.

4. Stay away from Disney fairytales because they misconstrue reality and make girls dependent upon men for happiness.  It doesn't foster independence; it only creates unachievable expectations.

5. Introduce your child to a variety of non-American foods as well as American foods.  There is no reason why a child cannot enjoy hummus, for example.  Keep the foods healthy and non-spicy.  Your child will be more open-minded and less picky than other kids, not to mention more culturally aware and "worldly."

6. What about playing card games that require strategy, like Rummy?  I don't know how old your child is, but young kids can begin to learn this.

7. Encourage drawing.

8. Turn off the TV and keep the kids away from video games.  While some television programs can be educational, and some video games require strategy-making as well as hand-eye coordination, they also waste hours upon hours of time and create laziness.  TV creates passive thinking, too.

9. Use bright colors in infants' and children's rooms: reds, oranges, yellows...They stimulate the mind.  Hum-drum conservative colors that compliment an adult's taste do not help childhood development.

10. Introduce your child to a huge variety of music, particularly classical music.  Try opera, jazz, ragae, funk, blues, rock, rap, folk, world (Indian, Japanese, Irish...), etc.  In the beginning, teach the child easy nursery rhymes that he/she can sing to and remember.  Sounds stimulate mental development.  Major book stores contain CDs of music from around the world and they are made specifically for children.  

11. Expose your child to a large amount of detail about one very specific field...like botany, wherein the child learns names of various plants and flowers.  You can choose any field; it's the specificity that encourages minutia of thought.

12. Buy models that your children can build with you: models of animals, planes, whatever.  

13. Teach your child to enjoy outdoor activities and sports in addition to indoor ones.

14. Remove unhealthy snacks (potato chips, cakes, etc.) from the house, and get your child excited about raw broccoli with Ranch dressing, strawberries, mango, whole grain crackers, etc. Present them like they're desserts, and the child will develop good eating habits later in life.  Never have soda or alcohol in the house, and don't smoke in front of the kids.  Actually, just don't smoke.  Technically, coffee is a bad habit, too, but harder to avoid.  Also, avoid processed meats like hotdogs and lunchmeat.  They contain MSG, which is a carcinogen.  Avoid fluoridated water, too, because it creates fluorisis (tooth decay), and it pacifies people.  It's more toxic than lead.  Read up on it.  You don't want your child's immune system and brain capacity to be limited by toxins.

15. The best thing to do is not to think for your child.  Encourage your child to answer your questions with words (as opposed to with pointing or looking).  Do not act for your child or fill in the blanks.  Asking leading questions like, "Don't you want _______?" doesn't encourage independent thinking.  If you pause and wait, your child will have time to think.  Anticipating their needs might stunt their social or mental development.

16. Children who hang around other children develop essential social skills (and the ability to share).

17. Don't be afraid to use big vocabulary words once the child's simple vocab begins to grow.  

18. Label the entire house with the names of each item.  Label tables with "table" and chairs with "chair," etc. I know someone whose mother did this when he was young, and as an adult, he is extremely articulate and intelligent.

19. Help your kids with their homework. Stay involved but never give them answers or do their work for them.

20. Introduce foreign films along with blockbusters and independent ones.  

21. Never act frustrated when your child doesn't understand or is slow to grasp a concept.  Your frustration will be debilitating for the child who will clam up and stop trying while developing a complex.  Always act as a coach: positive, encouraging, and complimentary.

22. Travel to foreign places with your child as often as possible when it is financially feasible to do so--even when he/she is young.

23. Create stories for your child while making him or her the main character.  This is VERY exciting for children.  They will feel special, and they will anticipate hearing the plot.  Meanwhile, they will understand that stories aren't just in books, movies, or TV but that individual, "regular" people can create them, too.  It will stimulate their curiosity and creativity while helping them to understand time-order, etc.

24. Try word-finds and crossworld puzzles of appropriate levels.

25. Buy workbooks for reading, math, social studies, geography, etc., from major book stores.  

26. Take your child to IMAX films, museums, sporting events, parades, etc.  

27. Expose your child (safely) to the outdoors: canoeing, fishing, etc.  Go to the beach if you live near one.  

These are just my own suggestions/opinions.  Good luck!

Answer 3

Stable home environment with predictable routines. Consistent bedtimes, that kind of thing. When we run into behavior problems in school, we find that most of them don't come from abuse so much as a lack of structure and boundaries, or abandonment issues.

Answer 4

keep took to the baby and have the baby get plenty of exercise