A child’s sensory development is the formation of perceptions about the properties of objects, their shape, color, size, spatial position, their inherent smells, tastes, as well as the accumulation of sensory experience.

Basic ideas about the world around us are formed before the age of seven, so the role of sensory development in infancy is fundamental.

Educators and psychologists unanimously argue that without timely sensory education, the formation of a child’s mental abilities is impossible.

The sensory development of children from birth to one year proceeds at a rapid pace, so it is worth paying maximum attention to it from the very first days. The path to a child’s talented, successful future begins with the development of basic sensory perceptions.

Newborn babies

The most accurate idea of ​​a newborn is the idea of ​​a small, but still a person, and not just as an object of care. In works on preschool psychology G.A. Uruntaeva noted that from the moment of birth the baby’s sense organs function, however, the sensory development of young children (0-1 years) does not occur simultaneously with the development of motor skills.
The timely beginning of the development of the baby’s senses is the key to his successful development in the future.

Therefore, the first weeks and even days are extremely favorable for the beginning of sensory education of the baby. The simplest games and important procedures, such as gymnastics or a relaxing massage, are the best sensory development exercises for newborns. Let's take a closer look at the potential of a newly born baby, as well as the possibilities of sensory development of newborns at home.

Movements and Actions

A feature of the sensory development of a newborn is that vision and hearing develop faster than, for example, hands. Therefore, parents who want to speed up cognitive abilities for your child, it is important to offer your child games to develop motor skills. At the same time, the development of general and fine motor skills A newborn should be given special attention, because motor activity is an indicator of the baby’s psycho-emotional development. Scientists have proven that the movements of a baby’s fingers have a positive effect on the cerebral cortex and the formation of speech zones.

Kinesthetic, kinetic and spatial factors are responsible for free control of your body. Kinesthetic and kinetic development in newborns is a sense of the position of their body in space, the efforts made by the muscles in the process of movement or performing certain actions, as well as a set of body movements (including facial expressions) used during communication. The role of kinesthetic and kinetic development in newborns was highlighted by I.M. Sechenov, who believes that muscle feeling is not only a regulator of movement, but also the psychophysical basis of vision of space.

Consolidation of understanding in the child’s brain of all postures and movements occurs at three levels:

• visual, i.e. in the process of observing the movement of other people;
• verbal - the child pronounces actions for himself or commands others;
• motor - when performing actions independently.

To help your child concentrate on his sensations, you can use games for kinesthetic and kinetic development:

• changing the position of the torso (stretching upward, then complete relaxation);
• change in the quality of movements (first sharp, then smooth);
• movement in different directions (up-down, left-right).

Fundamental to the development of spatial relationships in newborns is awareness of one's own body, which begins with tension and weakening of muscles. A recently born baby does not yet know where his body ends and the world around him begins, so the development of spatial relationships in newborns directly depends on his ability to hold his head, and subsequently sit and walk. It is with the development of these skills that the baby gains his first awareness of himself in the world around him. Excellent games for forming spatial relationships can be invented during massage and gymnastics.

The development of tactile-motor sensations in newborns occurs primarily through physical contact with the mother. Therefore, take your baby in your arms more often, and practice periodically sleeping together or taking a bath. Make or buy an educational mat from materials of different textures for games to develop tactile-motor sensations. By placing your baby naked on it, he will feel the materials not only with his hands, but also with his legs and tummy, developing tactile-motor sensations. Hang a carousel with toys of various shapes and materials above the crib and periodically change them for others. It is desirable that the toys also be different in size and color, then this will also have a positive effect on the development of the newborn’s vision.

Developing vision, hearing and taste

Babies that are born still see very poorly, so try from time to time to play games to develop vision: show the baby a bright rattle or simple pictures, but do not remove or move them too quickly, let the baby look at them. To avoid the development of strabismus, do not bring your face or various objects closer than 30 cm to the baby. Study with the baby his reflection in the mirror and the landscapes outside the window.

Babies perceive many sounds from birth, so parents should use music therapy to develop hearing in newborns. Play calm classical music for your baby with the participation of different instruments - this will help develop not only hearing, but also musical abilities, good melodic taste and will have a positive effect on the nervous system.

To calm babies, Vivaldi’s compositions (for example, “Winter” from “The Four Seasons”) and lullabies are good, especially if the mother sings them. To lift your baby's mood and activity, play works by Bach or Brahms, Tchaikovsky's waltzes, and Beethoven's sixth symphony. Kids also love compositions by Chopin or Mozart. Scientists have discovered that when listening to the latter's music, the entire cerebral cortex is activated and called this the “Mozart effect.” Constantly talk to your baby using different intonations and timbres of your voice, this will also help the development of hearing.

Taste buds are formed early in humans. Studies aimed at the development of taste in newborns have shown that from birth the baby has his own taste preferences, and some scientists believe that they are formed at the intrauterine stage. Let your baby try water with different flavors: lemon, sweet and fennel flavored. Such games will help develop the sense of smell, and parents will test the baby’s sense of taste.

From two months to a year

Scientists have proven that the most favorable development of a baby occurs under a well-thought-out plan of upbringing and education by parents who take into account age characteristics crumbs.

Let's talk a little about the sensory development of a child under one year old at home.

Actions and movements

The richer the baby’s experience of sensations, the smarter and more active he will become as he grows up.

To diversify your baby’s sensations, use various games to develop tactile-motor sensations. Make a variety of footprints from paper, cardboard, fabric, cotton wool and bandages, inviting the barefoot child to stomp on them, and you can support very small crumbs under the arms.

Pour different cereals, peas or buttons into bags and let your baby try them by touch. This will be a very exciting game for the young opener (just check the strength of the bags so that the baby cannot tear them). Organize water treatments for toys by placing them in a small inflatable pool or basin - kids love water games.

The development of gross and fine motor skills in a child under one year old is an important, but quite feasible task for parents. For very young children, you can offer a small puppet theater in which the main participant will be the baby. Make or purchase fairy-tale characters that you can put on your child’s fingers. This fun game will keep your baby interested and make him want to control them better. Play nursery rhymes using your fingers and palms.

Slightly older children can already be offered modeling from plant-based plasticine (PlayDoh or Artberry) or from dough. It’s not scary if the baby tastes the plasticine. It is made from natural dough and is therefore absolutely safe. The material has a bright palette of colors and is ideal for the first steps in mastering sculpting and modeling techniques.

Don’t forget about playing with improvised objects: fasteners and buttons on clothes, boxes and jars. Also, modern stores offer a huge range of toys for the development of gross and fine motor skills in children up to one year old and older. These are a variety of pyramids, rattles, development centers and rugs. Of course, it is important for mothers to remember that one of the baby’s main organs of understanding the world is the mouth, so the baby needs to taste any object. Based on this, all toys must correspond to the child’s age category, have no small parts, and all small parts must be securely sewn or attached to the base.

Kinesthetic and kinetic development in a child under one year of age progresses especially quickly in the second half of the year. Now the movements of the hands are being regulated more and more, which are becoming more confident every day. The muscles receive a “signal” to act from the brain, as well as from the peripheral senses (tactile, visual and auditory) about achievements, as a result of which the brain and central nervous system give more accurate “commands”. By the age of one year, a child’s kinesthetic and kinetic development reaches a high level, and the baby can already pick up an object without touching surrounding things.

Drawing can be classified as a very suitable game for kinesthetic and kinetic development, helping to develop imagination and coordination, even for such little ones. Once your child reaches 10 months of age, you can start drawing with your toddler using finger paints. These paints are designed for little artists: they have wide jars that can comfortably fit tiny fingers. They do not contain harmful components, so if they enter the mouth in small doses, they will not harm the health of the baby.

Candidate of Medical Sciences Maria Gmoshinskaya has developed a technique for infant drawing, according to which a baby can be introduced to artistic creativity from the age of 6 months, the main thing is that the child can sit confidently. Fingers, palms, and both hands can participate in the drawing process. You should not force your child to draw by force, since the essence of the technique is based on developing his natural qualities. Also, you should not interfere with the toddler’s creative process. By being a little to the side and keeping everything under control, you will give your baby freedom of action.

The development of tactile-motor sensations in a child under one year old occurs when touching an object, and mastery of fine hand movements is carried out under the control of vision. Associations arising from tactile sensations and visual perceptions were very accurately and simply expressed by Nobel laureate I. P. Pavlov: “The eye “teaches” the hand, the hand “teaches” the eye.”

Use games to develop tactile-motor sensations - place toys of different shapes and textures in a bag and invite the baby to take them out one at a time, slowly, feeling with his hand. Remember to be safe and never give your child objects or toys containing small parts!

There is a widespread belief that playing, for example, with beans or other cereals is safe, but doctors will tell you many accidents when a child swallowed such a “toy” and either suffocated or the beans sprouted in the esophagus. Therefore, when using natural materials in games, give preference to larger objects. Suitable examples include (pre-washed) walnuts in shells, pine cones, and seashells.

Developing hearing and vision

Continue to practice music therapy for hearing development in children under one year old, as its positive effect has been proven more than once by scientists. For restless and excitable babies, it is useful to listen to melodies at a slow tempo. Usually these are the second parts of classical sonatas and instrumental concerts, for example, the 2nd part of Mozart’s “Little Night Serenade”, the duet of Lisa and Polina from the opera “The Queen of Spades” by Tchaikovsky. For inactive children and those with depression syndrome, waltzes from Tchaikovsky's compositions, marching melodies, and “Spring” from the seasons of “Vivaldi” are useful. Scientists have also noted that a melody with words influences children more strongly than a melody without words, and live singing is several times better than recorded singing.

One of the best backgrounds for a baby is the sounds of nature. The sea surf, the chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves have a beneficial effect on the nervous system and the development of hearing. A child under one year old has a very sensitive hearing aid, so do not forget that the sounds around him should not be loud. It is worth noting that the simplest activities with a rattle, bells and musical instruments are indispensable games for developing hearing. Remember that even such a harmless event has contraindications (predisposition to seizures, intracranial pressure, otitis media, the baby’s serious condition due to illness).

The development of vision in a child under one year of age is not only a natural process, but also partly depends on the baby’s parents. It is best if the baby is surrounded by bright contrasting colors and objects. different forms and sizes, for example, colorful bedspreads, vases, flower pots. You can also hang small mirrors, bright toys, photographs and pictures around the crib. For example, photographs of parents printed on A4 sheet and hung on the wall near the crib will calm the baby and create a safe space for him. Scientists have proven that a person’s face is what a small child loves to look at most, and remembers the faces of their parents from birth.

It is very important that the baby’s crib (or playpen, where the child will be most often) is in the brightest place. Vision development continues for 9 months after birth, and the eyes require exposure to light to complete development correctly. Otherwise, deviations in the development of the child’s vision are possible.

Frequently placing the baby on his tummy in the first months of life has a beneficial effect on the development of vision up to one year. Play games to develop vision with your baby: in a playful way, try to concentrate the toddler’s gaze on you. During feeding, put on multi-colored beads or a colorful scarf, draw a happy face on one side of the paper plate and a sad one on the other, and swap them. The child will watch this process with interest, and offer a slightly older child a game of “repeat” - smile with his mother, show his tongue, clap his hands.

On the development of taste and spatial relationships

The development of taste in a child under one year old is also an important aspect of perception for a growing person. If your baby has the right taste for healthy foods, he will be healthy and full of energy. Taste sensations are quite multifaceted and are influenced by many factors: the smell of food, its consistency, appearance.

The structure of food depends on age, therefore, for the proper development of taste in a child under one year old, there is a special calendar for the introduction of complementary foods. Introduce complementary foods correctly and make your baby's menu varied.

Use various games to develop taste - learn smells together with your baby. Offer to smell the aroma of cocoa, coffee, soap, spices, and in the summer the fragrance of flowers and herbs, be sure to pronounce the name of the object being studied. A grown-up baby, whose age is approaching one year, can be offered the game “find a pair.” Offer your little one three pairs of boxes, inside of which are, for example, mint leaves, coffee beans or a sponge dipped in citrus shower gel, and ask them to find and show which boxes smell the same.

The development of spatial relationships in a child under one year of age is just beginning to take shape. Spatial representations, although they arise early, are a more complex process than the difference in the properties of objects. The child does not own any reference system, so he uses a sensory system based on the sides of his own body. There are many didactic and active games for the development of spatial relationships in children.

It should be noted that games for the development of spatial relationships in children under one year are based on the method of developing the ability to navigate their own body, i.e. this is a kind of preparation stage when the child learns the names of the parts of his body. The adult, in the process of communicating with the baby, pronounces the actions: “Let’s wash the right hand, wash the left hand”, “put on the right (and then left) sock, put a hat on the head”, and plays with the grown-up child in didactic games– “we’ll dress the doll”, “the doll is washing”, we show and name the parts of the body together.

Sensory development of children under 1 year of age is a fascinating activity for both the baby and the mother. The main thing is to remember the safety rules and closely monitor the baby during games, then the classes will be interesting, fun and useful. Protect your child from toys that have small parts and sharp corners, as well as ropes and ribbons in which the child can become entangled. There are many methods for the sensory development of children under 1 year old. However, before choosing a specific development method for a child, you should carefully study each and highlight all the pros and cons.

Methods of early child development

Doman's technique

Doman's methods are a series of restorative and educational exercises for both healthy children and children with developmental delays, aimed at activating the brain through learning.

The essence of the techniques is that the child is shown cards with large red letters, dots, pictures and words for a short time. Children under one year old are shown cards with different pictures and the names of the objects depicted on them are pronounced out loud.

Each card should be shown for 5 to 10 seconds. The lessons last no more than a minute, but should be repeated several times a day, with a gradually increasing number of cards. Training using the Doman method has achieved amazing results - children with mental retardation learned to read fluently, and children who studied according to the program from early childhood became Nobel laureates. Moreover, lagging children caught up with healthy children not only in mental, but also physical development!

Lupan technique

Inspired by Doman's ideas, loving mother Cecile Lupan decided to develop her daughter based on his methods. However, over time I came to the conclusion that training should be based on other principles. In particular, it should be easy and interesting for the child to learn, and the activities should bring joy to both the child and the parents.

The main idea of ​​the Lupan technique is that the child needs attention-interest, and not attention-care, so as not to stifle the child’s creativity and not cause a feeling of violating personal boundaries. Lupan came to the conclusion that it was necessary to develop the baby’s innate abilities and interests, and not teach him according to strict rules and schedules.

Cecile described her successes in the development of her daughters and the methods for achieving them in the book “ Practical guide“Believe in your child”, while developing a series of games and exercises for the development of children.

According to the author, an important place in the development of a child is occupied by the first year of his life, during which it is necessary to develop the baby’s five basic senses.
To do this, you need to take him in your arms more often, show him everything, tell him everything and, most importantly, maintain physical contact: hug, kiss and stroke him. It is important to talk through your actions and your actions to the child.

To develop your vision, make funny faces, for your hearing, listen to classical music, sing children's songs and tell nursery rhymes.

An important place in the Lupan method is occupied by the physical development of children under one year old. It is necessary to create the most comfortable conditions to encourage the child to crawl and then walk. Cecile also highlights the effect of water exercises and, in particular, learning to swim. Some mothers are afraid to teach their newborn babies to swim, but in vain, because babies up to 6 months, in addition to sucking, also have a breath-holding reflex. That’s why in Lupan’s book there are a number of diving exercises for kids, such as “Torpedo”, “Shower on the face” or “Spitting out water”.

For children under one year old it is especially important that any training takes place in the form exciting game, says Lupan. For example, she suggests teaching your child new words or the alphabet in the form of a funny song, and teaching counting through your own answers to humorous and funny questions (for example, “how many elephants do you have in your pocket?” - “zero”, “how many big bears do you have?” us on the sofa? - alone, etc.)

Zheleznov's technique. Developing to the music

One of the most effective methods of early hearing development is considered to be the Zheleznovs’ “Music with Mom” method, the principle of which is to present educational material in a playful form. To practice with your child using this method, mothers should only practice with their child while listening to funny melodies, songs and nursery rhymes.

Play, sculpt, draw, dance and even fall asleep to the music and you will discover extraordinary abilities of your baby that you never even knew about. The technique includes series with lullabies, nursery rhymes and finger games.

For the little ones, there are such collections as “First Lessons” - for babies from 2 months to 2 years, which includes songs with an element of play. To this music, the baby will clap his hands with the adults, dance with his mother in her arms and do gymnastics. For children from 6 months, a collection of “Mom’s Lessons” has been developed, which will become an indispensable assistant in communicating with the baby. Funny song-games will help mom feed the little gourmet, dress, bathe, put to bed, have fun and have fun with her favorite toddler.

Ibuka technique or after three it’s too late

One of the pioneers in studying the direction of early childhood development was Masaru Ibuka, a Japanese entrepreneur and one of the founders of the Sony company.

Masaru Ibuka believed that a child’s mental abilities develop only in the first three years of life, and it is during this period that the baby absorbs any information like a sponge. According to the Ibuka method, up to the age of three, a child can be taught to write, read and even play the violin.

Having gone deeper and studied this topic in more detail, Ibuka wrote the book “After Three It’s Too Late,” in which he detailed his theory that “no child is born a genius and no child is born a fool.”
It all depends on the stimulation and degree of brain development, which directly depends on what the parents instilled in the baby from birth.

The book doesn't give practical advice about education, but rather answers the questions “why is early development needed and why is it important for the future.” So, what to play with a child under one year old? Anything! Ibuka believed that a large number of toys does not allow the baby to develop correctly, so the Japanese suggested using any objects found at home (of course, which could not harm the child) as entertainment. Offer your baby a blanket or, for example, a small pillow and the baby will be happy to find a use for it, developing his imagination. Ibuka also recommends drawing with your baby’s fingers, but not with paints on paper, but simply with your fingers on buckwheat, rice or semolina. The child will enjoy this activity, and during the game, motor skills and tactile sensations will develop.

Tyulenev's technique. Read before you walk

Teacher and sociologist Pavel Viktorovich Tyulenev, who developed the “Method of Intellectual Development of the Child” (MIDD), puts parents in an even stricter framework.

Tyulenev's MIRR methodology is an accelerated learning system covering all areas of development. Tyulenev considers the age from 0 to 1.5 years to be early development, from 1.5 to 2 years to be middle development, and he calls the age from 2 to 3 years “late early development.” If a child has reached the age of three and is not yet ready for school, then, according to Tyulenev, he is pedagogically lost.

As educational material for the method, it is proposed to use educational games and manuals created by the author, as well as the special alphabet MIRR. It should be noted that the training of children using this method is planned literally by the hour and developments begin not only from the moment of birth, but even at perinatal age.

For children under one year old, Tyulenev developed the following series of exercises:

• a baby under 2 months should be shown pictures with letters, shapes, ornaments, and parents should name what is shown in these pictures;
• from two months, add images of animals and mathematical symbols to pictures;
• from four, according to Tyulenev, the baby can already be introduced to the laws of physics by throwing toys of different sizes on the floor;
• from five months, mother and baby should learn to extract sounds from musical instruments, for example, hitting a xylophone with sticks;
• At 6 months, the baby should be offered a variety of postcards. The baby will look at them with interest, and the mother will tell him about what is depicted on each one.
• From the age of seven months, parents begin to study letters and form words with the magnetic alphabet with their baby.

Thus, The principle of the technique is to not allow the baby to waste wasted time.

The Nikitin system is an exam tested by life

The Nikitin system is aimed at raising healthy, smart and independent people. The main idea of ​​the system is “Irreversible Decay of Opportunities for Effective Development of Abilities.” The Nikitins believed that every child is born with colossal abilities for all types of activities. However, for the effective development of the mind and body, certain conditions are required, and if talents are not realized in time, their potential will fade.
Therefore, the main goal of parents, according to the Nikitins, should be to help the child develop. The main principles of the Nikitins’ method are freedom of creativity and parental indifference to the child’s successes and failures.

There are also two extremes of parenting that need to be avoided. This is, first of all, the “abandonment” of the child: the parents’ communication with the baby comes down only to the fulfillment of needs - to feed, wash, dress - and the opposite extreme - when all the baby’s free time is occupied with exercises, entertainment, games and the child has no time for himself .

The Nikitins have published a number of books in which they describe in detail their development system, as well as mistakes made in upbringing. The most popular game for babies under one year old according to the Nikitins’ method is “Frames and Inserts”, consisting of frames and inserts in the form of various geometric shapes. You can play it from 10 months, and you should start learning with a small number of pieces (2-3), gradually increasing the number. The child is asked to choose a frame for each figure. The game is not exhaustive and makes it possible to change tasks as the child grows up. By the way, the Nikitins advise not to show him the correct solution, but to give him the opportunity to find the correct option on his own.

Literature:

1. Chuprikova N.I. Mental development and learning: Psychological foundations developmental education - M.: JSC "Century", 1995 - 192 p.

2.Bauer T. Mental development baby. Per. from English A.B. Leonova. –2nd ed. – M.: Progress, 1989. –319 p.

3. Pilyugina V.A. Baby’s sensory abilities: Games for developing the perception of color, shape, size in young children: Book. for kindergarten teachers and parents. –M.: Education: JSC “Uchebn. Met", 1996. – 112 p.

4.I.M. Sechenov "Reflexes of the brain"

5. Galiguzova L.N., Smirnova E.O. Stages of communication: from one to seven years. – M.: Education, 1992 – 142 p.

© AFP 2016, Lluis Gene

How to Raise a Genius: Lessons from 45 Years of Research on Super-Smart Children

Year-long study of exceptional children shows what it takes to train the scientists who will lead the world in the 21st century

On a summer day in 1968, Professor Julian Stanley met an extremely intelligent but bored 12-year-old named Joseph Bates. This schoolboy from Baltimore was so ahead of his classmates in mathematics that his parents sent him to computer courses at Johns Hopkins University, where Stanley taught. But this was not enough. Having outstripped all the adults in the group, the child began teaching the Fortran programming language to graduate students.

Not knowing what to do with Bates, his computer teacher introduced the boy to Stanley, who is well known for his psychometric research work studying cognitive activity. To learn more about the talents of the young prodigy, Stanley arranged for Bates to undergo a real examination session, including standardized college admissions tests, which in the United States are usually taken by young people aged 16-18 who want to enroll in a university.

Bates's results turned out to be much higher than the passing grade at Johns Hopkins University, and Stanley began to look for a local school where the boy could study higher mathematics and natural sciences. He failed to find such a school, and Stanley convinced the dean of the faculty at his university to take 13-year-old Bates to the university as a student.

Stanley, in his Scientific Study of Gifted Youth (SMPY), lovingly calls Bates "student number zero." This research revolutionized the way gifted children are identified and supported in the American education system. SMPY has become the longest-running study of intellectually advanced children, following the careers and achievements of five thousand people over 45 years, many of whom became distinguished scientists. The ever-growing body of data from this research has inspired more than 400 scientific papers and several books, and has provided a better understanding of how to find and develop talent in the sciences, technology, engineering, and more.

“Julian wanted to know how to find kids with the strongest potential for high achievement in STEM, and how to increase the chances that they would realize that potential,” says Stanley protégé Camilla Benbow, now dean in Education and Human Development from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. But Stanley was not just interested in studying talented children; he wanted to develop their intelligence, increasing the chances that these children would one day change the world. He told his graduate students that his slogan was “No more coping for knowledge.”

Context

War on children

If your childhood was spent in war

“Whether we like it or not, these people really run our society,” says psychologist Jonathan Wai, who works at Duke University in Durham in the Talent Identification Program and collaborates with Hopkins University. Way compared data from 11 retrospective and prospective longitudinal studies, including those from the SMPY study, to demonstrate the correlation between early cognitive abilities and success in adulthood. “Those youth who end up in the top one percent typically become our top scientists, academics, Fortune 500 CEOs, federal judges, senators and billionaires,” he says.

These results contradict conventional ideas that professional achievement is primarily the result of practice, and that anyone with concentrated effort in the right direction can achieve great heights. But SMPY results suggest that early cognitive abilities are more important for later success than deliberate practice or environmental factors such as socioeconomic status. This study highlights the importance of nurturing and supporting mathematically gifted children, especially today as the focus in the United States and other countries is on improving the performance of weaker students. At the same time, work to find and support talented students has raised a number of troubling questions about the risks of classifying children and the shortcomings of talent searching and standardized tests as a way to identify students with great potential, especially in poor and rural areas.

“By placing so much emphasis on predicting who will rise to the top, we risk failing many children who will be missed in these tests,” says Toronto psychologist Dona Matthews, who founded the Center for Research at Hunter College in New York. and nurturing talent. “When children being studied are called “gifted” and “non-gifted,” it does not serve them well. In both cases, such separation can weaken the child’s desire to learn and learn.”

Start of research

On a rainy, warm August afternoon, Benbow and her psychologist husband, David Lubinski, tell me about the start of the SMPY study while walking around the Vanderbilt University campus. Benbow was a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University when she met Stanley in a class he taught in 1976. Benbow and Lubinski led the research after Stanley retired, and in 1998 they moved it to Vanderbilt University.

“In a sense, Julian’s research has come full circle because this is where he started his research and teaching career,” Benbow says as we approach the university’s psychology lab. This is the first building in the United States dedicated to scientific research in this field. It was built in 1915 and houses a small collection of old computing instruments that were used in quantitative psychology in the early 1950s, when Stanley began his scientific work in psychometrics and statistics.

His interest in developing scientific talent was intensified by one of the most famous longitudinal studies in psychology, the Genetic Study of Genius, conducted by Lewis Terman. Beginning in 1921, Terman selected people for his research based on IQ scores and then followed their careers, providing them with support and encouragement. But to Terman’s chagrin, very few reputable scientists emerged from his cohort. Among those he rejected because of an IQ of 129, which was too low to qualify for inclusion in his cohort, was transistor inventor and Nobel Prize winner William Shockley. Another Nobel Prize winner, physicist Luis Alvarez, was also rejected.

© AP Photo, Elaine Thompson Students on the George Washington University campus

Stanley believed that Terman would not have missed Shockley and Alvarez if he had a reliable testing methodology to quantify logical reasoning abilities. So Stanley decided to introduce the Learning Aptitude Test (now called simply the SAT). His test was intended for students, but Stanley suggested that it would be well suited to measuring the analytical thinking abilities of talented students.

In March 1972, Stanley selected 450 bright children ages 12 to 14 from the Baltimore area and gave them the math portion of the SAT test. This was the first standardized "talent search" on a scientific basis. (Later, scholars included the oral portion of the exam and other assessment tests.)

“The first big surprise was that so many teenagers were able to solve problems in mathematics that they had not encountered in school,” says psychologist Daniel Keating, then a doctoral student at Hopkins. “The second surprise is that many of these children showed knowledge much higher than the passing score for elite universities.”

Stanley did not think that his research would last for many decades. But after the first review of the results, five years after the start of the work, Benbow proposed extending it and following the participants throughout their lives, adding new groups and including analysis of the interests of the mentees, their preferences, professional achievements and success in life. The first four cohorts of test takers are those who were in the top 3-0.01% of SAT test scores. The SMPY team added a fifth cohort of master's students in mathematics and science in 1992 to test the versatility of the talent search model to identify scientific potential.

“I don’t know of any other study in the world that gives us such a comprehensive understanding of how and why talent emerges and develops in science, technology and engineering,” says Christoph Perlet, a psychologist at the University of Rostock. Christoph Perleth, who studies intelligence and talent development.

Spatial abilities

As the data began to pour in, it quickly became clear that the standard approach to all gifted children and to education in general was inadequate.

“The SMPY study gave us the first large sample of data to move from general intelligence to assessing specific cognitive abilities, interests and other factors,” says Rena Subotnik, who directs the American Psychological Association's Center for Gifted Education in Washington.

In 1976, Stanley began testing his second group (563 13-year-olds who scored in the top 0.5% on the SATs) on spatial ability. This is the name given to the ability to understand and remember spatial relationships between objects. Tests of spatial ability might involve comparing objects seen from different perspectives, determining what cross-section would result when an object is cut in one way or another, or judging the water level in tilted bottles of various shapes. Stanley wanted to know whether spatial abilities could predict a person's future educational and occupational level better than the quantitative measurement of logical reasoning.

Subsequent studies of groups of 18, 23, 33 and 48 years of age confirmed his guesses. A 2013 analysis found a link between the number of patents and publications a person has received and their past performance on SAT tests and spatial ability tests. SAT tests accounted for about 11% of the variance, and spatial ability tests accounted for another 7.6%.

These findings, consistent with recent research, indicate that spatial ability plays a large role in creativity and technological innovation. “I don't rule out the possibility that this may be the largest known but untapped source of human potential,” Lubinski says, adding that students who don't show particularly good math or exceptional verbal abilities but have excellent spatial skills abilities, they produce outstanding engineers, architects and surgeons. “And yet, the admissions committee chairmen I know don’t look at this, and they don’t pay much attention to it in school characteristics,” he concludes.

Although studies such as SMPY provide educators with the opportunity to identify and support talented children, interest in this group is highly variable around the world. In the Middle East and East Asia, significant attention has been paid to students with outstanding achievements in the sciences and sciences over the past decade. South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore test children for giftedness, and those who demonstrate the highest scores are included in innovative programs. In 2010, China launched a ten-year National Talent Development Plan to support top students and send them into science, technology and other demanding industries.

In Europe, support for research and education programs for gifted children has waned, and the focus has shifted to inclusion. England decided to abolish the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Young People in 2010, redirecting funds to admit more poor students to top universities.

When Stanley began his work, there were few choices for gifted children in the United States, and he began to look for an environment where early talent could flourish. “Julian was clear that simply identifying abilities was not enough; they need to be developed appropriately so that the flame of talent burns evenly and does not go out,” says Linda Brody, who studied with Stanley and now runs a program at Johns Hopkins University that advises especially gifted children.

At first the work was carried out sporadically. Parents of other gifted children began contacting Stanley when they heard about his work with Bates, who excelled in his studies and went on to university. By age 17, he had earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in cybernetics and was pursuing a doctorate at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Later, while working as a professor at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University, he became a pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence research.

“I was shy, and the social pressures of high school were not good for me,” says Bates, now 60. “But at the university, together with other students, I found my place out of this world, although I was much younger. I developed socially and intellectually at my own pace, because thanks to the accelerated pace, my interest in the content did not disappear.”

The SMPY data supported the idea that quick learners learn faster by jumping from one class to another. A comparison was made of a group of children who were accelerated from grade to grade with a control group of equally intelligent children who remained in their classes. As a result, the first group had 60% more doctoral degrees and patents, and they were more than twice as likely to defend their PhD theses in the field of natural and exact sciences. Acceleration is common in the 0.01% study cohort. Because of their intellectual diversity and rapid rate of knowledge acquisition, these children are very difficult to teach. But it costs almost nothing to accelerate these kids from grade to grade, and in some cases schools save money on them, Lubinski says. “These kids often don’t need anything new or innovative,” he notes. “They just need to have earlier access to what older kids are learning.”

Many educators and parents still believe that speeding is harmful to children, that it harms them socially, robs them of their childhood or creates learning gaps. But education researchers generally agree that acceleration benefits the vast majority of gifted children socially, emotionally, academically and professionally.

Moving quickly from class to class is not the only option. Researchers from the SMPY program say that even the most modest intervention, such as providing access to complex material, such as advanced placement programs at the college level, has a noticeable impact. Those gifted students who were given the opportunity to study in sophisticated pre-university programs and gain deeper knowledge of the natural and exact sciences then published more scientific papers, received more patents and achieved greater success in their careers compared to the same smart peers. who did not have these opportunities.

Despite the many discoveries made in the SMPY study, scientists still do not have a complete and holistic picture of giftedness and achievement. “We don't know why, even at high levels, some people perform great and others don't,” says psychologist Douglas Detterman, who studies cognitive ability at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. - Mental abilities cannot explain all the differences between people. Factors such as motivation, personality traits, persistence in work, and so on are also important here.”

Certain ideas and ideas were provided by German research, which is carried out using the same methodology as SMPY. A longitudinal study of giftedness, begun in the mid-1980s in Munich with a group of 26,000 gifted students, found that cognitive factors were most predictive, but that some personality traits, such as motivation, curiosity and coping ability, also had a limited impact on achievement. . Environmental factors, such as family, school and peers, also have a certain effect.

Data from such studies of intelligence and talent also contribute to our understanding of how people develop their knowledge in different subjects. Several researchers and authors, most notably psychologist Anders Ericsson of Florida State University in Tallahassee and author Malcolm Gladwell, have popularized the idea of ​​an ability threshold. According to this idea, for people with a certain mental ability barrier (often called the number 120), time of concentrated practical work to acquire knowledge is much more important than additional intellectual abilities. However, data from the SMPY study and the Duke University program refute this hypothesis. This year, the results of a study were published comparing the success of students who were in the top 1% and the top 0.01% in their mental abilities as children. If in group number one academic degrees are found 25 times more often than the average population, then in group two this happens 50 times more often.

But sometimes such work causes controversy. Some childhood development experts in North America and Europe complain that academic work on talent development is often driven by a desire to predict who will rise to the top, and education experts have expressed serious concerns about the concept of identifying and classifying students as gifted. and mediocre.

“High test scores just indicate that a person has great ability and is a good candidate for that particular test at that particular point in time,” Matthews says. “And a low test score tells us virtually nothing.” The thing is that many factors can reduce student performance, including cultural background and how comfortable they are in taking tests, on which a lot depends. Matthews says that when children take gift tests at a young age, they feel like they are being assessed for future success, and this can harm their motivation to learn and contribute to what Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck calls "fixed mindset." It's much better, she says, to foster a "growth mindset," where children believe that intelligence and talent are just starting points, and that abilities can be developed through hard work and constant intellectual exploration.

“Students focus on self-improvement without worrying about their IQ or seeking accolades,” Dweck said. “They study hard, gain knowledge and become smarter.” Research by Dweck and her colleagues shows that students who study with this mindset are more motivated in school, get higher grades, and do better on exams.

Benbow agrees that students' choices should not be limited by standardized tests, but that learning and learning strategies should be developed that better match children's abilities, allowing students at every level to reach their full potential.

Next year, Benbow and Lubinsky plan to begin a study of the most gifted cohort (0.01%) in midlife, focusing on career achievement and life satisfaction, and to reexamine a 1992 sample of graduates of leading American universities. Upcoming research may further challenge persistent but misconceptions that gifted children are smart enough to thrive on their own without much outside help.

“The education system still persists,” says psychologist David Geary, who studies cognitive development in mathematics at the University of Missouri in Columbia. “There is a general belief that children with cognitive or other advantages do not need additional support, and that the focus should be on children with poor academic performance.”

Experts in gifted education have talked about expanding opportunities for talent development in the United States, but such opportunities are so far limited to those students who are at the very top in terms of ability and socioeconomic status.

“We know how to identify these kids, and we know how to help them,” Lubinski says. “Yet we are overlooking many very smart children across the country.”

As Lubinski and Benbow finish their walk through the university grounds, the clock strikes noon, and crowds of joyful students stream from the classrooms to the cafeteria. Many of them are participants in Vanderbilt University's youth programs and summer enrichment courses, in which gifted students absorb a year's worth of math, literature or science material in three weeks. Others spend time at university sports camps.

“They develop a variety of talents,” said Lubinski, who wrestled in high school and college. “But our society rewards athletic talent more than intellectual talent.”

However, these gifted students, “athletes” as they are called at the university, can change the future. “When you look at the problems that society faces today—health care, climate change, terrorism, energy—these kids are the ones who have the best opportunity to solve them,” Lubinski says. “It’s these kids we should be banking on.”

How to raise a genius? - Google gives 330 thousand links to this question. Open any one and follow the instructions: techniques that promise to turn your child into a child prodigy - apparently and invisibly. You can also send your baby to some children's center: now there is such a “developing” center of culture in almost every yard, and it is ready to discover hidden talents in any baby. Early development is fashionable now. But can any child really be turned into a genius?

Do you need to hurry?

Needless to say, modern parents have literally gone crazy with the early development of their children. But it’s not their fault: they simply couldn’t resist the barrage of educational systems that hit them from all corners of the world. From America, Glen Doman's system came to us, the Italians bombarded us with the Maria Montessori program, the Japanese shared the revelations of Masaru Ibuki. These programs are completely different, but all, without exception, are based on one single fact - however, scientifically based. Scientists have found that the human brain grows and develops only in early childhood. Moreover, it is especially active - up to three years. It is at this time that 70-80% of the “bridge” connections between cells are formed in the brain, which in the future ensure human development. Simply put, a kind of foundation for the future house is laid: and the more solid it is, the stronger and stronger the house itself will be. And therefore, the most active construction must be carried out until five - maximum six years: then brain activity declines, connections between neurons weaken and receptivity drops catastrophically. So we have to hurry. Unfortunately, this is exactly what most parents hear: “we need to hurry”! And now, under the watchful eye of their fathers and mothers, children begin to develop continuously: they read at two years old, play chess at three, begin to speak English at four, calculate fractions at five... But does everyone eventually become geniuses? Not at all. And why? Practice shows: in order to raise a genius, you need to devote your whole life to it, as Laszlo Polgar did.

Chess queens

The Polgar sisters – Zsuzsa, Sofia and Judit – became a real sensation in the chess world. But their achievements are, first of all, the achievements of their parents, and first of all their father, Laszlo Polgar.

In the mid-1960s. a Hungarian teacher and psychologist thought about the same question that parents are still thinking about today. But since I was a scientist, I began by studying the biographies of great people. And I came to a very simple conclusion: the secret of success is work, work and more work. And if this is so, then anyone can become a genius. However, 100% results can only be obtained under the guidance of an experienced teacher. To test his theory, Laszlo went to unprecedented measures. He placed an ad in the newspaper, in which he directly stated: I was looking for a wife who would give birth to children to participate in the experiment. And such a woman was found!

In 1969, the family’s first child, Zhuzha, appeared. Laszlo was determined to raise the girl to be a mathematician, but the three-year-old child accidentally came across his father's chess. The game interested her very much. This interest, fueled by her parents, decided the fate of Zhuzha, and then her sisters. Chess turned out to be an ideal testing ground for testing my father's theory. But they required a colossal return. The day of the Polgar sisters was structured like this. Get up at six in the morning, jog at any time of the year. And then – study, study, and study again. At least four hours were devoted to chess: after all, they were chosen as a “specialty.” Another three hours - foreign languages. First, the girls learned Esperanto, which was then followed by English, Russian, German, French, etc. As a result, it took another three hours to learn the languages. An hour was devoted to the native language - Hungarian and natural science, another hour - to psychology and pedagogy, and, finally, another hour - to physical education. Total – 10 hours of classes daily! True, every twenty minutes the girls paused to listen to a joke: laughter was also a mandatory part of the program for “cultivating” geniuses.

Of course, it turned out to be impossible to combine such a schedule with studying at a regular school: and the parents, after wasting several years of butting heads with all sorts of educational departments and authorities, won the right to educate their daughters at home. This is a separate feat of Laszlo Polgar, who even had to resist the police who once came to his house to save his children from their crazy father. He and his wife heard a lot of things addressed to them: that he kept his daughters captive, as if in prison, that he turned their lives into hell, and that he profited from his own children... There is some truth in these words: Zhuzha began to earn money at the age of 10, when she first competed at the Hungarian adult championship and finished sixth. The young chess player's fees grew year by year, and this allowed both parents to quit their jobs in order to devote themselves entirely to raising their daughters. All of them achieved exceptional success - they became real chess queens, beating recognized male chess kings. They took one height after another, never ceasing to praise their father. But here’s a paradox: all the sisters, barely 20 years old, got married and chose motherhood over further development and self-improvement! Moreover, they did not raise their children according to the Laszlo Polgar system, which became famous throughout the world. And the grandfather himself was not very eager to nurture his grandchildren. In an interview with the Ogonyok newspaper, Zhuzha said this: “Father dedicated his whole life to us. This required incredible effort from him, and it simply won’t be enough for his grandchildren. As for us, we try, of course, to give our best, but whether they will grow into champions, I can’t say.”

As you can see, the secret of success is known. And it is akin to a feat. You are ready? - This is good. However, keep in mind: even a feat does not guarantee results.

Kids in a cage

In our country, the Nikitin family became the pioneers of early development. People from all over the Soviet Union came to work teacher Boris Pavlovich, librarian Elena Nikolaevna and their seven children - journalists - for a report, ordinary parents - for advanced experience. Both of them watched in admiration as the Nikitin children selflessly did pull-ups on the horizontal bar, did push-ups and walked barefoot in the snow. Isn't this a miracle? – One-year-olds dress themselves, two-year-olds clean up after themselves and their siblings, and five-year-olds go straight to school! One of the children, Anton, went straight from second grade to eighth grade. And seven-year-old Anya immediately entered the second grade, from which she jumped to the fourth.

The main thing for Boris Pavlovich, who traveled throughout the Union with pedagogical lectures, was to develop the intellectual and creative potential of children. Plus hardening, plus physical education, plus iron discipline. Nikitin Sr. considered school to be a kind of brake that dulls the child. And I was sure that the faster the child passed this stage, the better. But in the end, all his children at school had huge problems with both teachers and peers: being the youngest in the class, they became outcasts... The school turned into hard labor, and the brilliant “first-graders” became poor and bad students. None of the “magnificent seven” became either a medalist or an outstanding athlete. Being the center of attention from the cradle, the Nikitin children, however, had a hard time finding a common language with other people. And his own home became both a fortress and a prison. According to the memoirs of the Nikitin children, most often they felt as if they were living in a zoo. Today they are all adults, fathers and mothers themselves. And everyone, as one, is in no hurry to develop their offspring according to the paternal system. And most importantly, their own sons and daughters go to school in the first grade, like all ordinary children - at seven years old, and none of them jumps from class to class. The Nikitin children have other priorities: “Full communication with peers, even at the expense of intellectual development, is more important,” Anna Nikitina is convinced.

So this experiment failed. Although the feat - both childish and parental - also took place.

40+27=genius in diapers

What makes up genius? Scientists to this day do not know the answer to this question. Some researchers are convinced that 70-80% of this issue is decided by heredity, others, such as the American psychologist E. Erikson, argue that child prodigies are a myth: everyone is equal before nature, you just need to work hard. After all, only 10% of the brain is responsible for mental activity, and the remaining 90% is for motor functions.

In recent years, geneticists have also joined the search for genius. But the genius gene has not yet been discovered. Moreover: today scientists are inclined to believe that there is no single talent gene, but there is a certain combination of genes, as a result of which Mozarts and Bill Gates are born. But science doesn't give up. Biologists from Princeton University have discovered that to facilitate the processes of memorization and learning, it is enough to increase the production of the NR2B protein in the body.

The Japanese simply advise future parents to eat more fish: the phosphorus contained in it will have a beneficial effect on the child’s mental potential.

And the Germans recommend thoroughly practicing calculations before getting married: in their opinion, the mother’s age should be equal to half the father’s age plus 7 years. That is, if you are 27, then your chosen one should be 40 - no more and no less.

Lower the bar

So, goodbye to the dream? Yes and no. If you lower the bar, don’t aim at “eternity” and “memory for centuries,” then you can try to raise a simply smart child who can easily find his place in life and realize his opportunities to the maximum. After all, by and large, this is what parents mean by “genius.” And, if this is your goal, then you need to think about raising an heir even before the baby is born. From the point of view of esotericism, the formation of personality begins with thoughts about it. So even before conception, imagine your future offspring as often as possible as smart, strong, healthy and happy. Drive away fears and anxieties: you must be confident of success. Also, take the trouble to time your conception: statistics show that the most brilliant minds are born in January, February and March. And the most “brilliantly” lean months are June, July and August. Another fact worth noting: the older the parents, the higher the intelligence of their children. From this point of view, the ideal female age for childbearing is 29 years old, male - 36. In general, fathers-producers should be looked for among the stronger sex in the prime of life - between the ages of 30 and 42 years: sperm activity at this time decreases compared to younger years , and therefore only “proven fighters” hit the bull’s eye, leaving behind weak and defective comrades.

Believe it or not, the more children there are in a family, the lower the level of intelligence of each of them. The averaging mechanism works: after all, it is known that in large groups everyone’s abilities are not enhanced, but leveled out. Truly smart children, as a rule, appear in families where there are no more than three offspring, and the older ones are usually smarter than the younger ones. According to the theory of “uterine fatigue,” the age difference between babies should be at least 5-6 years: the female body must properly rest and recover, otherwise it simply will have nothing to give to the child.

But such a family member as a grandmother is simply necessary in raising a gifted child! Those unfortunate people who do not have grandmothers show worse results than their well-loved grandchildren. And the point here is not at all in worldly wisdom, which grandma happily shares with the younger generation, but in emotional return. Grandmothers usually spoil their grandchildren and thereby give them the opportunity to express themselves, which increases self-esteem in children. And ultimately, children become more motivated to draw, sing, play chess, solve geometric problems, in a word - to achieve success. But motivation is the key to achieving your goal. A talented child is, first of all, an interested child. And this is the basic rule for raising smart people. The second rule is: to succeed, a child must be able to set goals and achieve them. And you, as a parent, must be ready to walk this path with him to the end. Finish the drawing, finish the drawing, finish the decision, finish studying, etc., etc. That is, it’s not enough to stuff your offspring into a “drama club, photo club”: get ready to learn plays with him and learn to position the lens, otherwise there’s no other way. Only with the help of an experienced mentor will a child be able to go from a promising child to a gifted adult. In a word, if you want a smart child, be prepared to show miracles of patience, be consistent and take your time: according to the latest research, a person’s brain can grow and develop throughout his life. As they say, talent is like a runny nose - someday it will sneeze!

Anton DUBININ

• As a result of his research, Laszlo Polgar came to the conclusion: in civilized countries, about 80% of all children under one year of age are potential geniuses. By three years the number of geniuses decreases to 60%, by 5 – to 50%. At 12, only 20% of children can boast of outstanding abilities, and at 20 - only 5%.
• Bill Gates was known as the most mediocre student at school, and was forced to leave Harvard in his fourth year.
• Statistics show that the most brilliant minds are born in January, February and March. And the most “brilliantly” lean months are June, July and August.

Hello, dear readers! Every parent, looking at the successes of famous little personalities, dreams of raising a genius out of their child. But is it possible to do this with any baby and is there a real need for this?

Please note that a few gifted children retain their super abilities in the future, even if their talents were very bright. History is filled with the names of successful children and adult scientists, but there are practically no cases of developing skills from small to great.

All this leads to the question: why don't child prodigies develop further? Why do kids who are the best in the world between the ages of 5 and 15 end up not being the best at 25 and 30? Because, logically speaking, prodigies achieve high results very quickly, they have a great head start, but they often relax because of it and, in the end, do not use it.

The traditional world and the thinking in it leaves an imprint on the development of the child, which is why great responsibility is placed on him, as a result he burns out and loses his passion. Often the greatest blame for stunting the development of abilities lies on the shoulders of parents who unintentionally cut them off.

If you dream of raising a truly smart child, then you need to start gradually. To get started on the right foot, use the training program
"Snub noses learn to count and read «.

When a child prodigy appears in the family, most parents feel three powerful instincts:

1. There is an irresistible desire to celebrate such “uniqueness” and brag to all friends and relatives about the achievements of your child;
2. Elevate your baby above the rest and place him in special institutions for gifted children, because they have a special child, not like everyone else;
3. A child prodigy’s abilities must be confirmed; this requires competition with other talented children.

The parental desire to celebrate, elevate, and affirm a child's talent is powerful and almost irresistible. At this point, many institutions that excel in nurturing child prodigies are taken into account.

Children are placed in a network of specialized, often distant institutions. Various schemes and methods for the early development of children are used, mothers and fathers are seizing on all sorts of methods in order to further develop the talent of their child.

How to Raise a Child Prodigy: A Real Life Case

Scientists investigated an interesting case of one American family. Mother Debbie Phleps had three children - Michael, Whitney and Hilary.

Growing up in the Baltimore suburbs, Whitney and Hilary were successful swimmers. Whitney was a national champion at age 14. According to one of their coaches, Whitney and Hilary had more talent than Michael. Debbie was amazed at her daughters' success and celebrated every victory of Whitney and Hilary with great enthusiasm.

And one day the same thing happened that happens to many successful children - their development stopped at one level and could not overcome further difficulties.

Then Michael went swimming. He was really good - almost as talented as his sisters. And when Michael was 15, he set a new American swimming record at one of the regional competitions.

When Michael was returning to Baltimore, Debbie's mother did an instinctive thing - she decorated the house with balloons, banners and posters commemorating his great victory.

But something unusual happened. A few hours before Michael arrived, his trainer, Bob Bowman, came into the house and removed all the decorations. He took down all the balloons. He stole the posters. And threw it all in the trash.

When Debbie Phleps saw what Bowman did, she was understandably upset - why was he doing this? Doesn't he understand that this was a great moment, the right time to celebrate?

Bowman listened to her protest. Then he told her: “This is a journey of a thousand steps. If we celebrate the first one, it turns out that we have nowhere else to go?”

Today, Bowman sees that day as a vital turning point in Michael's development. Debbie remained as attentive to the success of the young athlete, but she allowed her son and his coach to follow their own path, which she did not do with her daughters.

How to be loving parents?

When it comes to prodigies, I think we should remember Bowman's saying and always take his advice.

There is no need to loudly celebrate every victory of a prodigy, because the awards he received speak for themselves. The true reward of winning lies in the act of conquering yourself. (Let's be honest—placards and banners in the front yard aren't really kid friendly!). Without them, the baby is free to independently control his desires and achievements, as well as set primary goals for himself.

There is no need to highlight and celebrate the achievements of a child prodigy against the background of other children; comparison is generally an unnecessary action in raising children. Remind your child that he may be stronger or smarter than others right now, but in the long run, he will have a lot in common with everyone else.

There is no need to give the fragile psyche a feeling of superiority over society; let the child learn to compete only with himself yesterday and improve only by looking back at his past achievements. This makes it easier to bear the ups and inevitable downs along the way.

Instead of focusing on new levels of external competition, find innovative ways to increase internal competition in everyday practice. This keeps the focus inward, on a controlled internal process of development and goal achievement, rather than on the results of one scoreboard or opponent.

So that you understand what I’m talking about, I should clarify a little - I’m not calling for a cold, indifferent perception of all the baby’s achievements. Raising children is fun, having a child prodigy in the family brings even more happiness and pride.

But I am against the excessive emphasis on prodigies in society. Because I think it makes it easy to forget that being a child is quite scary. Being gifted is three times scary, and isolation only adds to the horror of this feeling. Prodigies don't need to be isolated—rather, they need to stay connected to the people and forces that help them grow.

Finally, I suggest watching an interesting video on the topic; I’m sure it will answer many of your questions:

Remember the main thing - happy parents have happy children! You don’t need to focus only on your baby, remember about your interests too, for example, read our blog and, and also chat with friends on in social networks and share the most interesting articles.

Every parent considers their child special, unique, as it is now fashionable to say, exclusive. Of course, this is true - all people are different from each other - and thanks to this, living in the world is interesting. But, of course, everyone wants their child to not only have a bright personality, but also to compare favorably with others intellectually. In order to achieve such a result, parents almost from the cradle begin to take their children to educational activities, in fact, partly depriving them of their childhood. But in order to raise a genius, it is not at all necessary to spend a lot of money and time on developing your child using innovative methods. To do this, a few very simple but effective methods are enough.

Growing a genius at the earliest stages of development

Surely, you have heard more than once about these ways to raise a genius, but you never thought that they had such an effect.

1. Breastfeeding

Scientific studies have shown that children whose mothers breastfed them had a higher IQ at age six than children who were bottle-fed. Moreover, children whose mothers breastfed them for up to a year or longer showed better results in reading, mathematics and writing than their peers who were weaned early.

2. Healthy lifestyle for mother

Raising a genius will be difficult for a mother who used drugs before and during pregnancy. It has been scientifically proven that children born to cocaine-addicted mothers were 5 times more likely to be mentally retarded than children born to mothers who were addicted to cocaine. healthy image life.

3. Father's age

The established opinion that the concept of “biological clock” is relevant only for women has recently been systematically refuted. In fact, the father's age also matters - not only for the child's health, but also for his intelligence.

Children whose fathers conceived them in their twenties are more likely to become geniuses than children born to older fathers. Moreover, children conceived by fathers forty or older are more likely than others to have problems with the nervous system and even suffer from autism and schizophrenia! Thus, if you want to raise a genius, it is better to choose a young man as a father.

1. Game

The main activity of a child is play. It is during the process of play that the baby develops his curiosity, learns about the world around him and begins to feel an interest in learning. In this regard, it is very important that the child spends most of his time in games in the early stages of life. As a result of the game, he will develop curiosity, which will allow the child to actively develop subsequently - and, quite possibly, that in this way you will be able to raise a genius!

2. No TV for up to 2 years

The American Academy of Pediatrics conducted a study in which scientists discovered interesting fact. It turned out that children who were not familiar with television before the age of 2 had more developed brains, communication skills, and were generally much better developed than little “movie buffs.” Scientists have come to the conclusion that the time spent by a child during the period of active development on television is better used to communicate with others and obtain information empirically - and not as a ready-made model from a television screen.

3. Reading

Any mother who wants to raise a genius, or even just an educated person, needs to read aloud to her child. And the more, the better. The brain of a child being read to. He actively processes the information received, which helps him develop his vocabulary. In addition, reading books to a child from an early age ensures that when he grows up, he will love to read, and he will not have to be forced to do it. And, of course, you should have an extensive library at home.

4. Self-control

In history, there is information about one study that was conducted to control children's impulses. The children were given two cookies and told that one cookie could be eaten immediately and the second after 15 minutes. As a result, it turned out that those children who were able to wait the allotted time scored 210 points higher on the School Assessment Test than the rest.

Scientists attribute this phenomenon to the role of impulse control in human mental development. Impulse control is a key factor in executive function, which scientists believe is associated with the mind. Executive function refers to the ability to switch from one task to another, retain information in working memory, and suppress impulses.

5. Involving the child in conversation

If you want to raise a genius, you must first of all develop the child’s thinking and vocabulary. Communication between you and your baby is important in this matter. Some parents believe that there is no need to talk to a small child, since he still does not understand anything. In fact, the baby hears and understands everything - and absorbs new words like a sponge.

While walking, talk to your child, show him objects, name them and talk about them, accompany your speech with facial expressions. Draw the child's attention to interesting objects, ask questions (even rhetorical ones), sometimes trying to translate affirmative sentences into interrogative ones. For example, when giving your cat food, say not: “Murka needs to be fed,” but: “Do you think Murka is hungry? Should I feed her?
And remember: when communicating with your child, remove all other sources of noise. A working TV, radio or music turned on - all this should not be in the children's room.

6. Music lessons

It has been scientifically proven that children who have been involved in music for at least 3 years show better verbal skills than children who have nothing to do with music. In addition, playing music improves memory.

7. Physical activity

It has been scientifically proven that aerobics increases a child's executive abilities by 100%, the role of which is very important in raising a genius. And since parental example is the most effective motivation, do exercises with your child if you want to raise a genius.

In addition, people who exercise do not have excess weight, which is also a significant plus. According to scientific research, children with overweight, have worse reading test scores than children of normal weight. And the educational achievements of overweight children in most cases leave much to be desired.

8. Learning a foreign language

Research has shown that children who studied at least one foreign language for two years scored better on a school assessment test than those who did not study any foreign languages.

9. Creative activity

Creative activities are very beneficial for a child. It promotes the development of motor skills, imagination and intelligence. To raise a genius, it is enough to choose any type of creativity: appliqué, drawing, cutting or something else. The main thing is regularity and the absence of serious restrictions on the “creative flight” of your child.

10. Proper nutrition

To raise a genius, you need to use healthy nutritional supplements in his diet - for example, fish oil. The fatty acids found in fish help brain cells better transmit information from neuron to neuron.

Studies have shown that children who consumed Omega-3s performed more successfully on various tests and even had higher IQ levels.

If you want to raise a genius, in addition to the methods already listed, I can only advise you one thing. Develop your child, but don't rush him. Everything will come in due time and when needed. Your task is to support your baby, instill in him an interest in the world around him and a desire to explore it!