How to raise an Academically Minded Child

Every parent has dreams that their child will grow up to be hard working and successful in their life. Whether this is watching their child win a Nobel prize or preparing them for their start at their dream university, most hope that their child will find success in whatever path they decide to go down. This starts with putting in effort when it comes to school and developing a good work ethic along the way. However, the question that many ask themselves is how to raise a smart child that has the ability to achieve their dreams. Whilst there is no secret formula to raising a smart child, the efforts put in by parents plays a huge role in the success of their child. Up to 50% of the achievements come from the environment a child is raised in, with the role of a parent being key in supporting the cognitive development of their child. Continue reading for some advice from this sixth form in Surrey on how to raise an academically minded child. 

Read to them from early on

There are multiple pieces of evidence that show the benefits of reading to a child, starting from as young as when they are born. Reading helps children develop strong language skills, builds on their vocabulary, improves cognitive skills and promotes creativity. Reading is quite literally one of the main ingredients for raising a smart kid. Naturally, when your child is an infant, you will be the one reading to them on a daily basis, but as they grow older, reverse the roles and have them read to you. Not only will this help them develop a deeper understanding for what they are reading, but it is a great time for the two of you to bond. A couple pages every night before bed is enough to keep them on the track to success. In order to keep them engaged in this activity, rotate the books they read by taking a trip to your local library and letting them choose the books they want to read. 

Prioritise unstructured play

To many, children playing is something done to keep them entertained. However, play time is actually vital to a young child when it comes to their growth and cognitive development. Children quite literally grow through play. Whilst structured play such as playgroup or presenting them with an activity to complete is great, unstructured play is actually more important. In fact, parents are advised to allow their child to take part in twice as much unstructured play than structured play. This style of play is child led, meaning the young one decides what to do with the tools and toys they are provided with. This simple activity encourages creativity and helps the infant build problem solving skills that are required for education. 

Allow them to make mistakes

As a parent, you will always be looking out for ways to keep your child safe and out of harm’s way. This can also be in the form of tackling obstacles for them, meaning they only ever taste success and not the difficulties that come before it. However, this can be detrimental to their development as jumping in every time you sense your child needs help will lead to them never learning how to solve problems themselves. Failure is one of the best ways for a child to learn how to be academically minded. Naturally, children will understand and grow from their mistakes, knowing what they need to avoid to achieve success the next time they try. If they get into too much of a pickle, definitely step in to help them, but as a whole, it is important to allow your child to come up with solutions to the problems that come their way.