The kid easily parries the statements of adults, witty answers to comments, captures new knowledge and skills on the fly, can quickly figure out complex schemes or tasks? People around them smile and say: "A deliberate child, a good will come out of him." Are resourcefulness and quick wits inherent qualities or can they be developed in your little one?
At the junction of psychology and pedagogy
Every child, regardless of his gender and place of birth, comes to this world with certain abilities - some psychological inclinations that affect how he will learn new skills and knowledge in the future.
His personality is formed under the influence of the environment where he receives new experience. This includes not only knowledge such as mathematics, languages or physical laws, but also the general principle of interaction with the outside world - decisiveness, courage, and the ability to productive communication.
The concept of "smart child" as such is absent in psychology or pedagogy. In a sense, this is a collective term that describes children who are distinguished by a special ingenuity, courage, resourcefulness, quick wit and cleverness in all areas of life. This is what Dahl called “liveliness of mind” in his dictionary of the living Great Russian language.
Swaddling
What is an intelligent child? The very first and most important quality of such children is the absence of fear of interaction with the world and other people. Today, the idea of basic trust in the world, which is formed in the baby during the first year of life and serves in the future as the basis on which he builds his relations with others, has become increasingly widespread.
The concept of basic trust and the basic principles of its formation were first introduced into age psychology by the scientist, historian and psychologist Eric Erickson in the book "Childhood and Society" in 1950. Later they became widespread in the works of other American psychologists.
According to this theory, a newborn who has just come to this world expects absolute acceptance and love from him and realizes the satisfaction of this need only through contact with his mother.
A small child must be sure that his mother is always there, always calm him down and help, he just needs to call for help, gradually, day after day and month after month, his trust in his mother is formed, and later on to other close people. Over time, a person makes friends, begins to trust them, and subsequently other people.
Communication and trust
A person with a well-formed basic trust is always open for contact, not afraid to express his thoughts and defend his point of view. Many believe that he is too gullible, but this is not a completely correct theory.
Of course, a two-three-year-old baby, as a rule, does not expect a dirty trick from either adults or children around him. But a critical assessment of their activities arises only as a response to interaction, which is unthinkable without trust.
Another thing is interesting. A child who does not receive sufficient warmth and acceptance from his mother in early childhood (for example, children brought up in the walls of a baby’s house or hospital) seeks this contact and love from everyone they meet, thereby being more often deceived.
Trust and liveliness of mind
So how are the concepts of “smart child” and “trust in the world” related? It is quite obvious that a child who is not afraid to ask questions, put forward theories and assumptions, without being afraid to look ridiculous, will develop faster than his constricted and shy peer.
Almost all children are naturally inquisitive and curious enough, they explore everything that comes around and ask hundreds of convenient and uncomfortable questions a day, compare facts and often try to catch adults with inaccuracies or disclaimers.
The environment as a formative factor
But natural inclinations and formed trust are only half of the conditions for shaping the mindset and sharpness of a smart child. The second, no less important part is the environment in which the baby grows.
Unfortunately, not all modern public educational institutions - nurseries, kindergartens and schools - are aimed at shaping the thinking of a healthy, critically thinking person. For the most part, due to the large number of children per adult, such institutions average and standardize individuals, depriving the child of the opportunity to develop at his own pace and direction.
Remember, there were a lot of smart kids in the kindergarten, but closer to school they begin to think in the same categories and concepts, they think in the framework indicated by the teacher or teacher, they are afraid to make mistakes or stumble. In this regard, children with home education are very different from kindergarteners.
If home education is organized correctly, the child has contact with a large number of friendly adults and children, he can choose which one to spend time with, then he develops faster than his peers who spend most of the day in a public institution.
However, one should not think that when the upbringing is carried out by mom, dad, grandmother, visiting many circles or family education is a panacea. It all depends on how much quality time the adults around him are ready to devote to the baby, and it doesn’t matter if they are relatives or carers.
Critical Thinking Knowledge
An important role in the formation of critical thinking and ingenuity is played by the baggage of knowledge that the child possesses. Moreover, both quality and quantity are elevated to absolute. An intelligent child or one whom the parents intended to raise in such a way should have access to all kinds of educational, fiction and cognitive literature by age. It is better if their interaction will occur due to the natural curiosity of the child, and not pressure from the adult.
Let the child get bored. When all the adult's activity is focused on the baby and the knowledge is given to him chewed, anticipating the appearance of questions, his natural curiosity quickly fades away, and he goes into a state of endless search for entertainments that quickly get bored.
The child, left to his own devices, will stand on his head for the first few days, then go after the adults with a request to come up with an activity, until he finally engages in exploring the world in an accessible form to him - modeling, reading, drawing, pulling up or any other actions .
Instead of endlessly giving children information that they mostly pass by, ask them questions. And if you get a confused answer from a smart child, do not rush to correct it or run for the encyclopedia. Give him the opportunity to become completely confused and realize that he is wrong, and then, asking leading questions, "swim" to the surface.
Such a practice will not only reward him with knowledge that he will not forget, because he came to them on his own, but will also train him in discussion, eloquence and logic.