Creativity and cognitive development are very important for your child. As a parent, you need to encourage your child’s cognitive development in the areas of attention, perception, concentration, and memory. You can do so with the help of simple activities in your child’s everyday routine. Here are 6 activities to boost your child’s creativity and cognitive function.
1) Join them in playing a variety of puzzles and logic games
Playing puzzle and logic games, like those on Logic Lovely, helps your child’s cognitive development. Small children are inquisitive by nature and can develop their cognitive skills by playing various puzzles and logic games. Children, while playing, get the experience of learning, thinking, experimenting, creating, and solving problems all the time. By joining them while they play such games, you help boost your child’s cognitive development since playing together builds the parent-child relationship.
2) Expose your child to different kinds of music
Expose your child to different styles of music such as folk songs, hymns, classical pieces, jazzy tunes, etc. A song is made up of lyrics, melody, vocal sounds, instrumental sounds, rhythm, and tempo, and each of these stimulates different areas of your child’s brain. Music is also helpful in memory formation and retention, which involves another area of the brain. Learning to play an instrument is also beneficial in boosting your child’s creativity and cognitive function. Finding the right musical instrument for your child may take some time, but your child will end up reaping the benefits once you do so.
3) Ensure your child engages in physical activity
A study by the Medical College of Georgia showed that just twenty minutes of simple physical activity helps increase children’s cognitive function. Regular physical activity builds brain power as well as muscle. You don’t need to enroll your child in a gym or go for fancy exercise equipment. Simple activities such as hiking, biking, swimming, calisthenics, maneuvering through an obstacle course at home can help
4) Engage multiple senses in the learning process
If you are able to engage multiple senses in your child’s learning process, you’ll be stimulating multiple areas of his or her brain. Your child will be able to retain more information for longer periods of time. They’ll also be able to make more connections between previous and current lessons. You can engage multiple senses by adding hands-on activities. For example, bake and cook while discussing basic arithmetic. Move around while your child is learning. Let your kid perform jumping jacks while learning math facts. You should also encourage your child to do handcrafts, doodles, or play with LEGO bricks while they listen to audiobooks.
5) Limit the use of electronics
Today, many parents allow their children to watch TV or play on mobile phones. But, keep in mind that excessive screen time has a detrimental effect on your child’s ability to focus and think. Dr. Victoria L. Dunkley, in a Psychology Today article, suggests an “electronic fast” for your child. Such an electronic fast will help in resetting circadian levels, rebalance brain chemistry, help your child get deep rest, improve the flow of blood to your child’s frontal lobe, and more. The benefits of doing so are increased blood flow to your child’s brain, and improved sleep levels.
6) Learn about and encourage your child’s interests
If your child is passionate about something, they are more likely to want to do more of it. Identify what your child is interested in and help them in pursuing it. If your child likes drawing, do spend a few afternoons drawing with him or her. Doing so will help you bond with your child and also boost their creativity and cognitive function.
