IQ or intelligence quotient is the score derived from standardized tests to measure an individual’s thinking, cognitive, and reasoning abilities.
But what does IQ really mean for children?
Is it completely determined by one’s heredity?
Or is there a way to improve it by any means?
It’s time to widen our perspective and understand how to increase IQ according to childhood experts!
Read on to discover what these experts have in store for us.
Brain Development and How to Increase IQ at the Right Stage? (Research-Backed Facts by Web MD)
Before jumping to the question, how to increase IQ level, let’s discuss brain anatomy and functioning. The brain is a super interesting yet powerful part of our body. Unlike popular beliefs, a child’s brain reaches 90% of the size of an adult’s brain size before the stage of entering kindergarten in school. Later, it continues to grow, develop, organize, and restructure itself throughout childhood (and adulthood).
As parents, many of us make a common mistake.
We associate a child’s growth and development process only with the initial stages of life. This is true in some ways. But again, there’s still a catch that affects learning!
How Does Learning Take Place in the Formative Years?
You might be surprised to know that kids learn at their natural rate. But no set rule defines early advances and accelerated learning for kids. The good news is that all of them have the potential to catch up. And learn better even after the crucial preschool years.
In the next section, we will discuss the ways to check a child’s IQ and move on to answering the question, how to boost IQ?
How to Check Your Child’s IQ?
Many parents are puzzled about how to enhance IQ levels. But they lack the necessary knowledge about the first step, i.e. IQ test.
These tests give insights into the child’s actual IQ. And more importantly, these are the best tools to know if a child is gifted, slow, backward, struggling, etc.
For parents, these tests help in selecting the right learning path keeping in mind the individual strengths, and weaknesses of the child.
Before we know how to boost IQ, here’s a brief of some commonly used tests.
APGAR (Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, and Respiration)
APGAR (Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, and Respiration)
1. The Stanford Binet intelligence Scale:
It measures both intellectual disability and intelligence by gauging one’s knowledge, reasoning, and memory, etc.
Wechsler Test for Preschool and Primary scale of Intelligence (WPPSI)
Wechsler Test for Preschool and Primary scale of Intelligence (WPPSI)
2. The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI)
This one includes subtests, like coding, comprehension, and reasoning (matrix).
3. Kaufman intelligence test
It decodes one’s information processing and problem-solving abilities.
It’s time to get back to the real question now.
How to Improve IQ Level?
Super Fun Activities
Classic games like crosswords, puzzles, logic games, etc. are matchless to stimulate a child’s brain. Try out these educational games at home to help your child expand their imagination and mental capacity.
If this does not answer your question, how to enhance IQ level, try other ways.
Help the child with bedtime reading, and assist in summarizing. Do not forget to choose the right genre, as per the child’s interests. Remember that the best learning occurs through active engagement. So do try different activities like gardening, cooking, blocks, slime, bird house-making at home.
Add a Realistic Touch
Day-to-day actions also have answers to your question, how to increase IQ.
So the next time you visit a grocery store, ask your kid to keep a notebook handy to make quick cost comparisons for the same product across different brands. Explain how the weight, and quality matters for the consumers.
With elder kids, select an accelerating learning pace (like identifying healthy ingredients, and certification marks like AGMARK). Do not forget to grab opportunities like nature walks, picnic planning, study schedules, creating a playlist, etc. each day.
Spur Creativity
In our journey to know how to increase IQ level of kids, thinking outside the box also helps.
Explain to the child that being creative does not necessarily mean being right or wrong all the time. It is just about being original. And taking the mind to an undiscovered level.
Enter the world of creativity with games like reverse charades, explore the artsy side, try miming, improvisations, and repurpose objects for innovative uses.
On weekends when the family has more leisure time, take a flight to the stars, imagine new endings for classic stories/shows/movies, go wild with ideas to preserve natural resources, and peek into the world of animals. All this will be super fun for your child.
These ideas go well with kids who have an average or high IQ. But what about the others, how to enhance IQ level of kids with low IQ?
Let’s discover.
How to Help a Child with a Low IQ?
Low IQ is a concern as it gets converted into a degree of disability. The chart below shows the low IQ range-wise segregation as per the Government of India.
| Category | Range from | Range to |
| Mild Mental Retardation | 50 | 69 |
| Moderate Mental Retardation | 35 | 49 |
| Severe Mental Retardation | 20 | 34 |
| Profound Mental Retardation | NA | 20 |
You can support a child with low IQ in the following ways:
Appropriate Education
Children with low IQ need an educational setting that focuses on building social skills, has better student-teacher relationships. And preferably smaller class sizes too. Besides, the teacher’s expertise also plays a vital role. Ultimately, it is the teacher who knows how to boost IQ.
Teach Calculations
Help the child learn abacus, provide random practice of mathematical calculations, and introduce coding at the right stage.
Diagnosis and Behavior Analysis
If the typical ways of (how to increase IQ) do not work, do consult a psychologist. In extreme cases, parents/stakeholders must gain valuable insights through trained practitioners.
Final Thoughts
How to increase IQ level?
This question is a puzzle only till you find your right course of action. We hope this information creates a path that you will use to work on your child’s IQ.
At K8 School, we have a host of information to support your parenting journey!
Do read our similar articles and explore our online school programs.
Thanks for Reading!
Frequently Asked Questions
- At what age does IQ increase?
Brain development starts before birth. And IQ increases from the early years. - What age is IQ fully developed?
Brain functioning theories and findings have been quite controversial. Some experts believe that fluid intelligence peaks by the age of early 20s. - Can a child’s IQ increase with age?
Many factors determine the increase in IQ levels with age. These include age, quality of education, social skills, experiences, etc. - What are the signs of an intelligent child?
An intelligent child has better memory, and attention span. These children make good interpretations. In addition, they also have enhanced language skills.
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