HOW SMART IS MY CHILD?

As parents, we at times tend to compare our children academically using statements like “Kate is more intelligent than Lucy because Kate is doing better academically while Lucy only does well in sports.” 
Now let’s look at this scenario, I happen to teach these twin boys. I’ll call them Jack and Zack (not their real names). Jack at five years could read exceptionally well for his age and was doing well in school. Zack on the other hand could barely read and was struggling academically. It’s easy at this point to ask why Zack is not as intelligent or smart as Jack his twin?  

Here are a little more details about their personalities.

Jack

*Is able to read exceptionally well for his age.

*He is doing well academically.

* Timid.

* Would avoid speaking out for himself.

* Not confident.

Zack

*Has difficulty reading at his age.

* Struggling academically.

* Very good interpersonal and intrapersonal skills.

*Is capable of speaking up for himself.

*Confident.

When you compare these two personalities, would you still say Jack is more intelligent than Zack? No, because there are many pieces that make up intelligence. Well, there are different ways to be SMART. 

We are always tempted to equate intelligence to academic success only and most standardized intelligence tests mainly measure language and math abilities. 
However, research has shown that this is wrong.

According to the Wikipedia Dictionary, “Intelligence has been defined in many different ways including as one's capacity for logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, planning, creativity and problem solving. It can be more generally described as the ability to perceive information, and retain it as knowledge to be applied towards adaptive behaviours within an environment or context.”

Howard Gardner, a professor of education at the Harvard University believes there are different kinds of intelligence- and all needs to be recognised and nurtured.

They are:

1. Linguistic: skill with words.

2. Logical: Gift for numbers and reasoning.

3. Spatial: Talent for pictures and images.

4. Musical: Command for tone, rhythm and timbre.

5. Kinesthetic: Physical expertise, such as in dance or athletics.

6. Intrapersonal: Self-knowledge and understanding.

7. Interpersonal: Leadership and empathy for others.

(For tips on how to use your child’s intelligence strength to help them study and excel, read my next post.)

Not all children are the same but you can help each child excel ‘Their Way’. There are many ways for children to be successful. Even special needs children can be evaluated to identify their intelligence strength so it is built upon. 
One of the best things you can do is to help your children identify and build on their intelligence strength. By helping them focus on their strengths, you can help them achieve their full potential in school and the world at large.