Tools for a Brighter Child

Read Together

• Reading to your child is, honestly, essential to his intellectual well-being. When you read together, it fosters creativity and imagination, reading comprehension, and language development.

  Even reading for pleasure in the presence of your young child shows her that reading is important and enjoyable. Research shows that young children who are read to become better readers than those who are not.

Play Together

• Making sure your child has access to open-ended, imagination challenging toys gives him a great start. Strapped for cash? The good news is that "open-ended" and "imagination-challenging" do not have to equal "expensive." Do you ever wonder why a child finds so much joy in playing with the box her toy came in? The box provides her with endless play possibilities and doesn't limit her creativity. Play provides children with essential life skills, and aids in both social and intellectual development.

Listen Together

• Whether or not playing Bach to your unborn baby produces a music aficionado is under debate. However, according to Harvard University, in order for your brain to process melody and rhythm, it must use both the left and right sides at the same time. This can accelerate learning and memory. Perhaps that is why it is so easy to learn facts set to music.

  The evidence definitely suggests that listening to music, particularly complex chords and melodies, does have a positive effect on the brain.

Eat Healthy Together

• Nutrition has an immense effect on brain power. Also known as DHA, Omega 3 fatty acids make up the bulk of our gray matter. When your child consumes large quantities of DHA, found in things like fish and eggs, he actually improves his brain cells' ability to communicate. Conversely, consuming large amounts of sugar and refined flour can cause brain fog and an inability to concentrate.

  With this in mind, remember that your child is heavily influenced by what you eat. If you are eating snack cakes instead of crab cakes, that is what your child will want to eat, too.