Raising Smarter Children

Does your child want to be a better athlete? Physical exercise and sports performance are often linked to a higher self-image in kids.

One way to help raise a smarter child on the sports field is to listen and encourage whenever possible.

A new study, in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, shows that social support improves sports scores.

Read on for more…

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Hello Dear Readers,

Yesterday, the topic was exercise and how it can actually help make smarter kids.  The recent University of Illinois study showed that kids who exercise have higher grades and reading comprehension scores.

The bad news is that many schools are reducing or eliminating recess time.  So here’s a few exercises you can teach your kids at home, and they can do them inside the classroom.

It’s always a great idea to talk with your child’s teacher first, and show the study results so it’s easy to make the learning – exercise connection.  That way, your child’s teacher is more likely to allow the kids to do these exercises in class.

1.  As we mentioned yesterday, make sure the whole brain is engaged by doing things to cross the midline of the body.  If your child is seated, simply have him or her cross the midline of the body – first with one hand, then the other.  Kids can use their feet too – moving one foot to the left, then one to the right.

2. Our favorite P.E. teachers say to do jumping jacks or march in place to get the circulation moving and expend those calories.  You get brain benefits too, because those great feel good neurotransmitters are released.

3. Have your child ask to pass out papers or books so they are up and moving more often.

4. Ask your child’s teacher if kids can stand up and sit down several times during each class. This only takes a minute or so, but the time really adds up if done all day long.

5. Shoulder shrugs help kids and adults release neck tension – try them yourself.  I just did them now, while writing this post and feel great!

We’d love to hear from you and have you add some more indoor exercise ideas!

Visit our sister site at http://www.HowToLearn.com for 52 free Instant Learning tips and more to help your child succeed in learning everything.

Remember, every child is smart!

Warmly,

Pat Wyman and Erin Mavredakis, M.D.

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When I speak to parents and school administrators, one of the many proven success strategies that comes up for raising smarter children is exercise.  In the book, there’s a whole section devoted to showing kids how to be brain and body smart, which quickly raises grades, test scores, and improves memory.

Yesterday, researchers at the University of Illinois, confirmed what other studies have shown for years,   “There is a positive link between physical activity, attention and achievement in children.”

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Yesterday, we talked about food and learning.  Food alone may not have the proper nutrients to give your child everything needed for great health and a great brain.

Today’s post shows why removing certain foods can help make kids ’smarter’ and even raise national test scores.

While this study was done a while back, it is the single largest study ever, showing how changes in school cafeteria food actually raised national test scores!

During 1979-1983, a study involving over one million children in 803 New York City Public Schools,  showed that eliminating artificial colors, flavors, preservatives like BHA and BHT, and reducing the amount of sugar overall, raised national test scores by 41%! 

Here’s another excerpt from the book, What’s Food Got To Do With It? 101 Natural Remedies For Learning Disabilities giving more details and unique ways you can think about raising a smarter child, just by paying careful attention to the foods your child eats, and doesn’t eat.

“The results of this study were spectacular.  The International Journal of Biosocial Research published the study and the authors wrote, ‘In short, New Your City Public Schools raised their mean national academic performance percentile rating from 39.2% to 54.9% in four years, with the gains occurring in the first, second and fourth years (precisely when the dietary improvements were made).’

“What is also interesting is the fact that before the dietary changes, 12.4% of the one million student sample were performing two or more years below grade level.  At the end of the study, that rate had dropped to 4.9%.

Even more exciting is the fact that before the dietary changes, the fewer numbers of children who ate the school food, the higher the school’s performance on the test.  After the diet was changed, the higher number of children who ate school meals within each school, the greater that school’s rate of gain in its ranking on the test…’

Here is some food for thought and the leading foods that pediatric allergists say can spark health, learning, and concentration problems.  You may want to think about these foods and ask your doctor whether they may be hindering your child’s learning potential.

Milk leads the list of allergic symptoms in young children as well as school age children and adults.  Symptoms like sinusitis, runny nose, mucus, and frequent colds are the ones allergists cite most often. 

Chocolate sensitivities can cause kids to become drowsy or even give them headaches.

Sugar tops the medical controversy list.  Given the current obesity epidemic, any parent may want to research how sugar affects their child.  Have you ever checked how much sugar is in just one soda?  How about the sugar disguised in corn syrup, which is found in countless foods like ice cream and cookies?

When you think about too much sugar and the possible health problems it can create for kids and adults, like Type II diabetes, or even being overweight, you may want to take a long, hard look — weighing both the pros and cons.

Wheat.  There is a substance in wheat called gluten which is known to cause digestive problems in some people.  That’s why you’ll see so many gluten free foods.  Check with your doctor to see if wheat is causing your child things like stomach aches or other health problems.

Nitrates, msg, caffeine, trans-fats or hydrogenated fats, corn, soy, eggs and citrus – your child may be sensitive to any or all of these, and when you see learning or health problems, it’s a good idea to check on all foods to see if they are to blame for your child’s inability to focus, sleep or learning problems.

While this all seems a lot to digest, raising a happy, healthy and smarter child is a great reason to look more carefully at the foods your child eats.  If your child eats school cafteria food, ask to see what’s in each item.  You may be surprised.

Check to see whether your school cafeteria can do what the New York City Public Schools did, then check your child’s and school’s test results.

We’d love to hear what you think.  Send a comment or hit the share this button to become part of the social community.

Remember, every child is smart!

Pat Wyman

 

      

  

 

If you’re serious about wanting to raise a smarter child who has every advantage in brain, body and spirt, here are 7 new discoveries to simplify your life.

1.  Smart Is More Than A High I.Q.

I.Q. scores are very limited and often used to measure a gap between learning potential and actual performance in school or other settings.  It makes sense then, that I.Q. cannot possibly be the only hallmark of your child’s learning ability.  The I.Q. test cannot assess musical ability for example.

Your child is smart in so many ways, so never pressure your child for A’s, so much that he or she is anxious and unhappy.  Otherwise, your child’s desire to learn may shut down and you may not see their true precious talents.

Your child’s talents make him or her very unique.  Nourish each of these if you want a smarter, more well-rounded child, and you just may find you have the next Pavarotti on your hands.

2.  Give Your Child’s Brain A Big Boost With These Fats

Te World Health Organization and respected medical journals have proven that omega 3 fats like DHA and ARA (such as those found in fish oil) can give your child’s brain just the boost it needs for learning,  faster thinking and better memory.  One study even shows that Omega 3’s can reduce or eliminate ADD-ADHD symptoms.

Omega 3 fatty acids have thousands of health benefits and many doctors now recommend taking them in supplement form.  You’d have to eat pounds of fish to get the same amount of omega 3 oils and DHA found in a couple of fish oil capsules.

If you decide to supplement with omega 3 fish oil capsules or DHA, be sure to check with your doctor first.  Then check the quality because some are rancid and contaminated with toxins like mercury.  Toxins can be safely removed, but not all brands do this. 

One Omega 3 and DHA supplement our family takes comes from Norway and is certified the number one country in safety and quality by the organization with the most stringent safety standards in the world.

3.  Music Can Make Your Child Smarter

Controversy aside, new research from UCLA on The Mozart Effect says it has a molecular basis in the brain and improves spatial abilities.  Your child used spatial abilities in subjects like math and science. 

Several studies show higher I.Q. scores after listening to specific Mozart selections.  The Society For Neuroscience has more information on the brain benefits of listening to Mozart.

4.  Nature Does Not Always Have The Final Word In Your Child’s Learning and Brain Power

The nature vs. nurture debate is nearly endless in the scientific community.  Some think that nature and genetics are the most important factors in how “smart” your child is, but newer research says nurture and environment can actually play a bigger role.

Did you know that hugging and kissing your child can actually enhance learning by increasing a fatty substance covering the nerves?  This means faster thinking and better motor control.

I have a personal confession which shows just how powerful nurture can be when you want your child to be “smarte” and more successful in a certain area.

In front of the whole class, my high school math teacher told me I was “dumb” and would never understand higher level math.  I believed him and it devasted me for a very long time.

However, I decided right then and there that my children would never have to suffer in math the way I did.

Although they were both born 6 weeks early (by the way, Dr. Mavredakis, my daughter says this nips a lot of brain cells), I said to heck with genetics and did the following:

From their birth, I told them how brilliant they wre in math.  I never said anything about my experience in math.  I simply told them they were super smart in everything, and especially math.

The result:  my daughter, Dr. Mavredakis, won advanced placement math contests with her high school classmates and fulfilled her life long dream to become a pediatrician.  My son graduated from a very highly rated four year private university and now works with special needs children.

So much for nature, I’ll opt for nuture every time.

My point to you is that you can empower your children by building them up.  Make a very big deal out of their accomplishments in everything.  Never take them forgranted and tell them you love them every day.  Say positive things to them and you may find that you can overcome any type challenge nature tosses their way.  I’ve read thousands of stories, and one day will share my own, of how people overcame the worst possible diseases, against all the odds.  It is your mental attitude that makes all the difference, and will help your children be the best they can possibly be.

5. Parents Mold Their Child’s Character, Attitude and Behavior

Dureing the first five years of your child’s life, doctors, parent experts and child psychologists say that you are the primary person who helps shape your child’s character, attitude and behavior.

However, unless you find out all you can about good parenting, you’re likely to re-create the most difficult parts of your own childhood. 

Children model what they see, so giving them unconditional love, advice, intructions, and specific ways to make tough choices when they need to, will do more for their character, behavior and attitude than any other thing.  You’ll be raising your child on purpose and not by chance.

My favorite book on this subject is called, Have A New Kid By Friday.  It’s the best I’ve ever read and I highly recommend you keep it close at hand when you’re raising your kids.

6.  Brain-Body Connection:  Smarter Foods Equals Smarter Kids

In 1997, I wrote a book called, What’s Food Got To Do With It? 101 Natural Remedies For Learning Disabilities.  Medical science has now proven beyond a doubt that there is a strong connection between food and learning.

In the book, I gave some tips to help you choose great foods to help your child when you’re at the grocery store.

Because the Centers For Disease Control states we have an obesity and Type II diabetes epidemic, your child’s diet can often prevent both of these.  The smarter child tip:

Keep your home filled with healthy foods (remember you’re the one buying them), add fruits, vegetables (even if you have to hide them in the food), and as many organic proteins like fish, meat and eggs as you can.  Organic foods don’t have the antibiotics and hormones in them that are harmful to you and your family.

Want a smarter test taker?  Have your child eat some protein before the test.  No sugary snacks or their blood sugar levels will rise and fall quickly and they can’t focus as well.  Protein will stabilize the blood sugar levels and improve learning, focus and memory.

The bottom line – food impacts your child’s learning ability and behavior.  Show that you care for your child’s health and learning by reading more and asking your doctor what is healthy and what is not.

7.  Belief In A Higher Power Can Make A Child Smarter Too

Kis who belive strongly in a higher power are more likely to make smarter choices in tough situations.  Their belief can be the conscience that helps them understand that every action has a consequence, what is good and what is not.

You may want to look into programs that instruct your child about God, spirituality or a higher power because it can help them behave with more integrity and act in a kinder, more loving way.

Remember, all childre are smart!

Pat Wyman and Erin Mavredakis, M.D.

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