Our children are wondrous creatures capable of levels of brilliance that we thought never possible and leave us in constant states of bafflement. With the beginning of the school year we once again slowly started our trek back into classes, activities and pursuit of other interests. With my children still in the early formative years I am very keen to allow them to experience other arts rather than just their studies. We dabble in art, sports, music and even other languages if their fancy takes them. In these formative years it is very important to find a passion that your children will enjoy and excel in. Everyone has something that they able to loose themselves completely in and excel stupendously. Unfortunately we are not able to predict the future but as a parent it is our responsibility to help them find that spark of brilliance and show them the ways in holding on to it.

According to the experts one must start the process early as possible. The first three years of a child’s brain is at his or her crucial time, this is because it is during this period is when the brain develops. In the early stages the child only uses the right hemisphere of the brain. However between the ages of 3 and 6 there is gradual shift from right brain dominance to left brain dominance. By the time your child has reached 6 years of age, the transition has occurred and the brain is fully functioning. According to the experts’, if a child is able to fully use the potential of the right brain, before the transition, then the whole right side is stimulated before it gets over-whelmed by the left and this will unleash what the expert’s term as the “genius” brain.  Therefore up to the age of 6, is a critical period in an any toddler’s life. That is the point where the brain is quite malleable and the influences and exposures that he or she has will be quite impactful. The idea is not to cram the most amount of knowledge but to gently help then absorb and to help them tap into an innate mental prowess for example photographic memory, perfect pitch, speed processing etc.

As parents we are our children’s most influential teachers. From the nursery rhymes we sing, to the little bedtime stories read at night and even during our constant cooing they are watching, learning and absorbing. Here are some ways to help your child harness their full potential from an earlier age:

1. In your child’s toddler years the right hemisphere of the brain is actively working. This hemisphere is the softer side and is responsible for emotions, creativity, music and rhythm. Therefore there are many merits in stimulating the right side of the brain and it is predominantly done through a visual process. Thus reading with your child or showing them flash cards, visual experiences etc helps activate the right side immensely. This in turn will rise to genius brain before the stimulation of the left occurs.

2. Limit the amount of ready made games, T.V and other electronic devices that your children are exposed to at an earlier stage. This doesn’t offer the right interactive stimulation necessary, it is more of a dormant acceptance on the part of the child. Reading, active play are all more healthy forms of learning.

3. As your child moves onto the more formative years, allow them the liberty of experimenting with arts and sports. Of course keep them focused and gently persuade them to pursue activities that you feel they will excel in. Sometimes a child might be interested in a particular field but show no capability, as a parent it is up to us to help them along and choose that talent that will enrich their lives wholesomely.

4. Always be encouraging, always be supportive and always show love. When knowing that you are loved and cared for children are automatically encouraged to strive better, all for the love of a parent. It instills in them the desire to please and be rewarded.

Just as we love and care for our children physically, we should not forget about starting off the mental stimulation in the right vein as well. Our children possess a flow of untapped potential which should be approached in the right way to benefit the rewards later. Start as you means to go on, for you only get one chance do it right.

By Mayuri Jayasinghe