A Genius in the Making

This blog post first appeared at UrbanMamas

A Genius in the Making

There isn't a single UrbanMama (or UrbanPapa) who doesn't gaze down into their child's eyes and see a genius. That sparkle, that twinkle, that infectious giggle surely is just a front for a brain that is working its way toward a great future. And you promise yourself you will do everything you can to get this wonderful child there.
But how?

Scientific American reported that you may be trying too hard. In an article that appeared several years back, they suggested that "Many people assume that superior intelligence or ability is a key to success. But more than three decades of research shows that an overemphasis on intellect or talent—and the implication that such traits are innate and fixed—leaves people vulnerable to failure, fearful of challenges and unmotivated to learn."
Motivating a youngster to learn is done through play, through art, through song and dance. It is done while they aren't paying attention to the process. It is done by allowing them to be, first and foremost, kids.

Kids who learn with a soft structure often learn about abilities and talents they didn't know they had. "Praising children’s innate abilities," SA suggests "reinforces this mind-set, which can also prevent young athletes or people in the workforce and even marriages from living up to their potential." Interaction with children younger is beneficial as well.

Of the two views of intelligence the magazine reported on, my program has always leaned toward the development of a "mastery-oriented" child, done by encouraging them to try new things. Simple things like working with clay, dancing, trying their hand at cooking, or something as simple as finding out what makes them laugh. We work in our organic garden, play in the snow, and sharing their show-and-tell. Rather than developing a "fixed mind-set” which leads to "[m]istakes [that] crack their self-confidence because they attribute errors to a lack of ability, which they feel powerless to change", I look towards flexibility.

Instead I like to offer your child a chance to develop the kind of intelligence that "is malleable". While offering what many of the other fine daycares listed here provide, I will take your child on a growing journey, allowing them to develop in a soft structured way that suits them best.

Bonni Petillo
Bonni's Funtastic Daycare