Raising Bright Minds: Essential Tips for Fostering Cognitive Excellence in Children
Mind
8-10
Children grow quickly in the first few years of their lives across distinct developmental dimensions. These comprise physical or motor, linguistic, cognitive, and social. To let your child attain his or her full potential, understanding how to better nurture these areas of development can be noteworthy. This article talks about the cognitive development of children and how you can contribute to it.
Also Read | Raising a Happy Child with High Self-Esteem
What is Cognitive Ability?
Cognition can be described as the mental process of acquiring information and understanding by experience, thought, and senses. Cognition is closely associated with intelligence. While cognition is comprehension and acquisition of knowledge, intelligence is the capability to adapt to unfamiliar situations and understand things easily. Therefore, cognitive development is the evolution of a child's ability to think, understand, and explore. Deepening knowledge, new skills, better problem-solving abilities, and creative ways of thinking are some changes associated with cognitive development. It has been found that cognitive abilities can predict academic achievement in school and give children better opportunities for the future.
Cognitive development is interlinked with brain development which is why all experiences since birth play a role in a child's cognitive development.
How can you Foster the cognitive development of your child?
As a parent, you can initiate various activities to foster better cognitive development in your child. Actively interacting as much as possible is an excellent way to foster cognitive development and build a better relationship with your child.
Letting your child help with chores, going to different places in the vicinity, holding proper conversations and thoughtful discussions, answering their questions with as much clarity as possible, and letting them explore their interests are some examples of the ways your actions can stimulate your children’s cognitive development.
Similarly, your child's school environment is crucial for his or her cognitive development. Children spend at least one-fourth of their days in school, away from home. The kind of peers, activities, knowledge, and experiences your child gathers in school will become a catalyst for his or her cognitive development.
What role do Schools play in Improving Children’s Cognitive Abilities?
Schools offer multifaceted experiences to children. At the centre of academia, schools present learners with assignments that entail the use of analysis, evaluation, and synthesis skills. Quizzes and repetition are beneficial since they constantly help learners to rethink information, thereby enhancing recall. Interacting with peers who are similar in age, preparing for tests and other stressful events, organizing extracurricular activities etc. are other ways in which children learn to manage themselves in a structured environment like school.
Therefore, schooling can boost your child's cognitive abilities and allow him or her a wider range of opportunities available later in life. Furthermore, research has found that schooling can delay the onset of dementia by increasing the potential peak of cognitive functioning.
Let us explore more on how schools impact cognitive development:
- Structured Learning Environment: Schools offer children a method of a daily schedule, which enables their subjects to learn how to manage their time and their businesses effectively. Proper curricula should be developed in a way that exposes children to a wide number of areas, which enhances their learning.
- Qualified Faculty: Qualified teachers ensure that they use appropriate approaches in teaching so that learning will take place among students. They should assess the needs of their learners and whenever required, assist the learner to achieve their full potential.
- Interactive Learning: Practical activities like experiments and projects promote brainpower learning as students actively get involved in the learning process. Group work and discussions foster socialization and a shared problem-solving process which is important for cognitive growth.
- Exposure to Diverse Subjects: Interaction with subjects and disciplines of study opens up the student’s understanding and kindles the spirit of inquiry. When students learn different subjects, they are able to see relations between the fields, enhancing their comprehension as well as coming up with creative ideas.
- Use of Technology: Technology has become integrated into schools so as to make learning enjoyable and appealing for children. It allows students to engage in research and help them learn on their own accord, more information is available for this type of practice.
- Extracurricular Activities: Activities like music, sports, and clubs help a child to learn how to focus on how he is going to do a particular task. Physical exercise and games involve the acquisition of meaningful learning experiences and knowledge that needs to be applied in reality.
All of this points to the necessity of choosing the best possible school for your child. A study done on Dutch schools concluded that students in higher-quality schools developed their cognitive abilities faster than students in lower-quality schools. In other words, the kind of school environment you pick for your child is bound to affect his or her cognitive development. To let your child reach his or her potential, picking a great school is necessary.
St. Augustine’s Day School: Fostering Academic Excellence
Since its establishment in 1985, St. Augustine’s Day School has consistently distinguished itself by prioritizing the holistic development of its students while fostering a culture of academic excellence. Aligned with the Council For The Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), the school has continuously strived to nurture the cognitive abilities of its students, ensuring they excel academically.
St. Augustine’s Day School emphasizes personalized attention and individualized learning experiences, recognizing that each student possesses unique talents and potential. By adopting a child-centred approach inspired by the Montessori method, the school creates opportunities for students to engage actively in their learning journey, fostering a deeper understanding of core concepts and promoting intellectual growth.
The school offers an array of co-curricular activities and enrichment programs designed to enhance students' cognitive abilities and broaden their intellectual horizons. Through participation in debates, quizzes, scientific experiments, and other academic pursuits, students develop essential skills such as critical analysis, problem-solving, and effective communication, thus preparing them to excel in academic pursuits and beyond.
For more information on this and similar schools in the area, check out this list of the best schools in Kolkata.
