Read Interactive Style

Almost all parents understand the benefits of reading to their children. For many families, bed time stories are part of their normal everyday routine. But are you just reading to your child? Is your child doing all the listening? If the parent is the only active party in reading, the child can easily become passive, and not reap all of the benefits that can be occur from reading.

Involve your child in the story. Make bed time stories interactive. Ask your child questions while you are reading. If it is a picture book, point to the pictures and ask "What's that?" "Which character is this?" Picture book or non-picture book, ask your child questions about the story. Ask them what they think will happen next. Ask them how they feel about what is happening in the story. If they are at a reading age, take turns reading paragraphs in the story. By making reading an interactive experience, your child will reap far more benefits than if he or she simply sits and listens.


Serve Up Some Brain Food

There are many different foods that have been shown scientifically to help improve brain power, not only for adults, but children as well. Most people view fat is a bad thing, however fat is essential for a child's developing brain. Omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in high quantity in breast milk, can help to improve your child's brain power. These essential fatty acids can be found in fish, and are excellent for the young and old alike.

Many children however are opposed to eating fish. Additionally, many parents are concerned about feeding their child fish due to potentially high levels of mercury. If your child will not eat fish, or if you are concerned about mercury poisoning, consider an Omega-3 fatty acid supplement for your child. You may also consider looking into many of the new products that are being made specifically for children like yogurt, nutrition bars and juices that are fortified with Omega-3 fatty acids.

Hit the Playground

Or the backyard...or the park. Getting outside and playing can also help to boost your child's brain power. However, do not mistake "playing" for various other activities that your child may be involved in. Music lessons, sports activities and other extra-curricular activities are not the same as good old fashion playing. While these activities are good for your child, and do help to work their little minds, allowing your child to just play has a great deal of benefits.

When your child plays, they use their minds and imaginations in ways they don't normally get to. When kids are playing and making up games, they using a creative thinking process of their own that is normally prohibited. This thinking process helps to improve memory, planning and problem solving skills. An hour or two a day of good, fun play time can greatly help to improve your child's thought processes.


Turn ON the TV

Wait? Is that right? Turn on the TV? Believe it or not, watching television can be beneficial to your children, and help to improve memory and brain power. However, it is greatly dependent on what they watch. If your child is whiling away the hours watching dribble, they really aren't going to reap any benefits from it. But, if your child is watching informative, interesting and interactive television they stimulate their brains and thought processes, helping boost their brain power.

Television should be age appropriate, and educational. If you are leary of letting your children watch TV for fear of them viewing unsuitable material, there are literally thousands of DVD shows that can be bought that will provide than with suitable entertainment. Many of these programs are not only educational and informative, but quite fun as well making them a huge hit with many children.

Additionally, pay attention to when the TV is on. In many households across America, the television is an appliance that stays on a great deal of the day, sometimes for nothing other than background noise. There is no need for this, and can actually cause negative distractions to your child. To benefit more, allow your children to watch specific programs and when the programs are over, teach them to turn the TV off! Not only is this a good habit to get into, but it will help to make them involved in other activities besides watching that old "brain-drainer!"

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