Developing Intelligence

Nurturing and Intelligence Intelligence has traditionally been regarded as a standardized cognitive ability that people are born with and can be easily measured through the use of various tests including short-answer exams or tests. However, recent research has challenged the conventional belief that intelligence is a static structure by stating that it is a dynamic system that can constantly development throughout various stages in life.

Therefore, intelligence is not a static structure that is fixed at birth but different combinations that are utilized in different settings such as creating products or dealing with problems. In essence, intelligence is a term used to refer to capability to create or find solutions to problems or establish skills that help in problem solving in real life. Based on the findings of recent studies, intelligence is not a static structure fixed at birth implying that there are multiple intelligences that can be developed throughout life.

As a result, a parent or caregiver can nurture different types of intelligence in a child. One of the types of multiple intelligences that can be nurtured in a child is language intelligence since a child is born with the capability of learning any language. A child learns a particular language based on the degree and frequency of exposure to the spoken communication. The exposure should include provision of symbols that represent some objects and ideas, which are vital components of a language (Coon & Mitterer, 2013, p.319).

A child's language intelligence can be developed through starting to read to the child at a very young age, constant repetition of words and symbols, point out and naming things in the child's environment, clear pronunciation of words, playing language games with the child, and using everyday activities to explain things. The second kind of intelligence that can be nurtured in a child is emotional intelligence, which basically entails understanding of other people. In this case, a parent or caregiver should nurture a child's hopefulness, empathy, sadness, and happiness.

Some of the major ways to nurture a child's emotional intelligence include provide a constant and secure environment for the child, showing empathy when the child is sad, and providing positive feedback for the child's good behavior. The other means to nurture a child's emotional intelligence is by recognizing and verbalizing the child's feelings, explaining the impact of the child's actions on others, and smiling regularly. The third type of intelligence that can be nurtured in a child is problem solving skills given that life involves dealing with various problems.

For the child, these skills are directly linked to hearing, touching, and seeing. Notably, the problem solving skills can also be used to develop a child's mathematics skills or even music skills. These skills can be nurtured through giving the child various objects and shapes to touch as well as exposing him/her to different colors.

The other measures for nurturing this type of intelligence is by giving the child a collection of toys to combine or set apart, playing counting games with the child, and training the child to separate things in different categories. An example of nurturing a child's problem solving skills is through creating a stimulating and conducive environment for the child to develop musical intelligence. This kind of environment.