Babies and small children are learning nonstop, and it is exhilarating (if sometimes exhausting) to observe.
You’ve seen it before, that first time that your child looks for the dog when he hears barking, or the first time he positions his blocks carefully so they’ll stack higher without falling, or the first time that he recognizes the steps in a routine. It’s incredible, and you probably shouted for your spouse, or posted on social media, or called a family member, to share how smart your baby is.
Although it’s a commonly shared experience among parents, it remains true: there are genuine signs of intelligence that we can spot in our children. Researchers even claim that they can identify these signs by seven months old. However, parents should focus on nurturing intelligence, more than measuring it.
What Is Intelligence, Anyway?
There’s a popular quote that is often attributed to Albert Einstein (though there’s no evidence he actually said it):
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
Whichever person initially said this has hit on a key point. We typically measure intelligence in IQ points, which define how capable a person is in certain specific problem-solving skills, logic, and reasoning, compared to the standardized “norm.” Scientists generally recognize that IQ is a flawed metric. It’s only a partial predictor of career success and is not an arbiter of success in relationships or overall happiness.
That said, IQ does measure a few critical skills and abilities, and there are early signs for some of these.
What Are The Signs That Predict Intelligence In Infants?
The most ethical way to test theories about the influence of nature and nurture (genetics and environment) in children is to study twins, particularly when they’re raised separately. If identical twins (who share the exact same genes) are more likely to share a trait than fraternal twins, we know genes heavily influence it. If two kids with identical genes but raised separately have different traits, we can conclude that their environment had an impact.
In this case, a longitudinal study conducted at the University of Colorado examined traits associated with intelligence and how they correlated with intelligence testing as the individuals grew.
The key findings were that a handful of traits provided an early indication of later intelligence measurements.
These included the baby’s skill at vocalization, tracking an object with his eyes, and what they call “novelty preference” — the measure of how much a baby shows interest in new objects and faces over familiar ones, according to Parents.
However, the most essential finding of researchers is that these tests only predicted a small percentage of later intelligence, and even by age three, they could only predict about 20% of the variance between individuals.
What Does That Mean For Parents?
In short, yes, you are seeing how smart your baby is. You’re not wrong about that.
However, that intelligence doesn’t automatically transfer from infancy to adulthood. Intelligence needs nurturing and support to grow with your child.
It’s also not the sole measure of success in your child’s life or your parenting. Raising a child who is capable and resilient is at least as necessary. A child who is mentally healthy and prepared will have a wealth of opportunities, whether or not they are the quickest learner in high school Algebra.
Parents can take heart in these signs of intellect and bask in them, but the important thing is that we move forward, encouraging our kids’ intelligence and supporting their mental health and well-being.
Curiosity Is A Key Element
When we measure IQ, we lean heavily on abstract thinking and problem-solving.
On a paper test, this might involve examining an image of a 3D object turned at different angles and identifying whether it’s the same, which requires the ability to imagine how something looks from a different perspective. It can also include problem-solving questions, such as the ones where the solution involves combining a set of numbers in various ways to reach a specific total.
We can support these skills by helping our kids look at things from different angles, literally and figuratively. When we’re reading a story, we can stop to ask how our child thinks that each character sees the situation. (The wolf and the three little pigs have very different perspectives!) When we see our child trying to figure out something — reaching for the sink, pouring from one container to another, stacking blocks — we can stand back and supervise without interfering, allowing them to experiment and learn for themselves what works. (Of course, this applies as long as their experimenting is safe!)
We can provide tools for exploration, like sensory kits, plastic cups of different sizes and shapes to pour from in the bathtub, blocks, and even sticks, leaves, and sand.
Most vitally, we can choose to reward curiosity and exploration, rather than stifling it.
Other Keys For Supporting Intelligence
Reading to our kids and encouraging them to love reading is one of the most important things we can do; statistics show that parents are spending less time sharing books with their children.
There’s evidence that exposing children to music and encouraging them to create their own music helps improve memory, attention, and concentration. If you have access to music lessons, that’s wonderful. If not, your kids can still tap out a beat and follow along with their favorite songs.
Allowing kids the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them is beneficial, too. It’s good for anyone, but especially kids, to know that if they try and fail, it’s not the end of the world, just the start of a new opportunity.
Most of all, supporting and loving our kids through whatever they try, and encouraging them to always keep trying, will help them find their path, whether that path is through academics or another interest.