elnathan Blog: Raising and Knowing Genius Kids

BY RUTH HARRISON

Coud your kid be a child genius? Getty

EVERY parent thinks their child is a genius but there’s a way to be sure from an early age – and it involves a RAISIN.
Scientists have found that by placing the fruit under a cup and telling a toddler not to touch it, they can tell how clever the youngster will turn out to be.
While most two-year-olds make an immediate grab, those who resist for one whole minute will score an average 19 per cent higher on tests by the time they are eight, the University of Warwick found.
Here, RUTH HARRISON reveals other tell-tale signs of a high IQ from birth up to the age of ten.

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Newborn

EXTRA HEAVY

Chubby baby ... you might have a genius on your hands Getty

WOMEN who give birth to hefty babies can rejoice at news that the heavier a newborn, the higher their intelligence.
A study of more than 3,000 babies published in the British Medical Journal found that larger birth weights meant slightly higher IQ.
It is thought to be down to the fact that heavier babies have been better nourished.

Age one & two

HEARS EXTRA LANGUAGES

MANDARIN? French? Spanish? Can you talk to your child in a different language?
One trick to encouraging brain development in a toddler is if it is spoken to in different languages, according to a report in scientific journal Child Development.
Those born to parents who speak more than one language perform better on IQ tests.
So parents and parents-to-be, it’s time to brush up on those foreign tongues.

Age three

TALLER THAN OTHERS

FOR your child to have the best chance of reaching great heights, they have to stand at er . . . a great height.
Tall kids are more likely to ace tests, according to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
The study team noted: “As early as age three, before schooling has had a chance to play a role, and throughout childhood, taller children perform significantly better on cognitive tests.”

Age four

CAN PAINT A PERSON

They might not be Picasso but arty kids are usually smarter Getty

ARTISTIC youngsters who can create a realistic image of a human by this age are more likely to be more intelligent in their teens.
Researchers at King’s College London studied 15,000 pictures drawn by four-year-olds and found that those with an early eye for art were more likely to do better in later IQ tests.

Age five

TELLING LIES EARLY ON

FIBBING can be a good thing. Researchers found that children who do it at an early age are more likely to do well in later life.
A Canadian study of 1,200 children aged two to 17 found that kids who are able to lie early on are more intelligent.
The experts from the Institute of Child Study at Toronto University say this is because the complex processes involved in conjuring up a tale are a good indicator of a child’s IQ.

Age six

PLAYS A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT

Musical kids are more emotionally developed Getty

PLAYING a musical instrument helps boost a child’s emotional intelligence at this age.

Researchers at the University of Vermont College of Medicine looked at the brain scans of 232 healthy children aged six to 18.
They found that the more a child played an instrument, the better their skills with “anxiety management and emotions.”

Age seven

BETTER THAN AVERAGE READER

Kids who read do well in intelligence tests Getty

LOTS of reading early on is a key indicator of higher intelligence in later years, scientists have found.
Those kids who have better-than-average reading skills at the age of seven, immersing themselves in novels, perform well in IQ tests as teenagers, according to a joint study by the University of Edinburgh and King’s College London back in 2014.

Age eight

LOVES STAYING UP LATE

IS your lass or lad of around this age always pushing back bedtime?
Research by the London School of Economics shows that clever adults are more likely to stay up late and started the habit at an early age.
Researchers noted: “More intelligent children are more likely to grow up to be nocturnal adults who go to bed late and wake up late on both weekdays and weekends.”

Age nine

SCOFFS A GOOD BREAKFAST

Most important meal for the brain Getty

IF your child is eating a healthy breakfast at this age, their chances of achieving above-average marks in academic tests are doubled.
Those downing cereals, breads and dairy in the morning do best in assessments at the end of Key Stage Two, according to a University of Cardiff study of 5,000 pupils aged nine to 11.

Age ten

LOVES TO HAVE A GOOD CHAT

Talkative children often smarter Getty

BY the age of ten, your child can be tested by Mensa to find out their specific IQ level.
Key indicators of smartness, Mensa says, include a love of talk, making up different rules for boardgames and getting fed up with other children.
If you think your child could make the genius grade, take a look at mensa.org.uk for its IQ tests.