Trade in your kids’ cell phones and tablets for a musical instrument
We can’t deny that technology is very useful nowadays, it helps us to be updated with the news, to organize ourselves, to communicate with people who are far away, among other things. But like everything in life, this advantage has its negative side and is reflected in our children.
If we go to the past we can remember our creative and happy childhood without cell phones or computers. Nowadays this has been considerably reduced, children do not play outdoors and do not interact with other children thanks to the constant use of technology. Tablets and cell phones are commonly used by parents to calm their children without knowing that they are interfering with their personality development.
A study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry states that 50% of a child’s intelligence is determined by genes, but the other 50% depends on the stimuli he or she receives. This means that the abuse of technological devices can cause interference in the child’s ability to resolve conflicts, as well as in the development of empathy and social skills. Here’s how you can replace the use of technology to create healthier and smarter children.
The Spanish neuropsychologist Álvaro Bilbao, writes in his book El cerebro del niño (The child’s brain) explained to the parents the following:
If we want to create smarter children, we must replace their tablets with musical instruments.
In addition, Bilbao assures that music classes stimulate children’s reasoning skills with greater impact than technology itself.
With regard to the influence of parents on child development, this important researcher states that:
The key to the potential development of a child’s brain lies in the relationship with his or her parents. Although genetics have an important weight, without this presence it does not materialize.
Ways to stimulate the intelligence of children
- Minimize contact with television: According to the American Pediatric Association, children under the age of two should not have contact with television. Specialists claimed that cartoons stimulated intelligence in babies and children through color and music, but this theory was discarded.
- Learning music: Researchers at the University of Toronto conducted a study, which was published in the journal Psychological Science, demonstrating the importance of music. They used three groups of six-year-olds who studied singing, piano and dramatic expression separately for one year. The children who studied music were those who showed the highest standards of intelligence.
- Don’t believe in games that claim to help the development of the brain: the success of technology has led to the emergence of countless games and applications dedicated to the cognitive development of children. However, it is not proven that they really contribute to the stimulation of the brain and memory.
- Watching foreign language films or documentaries: Children who are taught to watch foreign language films from an early age tend to adapt more easily to different words and sounds.
- Reading before bed with parents: This habit improves their learning skills and strategies, and to be really effective parents must invite their children to get involved in reading, analyzing and sharing ideas.