Welcome June!

Month of the Fathers

Look at these two!

It takes just a second to spark real joy,

the power behind building a strong foundation in the first five years.

It is the finest experiences that create a positive early beginning.

All parents know how to provide these and do so

when they can.

The problem is today’s life

which is busy, busy, busy!

How can you provide them if you can’t be there?

Here are some insights that might help.

Creating a strong foundation starts at birth, and everything you say and do helps to build it.

That is why we say, “There is not a moment to waste.”

1. Provide information whenever and wherever you can.

The brain doubles in size in the first year and is 90% developed by age five. Those early experiences create a foundation of Real Intelligence (R.I.) The stronger and better the input, the higher will be the child’s R.I. throughout life.

2. Add R.I.’s partner called Emotional Intelligence (E.I.).

The parent-child is the first and most important relationship. It is filled with bonding and attachment. It provides a strong model for all other relationships to be built around it. Parents foster E.I. best through their genuine “love.”

For a long time there was thought to be only one kind of intelligence. It was Academic Intelligence (the old A.I.) and measured by an Intelligence Quotient (I.Q.). Then in the 1960’s along came Professor Howard Gardner from Harvard University, with a different idea.

Gardner introduced eight different types of intelligences, each emphasizing a broader understanding of human capability1. Here are the eight types:

1. Linguistic Intelligence (Word Smart): This type involves language skills, such as reading, writing, and verbal communication.

2. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence (Number/Reasoning Smart): It relates to logical thinking, problem-solving, and mathematical abilities.

3. Spatial Intelligence (Picture Smart): People with spatial intelligence excel in visualizing and manipulating objects in space.

4. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence (Body Smart): This type is associated with physical coordination, movement, and body awareness.

5. Musical Intelligence (Music Smart): Musical intelligence involves sensitivity to rhythm, melody, and sound patterns.

6. Interpersonal Intelligence (People Smart): Individuals with interpersonal intelligence understand and interact effectively with others.

7. Intrapersonal Intelligence (Self-Smart): It refers to self-awareness, introspection, and understanding one’s own emotions and motivations.

8. Naturalist Intelligence (Nature Smart): People with naturalist intelligence appreciate and understand the natural world.

Gardner’s theory challenged the traditional notion of a single type of intelligence and highlighted the diversity of human abilities.

These were wonderful ideas, and the story gets better.

Emotional Intelligence (E.I.) arrived in the 1990’s. Thank you Daniel Coleman for giving us this gift.

Emotional intelligence (EI) is defined as the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions. People with high emotional intelligence can recognize their own emotionsand those of others, use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, and adjust emotions to adapt to environments.[1]~Wikipedia

Parents can foster this too.

Dads, this is your time to provide your kind of emotional support. Notice every act of goodness when you can. Then reflect it back to your child. Even though this strategy is best started early and most important during the first five years, it is important to make it a way of life. Begin when you can and make it a joy and responsibility forever.

How can you develop R.I. and E.I. at the same time?

You guessed it! Reading is it!

Reading to and with children has never let anyone down. Before it may have sounded only like an educational idea directly related to Academic Intelligence (the old A.I.). Now you know that along with delivering information comes an amazing amount of emotional support. Wow! What a combination.

The main idea is to make as much time as you can to be together, and the rest will follow. You are a two-part team, and you are guaranteed to keep teaching each other in the best ways possible.

There is nothing Artificial about any of this!

Sally Goldberg, Ph.D.

Professor of Early Childhood Education

www.earlychildhoodnews .net

[email protected]

[email protected]