I blogged a few weeks ago about an article claiming “how to make your child into a genius” and today I found this article which I thought I’d share with you too.

It’s apparently about how to make your kids smarter (this time backed by "science", no less). If you don’t have time to read in full, here are the top 10 ways to make your child cleverer and more successful (according to this particular article anyway!):

1.    Send your child to music lessons;
2.    Make sure your child exercises – after exercising you learn vocabulary 20% faster after exercising;
3.    Read with your child as opposed to reading to your child;
4.    Make sure they get a good night’s sleep;
5.    Encourage ‘will power’ and determination;
6.    Ensure their learning is active rather than passive – for example, watching Baby Einstein doesn’t actually work;
7.    Make sure they eat healthily most of the time;
8.    Make sure they are happy;
9.    Make sure that their friends are suitable as “friends have a huge influence on them”;
10.  Make sure that you believe in them.

Hmmm....surely this is all common sense, isn’t it?  My son (aged 8) had a few meltdowns recently and it was simply down to insufficient sleep. Equally, my daughter (aged 6) becomes a different child (and not in a good way) after too much sugar. So, do we really need this sort of article to tell us the obvious? I think most parents already know that making sure your child eats well, goes to bed early, exercises, doesn’t sit in front of a screen all day and has nice friends are all good things to strive for. 

But I believe the bigger question is, regardless of whether these rules make your child smarter, is our obsession with our children "being the best" making us miss what really makes children happy, successful and well-adjusted?

I’ve heard of scenarios where children are tutored throughout the summer holidays specifically so that they will be top of the class at the start of the new school year. I reckon this makes for not only an incredibly boring holiday for the child but also a dull year at school if they not actually learning anything new. The magical aspect of learning is the incredible moment that comes with discovering or figuring something out for the first time. To take that away all in the name of being top of the class is a huge loss. 

I’m a huge advocate of learning and developing through having fun. At Perform, for example, we strive to ensure our classes are ‘the best fun of the week’ and, as a result, children don’t even realise they are learning new skills at the same time. 

We don’t apply science, just pure unadulterated fun. And, from the feedback from parents, our formula works! Why not see for yourself and sign your child up for a free, no-obligation trial at one of our classes?