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How to Improve Cognitive Skills in Children

Cognitive skills are necessary in everyday life and essential for decision-making, learning and processing information. According to Learning RX, 80% of learning struggles are due to one or more weaknesses of cognitive skills, which are basic brain skills that allow individuals to remember, think and learn. The core areas of cognitive skills are information processing speed, auditory processing, visual processing, long-term memory, short-term memory, logic and reasoning, and attention skills. Children with weak mental skills may struggle and have a difficult time grasping new information which can lead to slower learning.

Instructions

    • 1

      Exercise on a regular basis to improve thinking, planning and math skills. According to Health Day, studies revealed a link between exercise and increased activity in parts of the brain associated with self-control and complex thinking. Sedentary lifestyles are not healthy, which may lead to children performing poorly in school and being overweight. When a child is moving or performing a physical activity, the mind is stimulated. Health Day also suggests a link between regular exercise and an increase in intelligence-test scores. Children may may gain small or large benefits depending on the amount of time spent exercising. They will benefit more by spending a minimum of 40 minutes a day being active.

    • 2

      Engage in hand clapping and singing to improve motor and cognitive skills in children and college students.This activity involves listening, singing, dancing and clapping your hands to music. Elementary children who participate in singing tend to have neater handwriting, fewer spelling errors, and become overall better writers. Dr. Idit Sulkin of Ben-Gurion University suggests that children who do not participate in singing games are at risk of developing learning problems like dyscalculia and dyslexia. Such activities improve social skills and influence development in different areas of your brain. Children experience a developmental phase between the ages of 7 and 10. This phase is the best time to enhance a child's sociological, emotional, cognitive, and physiological needs.

    • 3

      Read books to children to help develop their cognitive skills. Skills such as memory, attention, self-regulation and symbolic thinking are necessary when learning to read. Reading teaches attentiveness because there is a need to distinguish between letters. It also improves memory since you have to remember the previous words before moving to the next ones. Not remembering the words can result in poor comprehension. Cognitive skills continue to improve with constant reading.

    • 4

      Get ideas about children's interests by paying attention to their favorite books and movies. If your son shows an interest in martial arts, you can expand on it by enrolling him in a karate class.If your daughter likes watching competitive gymnastics, enroll her in a gymnastics class at an early age. Learning a new activity can teach your child independence, goal-setting, and may even improve social skills.

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