This could have been the question that lead you to this page. Naturally so, because zealous, aspiring parents excitedly suspect this way when the young child comes out with astonishing questions/answers/activities. Let us explore the chances.
What is the definition of ‘genius’? the Oxford dictionary terms genius as ‘exceptional natural ability’ (or ‘a person having this’) while Longman dictionary gives a broader perspective to enthusiastic parents: ‘(a person endowed with) extraordinary intellectual power - as manifested in creative activity.’ The Webster’s goes on further to include (creative and) ‘original work in science, art, music, etc.’ The synonyms are: ability, aptitude, bent, brains. brilliance, capability, flair, gift, intellect, intelligence, knack, talent, wit and expert, mastermind, know-all, thinker, virtuoso.
Does something wonderful- that recently made you sit up- tell you that you could connect about three or more terms in this list with your child? Bravo! He certainly could turn out to be a genius, provided he gets the right inputs and opportunities.
Well, we are NOT discussing if your child is a Prodigy . In that case, he already has extraordinary talents, he is a precocious child.
Have you heard this interesting quote? “Successful people don’t do different things; They do things differently.” May be we should replace the words ‘Successful people’ with ‘Promising genius’. Why not!
Steps to help blossom the genius in your child
- You may encourage the child to share his ideas freely.
- You may be prepared to face a number of Why?’s and How?’s from him. Answer them patiently and correctly, without evading.
- However trivial or improbable, the child’s views should not be ridiculed but should always be acknowledged.
- It would be apt to supplement the child’s yearning mind with all relevant information that you can provide through books, video or demos as and how possible.
- Take care to simply accompanying him to the road of genius and not to force him to become one.
From now on, look for ‘creative activity’ in your child: As the dictionary puts it, the child’s extraordinary intellectual power makes it’s way only through his creative activity. By ridiculing or ignoring it, we will only end up withering the genius in him.
Here are some thought-provoking happenings among young children for you: funny, shocking or stunning - interesting, nevertheless.
- A mother had taken along her daughter aged 4 when she visited her elderly maternal aunt. The little girl had lost her maternal grandmother years before she was born. When she understood that the old woman was her grandma’s elder sister, she turned to her mom and asked, “But how could she still be alive? My gran’ma should have died only after her, because she was younger to this old granny!”
- A batch of 3 year olds queued up to take a closer look at the video of ‘Solar system’ shown to them on the computer screen, “May I touch the sun, please?”, one enquired. Promptly came a hurried reply from a peer standing right behind: ” NO! Remember, it is the SUN! It is hot!”
- A child tried to fill his toy-bucket with sea water on the beach. He ‘failed’ to transfer the waves, every time.
Back home, he insisted on his next attempt: Pouring in the ‘bubbles’ from the boiling water in to another container! - And there was this little one who pitied all children born to parents speaking languages other than her own mother tongue. Reason? She had thought that hers was the simplest and easiest one in the world! “how difficult it would’ve been for those children to learn their mother tongue…”
- After listening to the story of the greedy man who cut open the goose that laid golden eggs but found nothing inside the bird, one naughty child commented: “I had wondered, too why we need to go to the barber from time to time, rather than….”
And what was your young genius’ wisecrack?