How Can I Help My Children Develop Their Multiple Intelligences?

You can help your child to develop his/her multiple intelligences. Help them stretch the area of intelligence that they are strong in and the other intelligences that you want them to develop. The following are some examples how you can help them develop each area of intelligence:

Interpersonal Intelligence

Naturally, your child will be willing to join group activities in the school and out of the school. Develop this intelligence by emphasizing and encouraging your child to demonstrate good behavior in their relationships with others. Help them to understand good behavior by identifying all of the behaviors or by preparing an interpersonal intelligence expectation chart. On the chart, write down each behavior that you want your child to develop. And remember, you are the model of this intelligence for your children. They will be polite if you are polite, they will listen to you when talking if you listen to them when talking.

Intrapersonal Intelligence

Help your children to learn how to set goals. To develop this intelligence, encourage them to make a list of things that they would like to do or become better at doing. Help them to realize the steps and goals to achieve larger future goals. A few examples are, places they would like to go, books they would like to read, activities they would like to join, foods that they would like to eat, cars that they would like to drive, or houses that they would like to live in the future.

Logical/Mathematical Intelligence

If your children constantly ask questions about how things work, answer them patiently and let them know that their questions are always welcomed. If they have intentions to do things without anybody's help, let them try to figure things out and foster their motivation to do so. When they do something wrong, explain why they are wrong instead of telling them that you knew they were going to do it incorrectly. Give confidence to challenge their thinking by allowing them to think it through again. Encourage them to be involved in problem solving and critical thinking activities such as enrolling in a math club or a chess club. Provide them with games such as checkers, chess, backgammon, or puzzles.

Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence

These kids love to read and write. Let them share and discuss the books or articles they have read with you. Encourage them to write a review about the books they read. These kids love to talk. They will enjoy if you let them read stories to you or even act out the story while reading. Have them prepare speeches or enroll in drama classes. You can ask your kids to read stories to each other as well. 

Visual/Spatial Intelligence

Provide opportunities for your kids to motivate their creative imagination such as drawing, painting, coloring, printing, designing etc. Encourage them to join drawing and painting classes. Provide them with comic books and pictures of cartoon characters and let them draw the images. Challenge their creativity and encourage them to design clothing, buildings, scenery or play areas. Provide them with puzzles and things that they can take apart and put back together.

Musical Intelligence

To develop this intelligence, encourage your children to join school bands or choirs. Have them play an instrument at home. Encourage them to listen to different types of music. Have them study music and folk dancing from other countries. Encourage them to write songs. Provide them with books about musicians to read.

Bodily Intelligence

Children are full of energy and many of them are naturally motivated to play sports, dance or build things. To develop this intelligence, encourage them to participate in school teams. Enroll them in sports activities outside the school such as swimming, tennis, basketball or hockey classes. This intelligence may possibly be a good opportunity to stretch other intelligences. You can provide them with books so they can read about their favorite sports, teams or players or simply have them read the daily newspaper's sport section. Enrolling them in dance classes will give them an opportunity to be interested in music as well.

You can help your child to enhance his/her intelligence by providing toys, books, games, software and projects according to their interests and learning styles.