Things that make kids today more intelligent than before

- are kids really smarter than they are before or are they just pushed harder earlier?
- mothers may be wondering and hesitating whether to buy their young children those educational computer lessons or enrol them for memory booster classes
- nowadays parents have the Singaporean trait of kiasuism that may be the reason why kids today are smarter
- a study in the 1990s showed that IQ scores increased from one generation to the next for about the 30 countries studied
- today this increase in IQ over time is called the Flynn Effect

- they just think better on their feet and can solve problems on the spot without being told what to do
- better at working with shapes with the advance of IT and accessibility to computers

Technology effect
- empowers children and provides them with tools needed to solve problems
- children tend to absorb more information quickly at a young age and they benefit from early exposure
- computer software designed for learning can also be an excellent tool for enhancing developmental learning and creativity
- some argue that despite more information at our fingertips, young people are most concerned about things that directly affect them
- can better EQ be factored into assessing a child's intelligence?

- children learn through imitation
- for babies, technology must be carefully used as studies conducted on 1300 children showed that TV is too much for a growing brain to handle
- more likely to have attention problems at school age if exposed to more TV
- get completely mesmerized by the fast-moving images
- for every hour of TV a baby watches, problems relating to attention increases by 10% by the time they hit age seven


toys:
- toys for this generation seem to be getting more complex
- no longer satisfied with remote-controlled cars or doll houses
- experts in child psychology and development disagree and said that parents should buy for 1-yr-old infants a set of good old trusty wooden blocks
- study found out that traditional toy like blocks makes a difference in a child's cognitive development
- child hones his motor skills, learns fundamental math concepts, colours and problem solving

food:
- more research has been conducted but to-date there is not any available findings in the domain of infant nutrition
- some food manufacturers have tried to fortify their products with synthetic DHA and ARA (naturally found in breastmilk) which are associated with brain development
- however synthetic use of these additives have shown adverse effects in a number of cases

conclusion:
- probably a combination of everything: technology, toys and food
- it's all about parenting to maximise the children's intellectual potential
- 4-5% of intelligence is biological & 95-96% is nurtured