Make Your Child Smarter

Increase Children IQ

Q: What is that one important thing I must do to increase my son's IQ level?

A: Unfortunately, there is no single best way to increase one's IQ. It requires a combination of methods and a great deal of effort. In addition, you may not see immediate results and may to be very patient.

Typically, scientists have come to an agreement that there are three main factors that determine one's level of intelligence, which are:

1. Genes – accounts for 40-80% of an individual's intelligence
2. Environment and educational opportunities/exposure
3. Food, nutrition and drugs

Scientists still are working on ways and means to change our genes to more "perfect" ones, so that's hard to control! In terms of environmental factors, I believe if you surround your child among smart, and clever people, he would be able to sharpen his thoughts and may look at/approach things in a different way. E.g., study in a school that has a good number of gifted students. He can also be exposed to books at an early age and talk to him in a "problem-solving" manner. E.g., if he has a problem, ask him for possibilities of solutions instead of giving him the answer. This may be time consuming initially, but in the long run, it's well worth it. When he's able to read and write, encourage him to take free online IQ tests to help sharpen his skills in problem solving. These tests generally test specific skills and abilities such as creativity, induction and deduction, intuition, abstract thinking, etc. If he's not reading yet, you may want to take these tests yourself to get familiar with the skills required and plan on a way to use it on your child.

Of course, what we eat makes a difference too as food combination influence our mental performances. A well-balanced body and brain chemistry would be more likely to be efficient in solving problems. There are claims that intelligence can be increased using "smart drugs" (such as Piracetam, Hydergine, Ephedrine, Vasopressin etc.), but I do not recommend taking of drugs without advice from a qualified pharmacist or doctor. You may want to surf the Internet and look out for some herbal preparations, which are claimed to be "brain boosters". Whatever it is, I believe that a well-balanced diet is essential for a healthy mind.

>> Back to Ask an Expert