Helping Your Children Discover Their Intelligence

I believed God has designed your children in a special way for a special mission. When you help them find and fulfill their destiny, you will discover one of your great pleasures as a parent.

As a dad, you should   help your children discover something they do well. One way to father their heart is to help them discover their natural intelligence. Howard Gardner of Harvard University proposed his widely accepted theory of multiple intelligences in his book Frames of Mind. Think about your children as you review the eight types of intelligence he identified. Put the initials of each child next to the types of intelligence that apply or may apply to him or her.

1.       Linguistic Intelligence. Someone with this type of intelligence shows unusual sensitivity to the meaning and order of words. These folks often become language experts, writers, or public speakers.

2.       Logical-Mathematical Intelligence. This describes an unusual ability in math and complex logical systems. Someone with this type of intelligence may become a computer technologist, engineer, or scientist.

3.       Musical Intelligence.  Someone with this type of intelligence has a natural ability to understand and create music. Most often they show an interest in being a musicians, composers, or dancers.

4.       Spatial Intelligence. This describes the ability to perceive the visual world accurately and re- creates it or alters it mentally or on paper. People with this type of intelligence often become designers, architects, or air traffic controllers.

5.       Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence. People with this sort of intelligence can use their bodies in skilled ways to express themselves, attain goals, or entertain others. They often become athlete, dancers or actors.

6.       Interpersonal Intelligence. This describes the unique ability to perceive and understand other individuals’ moods, desires and motivations. Those who possess it should consider becoming business leaders, politicians, teachers, and therapists.

7.       Intrapersonal Intelligence. People who fit in this category display the ability to understand personal emotions, values, and philosophy. Often they become contemplative writers, counselors, inventors, or religious leaders.

8.       Naturalist Intelligence. This describes sensitivity to nature and perceives connections, patterns, and distinction in the natural world. People with this kind of intelligence often become biologists, naturalists, environmentalists, foresters or agronomists.

Exploring and developing your children’s natural intelligence will help empower them to fulfill God’s calling on their lives.

Look over the list above again. Are you allowing your children to get involved in activities that will expand and make use of their particular kind of intelligence? For each of your children, try to think of one activity you can help them pursue that seems appropriate of each intelligence types you suspect that God has given them.