Every parent wants their child to be a star student. We look at steps parents can take to help raise smarter kids.
Parents are able to boost their kids' brain power even in their first year of life. In a study of 6-year-olds, children who breastfed regularly as infants scored 5 percent higher on IQ tests than those who were not.
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To help kids be successful in school, parents can limit time spent on video games. Students who play more than two hours of computer or video games a day tend to score almost 10 percent lower on school exams.
Staying fit isn't just for physical health; it also helps kids do better in school. According to a Temple University study, overweight middle schoolers have lower GPAs, more detentions, and worse attendance than kids at a normal weight.
Also, learning to juggle can improve children's cognitive ability. Researchers from Yale University found learning difficult perceptual motor skills like juggling raises the volume of gray matter in young brains by 3 percent.
Whether or not someone attends preschool can also play a role in their future success. In a recent study, people who went to preschool were 52 percent more likely to graduate high school, as well as more likely to own their own home by age 27.