Parents are the only people who can observe the full dimensions of their children. Other adults see your children in only narrow environments such as school, sports, arts, and friendships. You see the full scope of your children as unique people because you observe their talents, challenges and personalities across all parts of life.
When parents talk about ways in which their children are smart or intelligent, they are often hampered by the limited way society defines intelligence. In school, intelligence is often associated with being good in language, logic and math. Other ways of being smart are referred to as extra curricular activities, clubs, or sports. Intelligence is far broader and more complex then three the primary areas around which schools are organized.
The Harvard University professor, Howard Gardner, Ph.D., researched intelligence and created a framework years ago that created a broader view about what constitutes being “smart.” He said that there are eight different types of intelligences which he labeled Multiple Intelligences. Each person is strong in one or more of these different intelligences. The eight intelligences are:
- Interpersonal: people smarts
- Intrapersonal: self smarts
- Musical: music smarts
- Logic-Math: numbers and reasoning smarts
- Linguistic: word smarts
- Spatial: picture smarts
- Body-Kinesthetic: body smarts
- Naturalistic: nature smarts
If you use Gardner’s broader definition about what constitutes being smart, you will view your children’s intelligences and talents through a different lens. Over the next eight posts, I will description of each multiple intelligence and explain how you, as a parent, can support your children in each one.
