How to Keep the Genius Alive and Thriving in Your Kids

The more I am learning about kids, the more amazed I become! Our kids are really, truly geniuses in small bodies. They are born using both left and right sides of their brains. The learn eagerly and with incredible rapidity! All they lack is experience and facts with which to assimilate and formulate into thoughts. That is where we, as parents, come in. We need to fill their brains with facts. We need to expose them to many different things and experiences. We need to teach in ways that encourages the use of both sides of the brain. This is a major shortcoming of the structure of the educational system. We teach them to use only their left brain. Consequently, the neuropathways to their right brain atrophy and become very weak and take much more effort to access. I believe this is a wonderful companion the Glenn Doman's method of teaching.

I am excitedly finding more information on this method. Here is what I have so far.

The Shichida Method (http://www.shichidamethod.com) is developed specifically to stimulate the right side of the brain to enable whole-brain thinking, or genius thinking. Here is an excerpt from an article by Andrew Loh reviewing the Shichida Method on Brainy-Child.com:

The Shichida Method: Right Brain Training
Professor Makoto Shichida has been researching education methods
of preschool children since 1951. He is thoroughly convinced of the theory that all babies are born geniuses. He is a well known public figure in Japan, having committed the past 40 years to developing techniques to stimulate early development of right-brain education in children beginning in the womb and continuing through adulthood. There are over 300 Shichida Child Academies in Japan.

The Characteristics of The Shichida Method Brain Training
The left and right hemispheres of the brain have different capabilities. The right brain possesses the ability to retain complete image of things seen at a glance in the memory. Also, it is the receptacle for inspiration and the site of expression for image abundant creativity.

The right brain controls the abilities to visualize images and the realization of those images physically. Nearly all-successful people, regardless of their field of expertise, demonstrate the right brain ability of distinct image visualization.

However, as the left-brain develops, it becomes harder to bring forth the abilities of the right brain. If the child's brain is stuffed with knowledge, it becomes very difficult to exercise and develop the right brain. (Note: This is where Shichida has different opinion from Glenn Doman teaching). The Shichida Method believes in not over-emphasizing on knowledge education, and that the cultivation of the child's ability to learn on his own is of utmost importance.

Right brain capabilities that all children possess are:

1. The five senses of the right brain. Corresponding to the 5 senses of the left-brain (sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell) the right brain also has its 5 senses. However, they are not the senses of sight and hearing in the normal manner, but the ability to see, hear, sense things through waves translated into images. These 5 senses of the right brain are its basic abilities. When these abilities are released, man becomes capable of seeing images as motion pictures.

2. The ability to see images in the form of motion pictures.

3. Photographic memory

4. The ability to do complex mental calculations.

5. The conversion of images to words, numbers, symbols and the reverse.

6. The ability to master foreign languages easily.

7. The ability to receive inspiration and use it towards unique creativity.

8. The ability of photographic speed-reading.

9. The ability to receive information on an intuitive level, and to use that information accordingly.

Here is one testimonial:

"My son started answering math problems in writing at age of 2 and a half years old. He has no problem solving the four rules of arithmetic in 4 to 6 digits. In a matter of a minute, he can solve all these problems" (T.K. mother of a 3 year old, Okayama)