In his book, “Tips to promote intelligence”, Enrique Rojas talks about the
“different kinds of intelligence: theoretical, practical, social, emotional, creative, discursive, auxiliary or instrumental, Phoenician, artificial, mathematical and scientific, spontaneous and provoked, analytical and synthetic, analogical and methodical”. He also talks about the “auxiliary intelligence, which has five tools”:
- Order: intelligence’s best friend; produces serenity, balance, and calmness…
- Constancy: means knowing how to wait and knowing how to continue and finish.
- Will: it is a jewel in the crown of conduct. A person with will go further in life than an intelligent person and will make their dreams come true.
- Motivation: it pushes us towards specific objectives, riding the horse of illusion. There is a difference between goals and objectives, the latter being measurable.
- Ability to observe: it’s a practice to activate the brain.
These tools raise the natural intelligence each person has. They hide and plunge into the basement of one’s personality; cannot be seen from the outside, but they are decisive and whoever works at them has a treasure.”
During these pandemic times, there is a lot of concern amongst parents due to the fact that school is virtual, and they are worried their kids may be learning differently. But the good news is that the five tools that Enrique Rojas mentions are able to be cultivated in our kids (small and big). This can be achieved in the day to day life at home, with moments we don’t pay enough attention to:
- Morning and nighttime routines: getting dressed, showering, making the bed, and cleaning up one’s bathroom and room.
- Meals: preparing, cleaning, and conversing about interesting and positive things in a family setting.
- Leisure actives done either outside or inside one’s home in their free time.
- Other chores to help around the house: taking care of pets, watering plants, or helping clean the house
- Any other activities that may be interesting or can allow your family to have a good time together
Promoting order, consistency, will, motivation, and the ability to observe in a child from a very young age, will allow them to gradually forge their personality in the day to day. It will make them independent and it will allow them to feel competent and useful at home. You can start by putting down a daily planner for your children to plan, and also make sure they have time to calm down. The child who, from an early age, learns how to be responsible for the small things, over time, will take on larger tasks with the same responsibility.
Children don’t only learn by studying. – Pepa
Enrique Rojas is a professor of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, director of the Spanish Institute for Psychiatric Research in Madrid and president of the Rojas-Estapé Foundation for young people with personality disorders and no resources.