Ohio State nav bar

Skip to main content

The Ohio State University

  • Help
  • BuckeyeLink
  • Map
  • Find People
  • Webmail
  • Search Ohio State
  • Home
  • Food
  • Family and Relationships
  • Money
  • Mind and Body
  • Webinars
  • Authors

Family and Consumer Sciences

Live Smart Ohio

Ohio State University Extension

Topics:

The Ohio State University
You are here: Home / Family and Relationships / Smart Parents Leading Smart Kids

March 30, 2020

Smart Parents Leading Smart Kids

As Ohio families with school-aged children head into the third week of learning at home, the experiences of different households have spanned the range from enjoying making the most of time together to worries about keeping up with school-work and life in general. Like many, this is my first experience of directing home learning during the school day and some hours are more successful than others. Here’s a reminder to all parents: You are smart.

Howard Gardner developed the theory of Multiple Intelligences and affirms that all people have a unique blend of at least eight intelligences and possibly more. It is important to stress that although individuals might show more interest or strength in some areas over others, everyone is intelligent in their own way.  The different intelligences often overlap or work together, and no single intelligence is better than another.

Parents can encourage their children to develop and practice these different intelligences, also known as (aka) “smarts”. Regardless of your current job (if it’s related to education or not) and your past grade cards, right now, you have so much to offer your child or children. You are smart in your own way, just like your child(ren) and just like others. Due to COVID-19 this current list of ideas will focus on online opportunities or other ways to express the multiple intelligences that respect social distancing. These are offered as basic examples because Multiple Intelligences can be applied in hundreds of ways.

kid reading a book

Verbal-linguistic Intelligence, aka Word Smart. Themes: speaking, sounds, meaning and rhythm of words, reading, storytelling, and spelling. Example: Gail Boushey offers reading at home tips for families. She offers to be your child’s reading buddy with timed videos to help students build their reading stamina.

Logical-mathematical Intelligence, aka Math Smart. Themes: thinking conceptually and abstractly, numerical patterns, brainteasers, computers, codes, and science experiments. Examples: Families can play strategy games like chess, checkers or dominos, computer games, cards or math games with cards.

Spatial-visual intelligence, aka Picture Smart. Themes: thinking in images and pictures, design, invent, architecture, draw, and paint. Examples: Have students take photos, make a scrapbook of this unpreceded time, take a virtual tour of an art museum or practice Lunch Doodles with author and illustrator Mo Williems.

Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, aka Body Smart. Themes: handling objects, building models and crafts, dance, acting, and sports. Examples: Play sports within your household, learn how to juggle (with scarves or paper towels), or play charades or let your child lead physical education for the day. Use brain breaks during the day.

Musical intelligence, aka Music Smart. Themes: rhythm, pitch, timber, patterns, singing, and instruments. Example: Who wouldn’t love this computer drum kit that includes drums, bells and cymbals?

Interpersonal intelligence, aka People Smart. Themes: sometimes called social intelligence, or the ability to interact with others. Example: Artist Elise Gravel has free coloring pages on a variety of topics related to people. My favorite might be, “I like my Monsters like I like my humans: all shapes, all colors, and special each in their own way.” The pages are great for discussion at home or maybe color them and send them in the mail to someone?

Intrapersonal intelligence, aka Self Smart. Themes: self-aware of inner feelings, values, beliefs, journaling, and goal setting Examples: Everyone can practice Kids Yoga on YouTube.

Naturalist intelligence, aka Nature Smart. Themes: interconnectedness of plants, animals, weather, classifications, or likes being outdoors. Examples: I’ll be reminding families to consider planting a vegetable garden as we get closer to frost-free date around May but in the meantime I’d like to highlight a resource located along Lake Erie, the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Another Ohio site is Cincinnati Zoo is bringing the Zoo to you!

This is not a checklist of things you need to be doing every week! The goal is to use this as an idea-starter for your current home situation. What will work for you to make learning at home more enjoyable and successful for both the adult and the student(s)?

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

WRITTEN BY: Patrice Powers-Barker, CFLE, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Lucas County

REVIEWED BY: Roseanne E. Scammahorn, PhD, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Darke County

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Powers-Barker, P. (2020, March 27)

SOURCES:

  • Armstrong, T., (2020). Seven things you should know about multiple intelligences. American Institute for Learning and Human Development. https://www.institute4learning.com/2020/03/10/7-things-you-should-know-about-multiple-intelligences/
  • Armstrong, T., (2014). You’re Smarter Than You Think. A Kid’s Guide to Multiple Intelligences, Second Edition, Revised & Updated. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing
  • Gardner, H., (1999). Intelligence reframed: Multiple intelligences for the 21st century. New York, NY: Basic Books.
  • Gardener, H., (n.d.) MI Oasis. The Official Authoritative Site of Multiple Intelligences. https://www.multipleintelligencesoasis.org/
  • Hartshorne, J. and Germine, L. (2015). When does cognitive functioning peak? The asynchronous rise and fall of different cognitive abilities across the life span. Psychological Science, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797614567339
  • Checklist: Learning activities that connect with multiple intelligences. (2020). Scholastic. https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/clip-save-checklist-learning-activities-connect-multiple-intelligences/
  • Terada, Y. (2018). Multiple Intelligences Theory: Widely used yet misunderstood. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/multiple-intelligences-theory-widely-used-yet-misunderstood

REFERENCES:

  • 5 Best Kids Yoga Videos on YouTube. (n.d.) Awake and Mindful. Retrieved March 29, 2020 from https://awakeandmindful.com/best-kids-yoga-videos-on-youtube/
  • Bookaboo Drum Kit. (2020). CBC Kids. Retrieved March 29, 2020 from https://www.cbc.ca/kidscbc2/games/bookaboo-drum-kit
  • Cincinnati Zoo is Bring the Zoo to You. (2020, March 16). Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Retrieved March 29, 2020 from http://cincinnatizoo.org/news-releases/cincinnati-zoo-is-bringing-the-zoo-to-you/
  • Elise Gravel, Author Illustrator. (n.d.)Retrieved March 29, 2020 from http://elisegravel.com/en/livres/free-printables/?fbclid=IwAR3LkYbuCuUpSoHvHJ9Z6DFGtb6Uh3dWtgUS-jjKR1H6NBfb-90BF-wGmUI
  • LUNCH DOODLES with Mo Williems! Episode 01. (2020, March 16) Retrieved March 29, 2020 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmzjCPQv3y8
  • Kids Corner. (n.d.) Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Retrieved March 29, 2020 from https://www.friendsofottawanwr.org/kids-corner.html
  • Powers-Barker, P., (2015, October 29). Do Brain Breaks Work? Live Smart Ohio.Retrieved March 29, 2020 from https://livesmartohio.osu.edu/mind-and-body/powers-barker-1osu-edu/do-brain-breaks-work/
  • Reading at Home with Gail Boushy. (2020). The Daily CAFÉ. Retrieved March 29, 2020 from https://www.thedailycafe.com/content/reading-home-parents
  • Romano, A., (2020, March 12). Stuck at Home? These 12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours You Can Take on Your Couch (Video). Retrieved March 29, 2020 from https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours
  • Staake, J., (2019, September 19). 16 Card Games That Will Turn Your Students Into Math Aces. We Are Teachers. Retrieved March 29, 2020 from https://www.weareteachers.com/math-card-games/?fbclid=IwAR3J8ZE74y_R_vByl39-H0H7SJsVYpTcFqKVCV_52j04Xylmj86q69iPOoU

Categories: Family and Relationships
Tags: Coping with Stress, family, learn at home, Multiple Intelligences, Parenting

Avatar for Patrice Powers-Barker
Avatar for Patrice Powers-Barker

About Patrice Powers-Barker

Patrice Powers-Barker, CFLE (Certified Family Life Educator) implements Ruby Green Smiths’ description of Family and Consumer Sciences, “where science and art meet life and practices.” The Mind and Body topic lends well with empowering families to evaluate their daily habits and to make individual as well as family goals to enact mindfulness and abundance. The “science and art” of mindfulness can be practiced throughout different aspects of life - from work and play to eating or parenting and education. Patrice loves spending time with family, treasuring the four seasons of Northwest Ohio and appreciating the abundance of her local community.

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent Posts

Loving Kindness chart from self to world

Cultivating Loving-Kindness

Exploring the Heart of It All webinar series presented in Autumn 2024

pages of open book shaped into a heart

Making Every Day Sweet

I will serve 2024MLK

Unite, Serve, and Transform on MLK Day to Create the Beloved Community

Follow Us!

  • Facebook

Footer

Need Assistance?

If you are having issues logging into the site, need assistance with updates, or need to request an alternate format please send an email to the EHE Service Desk at servicedesk@ehe.osu.edu stating the nature of your issue and we will assist you. Thank you.
Are you a Live Smart Ohio Author? Log in here!

Categories

  • Food
  • Family and Relationships
  • Money
  • Mind and Body
  • Webinars

Follow us!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
The Ohio State University
FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN ECOLOGY
COLLEGE OF FOOD, AGRICULTURAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

© 2025 Live Smart Ohio - Family and Consumer Sciences | The Ohio State University - College of Education and Human Ecology | Accessibility | Privacy Policy

%d