Various Facts About the 9 Types of Intelligence in the Little One

Parents will certainly agree that no Little One is born unintelligent. Each Little One has their own potential. It is the responsibility of parents as well as their surroundings to support the growth and development process of the Little One to proceed optimally by providing complete and balanced nutrition as well as appropriate stimulations in accordance to their age and needs.

Currently, the field of education is rapidly developing with the introduction of the multiple intelligences theory by Professor Howard Gardner, a psychologist and educational expert from Harvard University. Professor Gardner states that there are 9 types of multiple intelligences, as explained below:

Linguistic Intelligence

This type of intelligence is related to the ability of the Little One in terms of language, both verbal and written. The Little One with this type of intelligence will show prominent abilities in terms of word play as well as creating stories and poetry, and they also enjoy discussions and debates. Stimulate linguistic intelligence by routinely reading story books, chatting with them, playing guessing games, creating alphabet trees, and so on.

Mathematical-Logical Intelligence

This type of intelligence is linked to the interest of the Little One in numbers, mathematics, science, and logic to understand the various patterns of life. The patterns being referred to include thinking patterns, number patterns, colour patterns, and so on. Sharpen this intelligence by providing educational calculation toys or puzzles that are appealing.

Visuospatial Intelligence

Shapes, images, patterns, colours, designs, and textures that can be seen with the eyes are things that are related to visuospatial intelligence. Generally, the Little One with this type of intelligence are adept in drawing, painting, creating figures with clay, as well as processing papers and fabrics. They are also skillful in geometric imagination and object visualization.

Kinesthetic Intelligence

A Little One with this type of intelligence will generally stand out in terms of sports and other physical activities such as dancing, riding a bicycle, maintaining body balance, and so on. The Little One can generally express themselves well using body language and enjoys participating in games that require physical skills. They will tend to be easily bored and get distracted if they do not directly participate in certain activities.

Interpersonal Intelligence

A Little One with this type of intelligence has the ability to build relationships with other individuals. They have effective communication skills, good social abilities, possess many friends, enjoy working in teams, and have good empathy towards other individuals. The Little One also has good conflict resolution abilities.

Intrapersonal Intelligence

This type of intelligence makes the Little One good at introspecting themselves about the meaning and purpose of life, trust, emotions, and spirituality within themselves. Generally, Little Ones with intrapersonal intelligence are more comfortable to work by themselves, enjoys being on their own, and they are usually creative and wise. They also tend to be strong-willed and confident and are often consulted by their friends.

Natural Intelligence

The Little One will be very interested in and appreciate everything that is related to nature, such as plants, animals, the environment, weather, and so on. They prefer outdoor activities and enjoy raising animals.

Musical Intelligence

This type of intelligence stresses on the ability to recognize tones, vibrations, sounds, and beats. The Little One enjoys music as well as sounds of nature, such as the sounds of insects, water, rain, and so on. Parents can stimulate this by listening to music, singing, and dancing with the Little One.

Moral Intelligence

This is related to the sensitivity of the Little One to comply and behave well, such as understanding the 3 “good” words: thank you, sorry, and excuse me, differentiating good and bad behaviours, and withholding themselves to avoid breaking the rules. Stimulate this type of intelligence by inviting them to play in groups and apply rules in the game. Teach the Little One to comply and understand simple rules.

Each type of intelligence should be stimulated effectively and maximally since an early age in a balanced manner, so that the development of the Little One proceeds optimally. Give an opportunity for the Little One to explore all of their potentials. Confused about play ideas that can stimulate multiple intelligences? Do not worry, complete information regarding multiple intelligences as well as stimulation ideas can be accessed in the Morinaga Multiple Intelligence Play Plan website. Make the learning process enjoyable for the Little One so that they can achieve their maximum potential.