I am doing research to triangulate some activities that would be rewarding for parents and their kids to help make them smarter. I asked Twitter for some help and got an epic amount of responses.

If you don’t follow me on twitter, now’s a good time to sign up and join the conversation!

You can view Twitter search to follow along as the conversation continues!

bre I’m compiling a list of 10 things to do with your kid (or niece or nephew) that will make them smarter. What should go on that list?

ddrager @bre Reading Books, Taking them to the Zoo, Taking them to Museums, Travel to other places, discussing current events, spending time with tm
elcoqui121 @bre talk to them like they are adults
pjk @bre No baby talk. Talk to them like a normal person. It goes a long way.

jtoshua @bre goto museums, listen to lots of different music, play board games, read books, have conversations, answer questions with real answers
rockityroll @bre Read. Read. Read. Best thing you can do.
joshpaul @bre Really depends on age and what relation to “smart” you’re attempting to hit.
saxdiva @bre Take music lessons.
LiterateKnits @bre reading, libraries, museums, zoos, live music, crafts especially ones that have counting, algebra, etc, & stuff they find interesting
anwith1n @bre use an adult vocabulary to talk about age appropriate things. Encourage reading and inquiry. Allow them to puzzle through problems
ivynova @bre READ to them, play board games with them (especially chess), ask them what they think, introduce new things whenever possible, etc.
antimattar @bre legos, read, draw, make films, explain complex things as if they understand - don’t stop when you think they’ve lost you…
sstrudeau @bre things I wish I’d been taught more of, generally speaking: soldering/electronics, woodworking, bike fixing, gardening, sewing, cooking
schnaars: @bre teach them to play chess, oil and water (with food coloring), safe use of power tools,
mightyohm: @bre i’d visit your local science museum (more interactive = better, exploratorium is king!)
petrusalbus: @bre Take them out into nature and let them explore. Answer questions as best you can and look up answers you don’t know when you get home.
Ironmask: @bre One Word, Legos.
fernfiddlehead: @bre Are you being serious? If so, read to them, spend time with them, talk to them, love them.
creativedc: @bre shop at farmer’s market then cook with what you purchase

Wow, great responses! Thanks to everyone who is @bre - ing me. Now what is what is it that you wish you’d been taught more of as a kid?

openfly: @bre how to make fireworks, and robots, and robotic fireworks.
ddrager: @bre Social Skills! I had to learn them on my own later in life.
waxwing: @bre Take them geocaching; use the opp to talk about satellites, coordinates, etc.
rockityroll: @bre I wish I’d been taught more practical stuff - cooking, auto repair, banking
petrusalbus: @bre I wish I had been taught more languages as a kid.
Nickf4rr: @bre How to build a basic signal amplifier from (mostly) junk parts.
IanBrier: @bre Money, and how it works. Also the secret to fluffy mashed potatoes.
fynflood: @bre Math.
LeilaAnasazi: @bre I wish that as a kid I had learned more about what can really be done with mathematics, & how beautiful & multiple those languages are
airbrshldy: @bre That it’s okay to pursue the things that interest you most–if you do that, you will be more apt to succeed. Do not stifle kids dreams.
timkl: @bre Logical fallacies - that should’ve been on the top of the curriculum,
suecartwright: @bre recommend excellent books ‘how to make your child brilliant’ (bernadette tynan) and ‘how to have kick-ass ideas’ (chris barez-brown)
openfly @bre how to build a fortress of solitude.
openfly @bre homing pigeons.
johnbaichtal: @bre Electronics.
openfly: @bre nerf defense shield.
phraktyl: @bre Don’t limit them artifically. My son is admin on his own Mac. He asked me to teach him about the Terminal the other day. He’s 7.
amazenyou: @bre I wish I was taught to question things more often. That way you truly understand what you believe
themostbob: @bre - *HOW* to learn - how to study effectively, how to listen and take notes effectively. How to memorize.
bcrrll: @bre how to solve a rubix cube
suecartwright: @bre would love to share this with my niece and nephew - they love doing stuff and I get to boost my cool-aunti status - a sure winner!
tina_m: @bre Listen. Prompt them with questions that need descriptive answers, then let them talk, describe, explain
phraktyl: @bre I wish I’d learned life balance. All computers and no exercise isn’t balanced. Small changes then vs mammoth lifestyle change now.
malfunction54: @bre this may not be what you’re looking for, but how about: answering the question, “why?”
iwishiwas: @bre I wish I was taught to question things more often. That way you truly understand what you believe:.. http://tinyurl.com/4wguhz
natdefreitas: @bre soldering and sewing - the basics of making & fixing… i was lucky to be taught at home, but wish it was required study at school
Grifter801: @bre Read to them! Dear God read to them! Teach them to love and respect learning and everything else will be fine. BTW, nice new avatar.
handsomepanda: @bre Turn off the tv
sachz: @bre Electronics, programming, computers. Difficult to guess your child’s future interests towards a field that was in its infancy though.

Update: More!

johl: @bre books&libraries, reading/writing in english & 2 other languages, chess&go, discussing your opinion, programming, making good pranks
neomojo: @bre And don’t emphasize being smart as a criteria for success, emphasize effort, here’s why: http://tinyurl.com/yr4yu6
neomojo: @bre Biggest thing to make a child smarter: first LISTEN to them, then help them to grow their best ideas.
bobtiki: @bre I was told *to* save my money, but not *how*. That probably would have been very useful, seeing how far in debt I am now.
ayearatthewheel: @bre debate, logic and what you can and can not eat in the wild.. like which mushrooms fill your tummy and which ones fill your head.
rascoagogo: @bre how to logically find the answers to my own questions, assets, foreign language, patience with long projects
pji: @bre Wish I was taught: The facts of life: saving, investing, insurance, etc.
ji: @bre To do: Pop popcorn & watch Ghost Hunters, Scariest Places, Most Haunted, Destination Truth, etc., & ask them, “What else could it be?”
missfruitfly: @bre How to balance my checkbook.
mkcho73: @bre get them excited not just about one thing, but EVERYthing. Music. Sports. Science. Books. Games. Art. Movies. History. Animals. Comics.
Silona: @bre I know some top girl scout people… we could at least figure out a series of maker/hacker badges…
yarnivore: @bre - teach them: how to make simple machines; underlying math concepts of the world; love of exercise/living a balanced life
suecartwright: @bre way cool piece of research - look forward to following this through
buhny: @bre Thanks posting (and asking) that - I’ve got another new niece as of last week love all the tips & reminders!
Silona: @bre “hacker scouts” ala girl/boy scouts? awesome idea I am so in. I did girl scouts all the way to cadet adviser (similar to eagle scout)
dealy: @bre that silliness and laughter make life easier…
johannes_mono: @bre: Reading Marx. Your kid will learn a lot. But not only the kid…
maximka: @bre Bring the kid along when finding an answer: take it apart, look it up, stop and ask an expert. Share the experience of not knowing.
maximka: @bre Oh, I’d like to second @johl on ‘making good pranks’
maximka: @bre How to double-clutch a Model A Ford, and why you have to.
fabienneus: @bre legos, huge space for making a mess/building stuff where cleaning up isn’t necessary, great math teachers (i was lucky), books, travel
fabienneus: @bre raise kids multilingually, multiculturally, live in foreign environments (not as a tourist), music lessons, tons of blank paper
fabienneus: @bre share what you love to do, but don’t force them to like it, grow a garden, encourage volunteerism