How Can My Child Become Smarter?
Good Fit
- Parents of children aged 0-6 looking for concrete, day-to-day activity lists
- Readers who prefer synthesized, citation-backed advice over raw academic psychology texts
- Readers comfortable with a book that blends developmental psychology with a faith-grounded parenting ethic
- Anyone wanting an age-by-age practical reference rather than a single linear argument
Not a Fit
- Readers looking for current, peer-reviewed developmental science — some of the book's citations (e.g. Bloom's percentages) date to the 1960s-90s and have been substantially complicated by later research
- Parents of school-age or teenage children — the book's focus is overwhelmingly on ages 0-6
- Readers who would be uncomfortable with the occasional religious framing in the text
- Anyone looking for a critical or skeptical treatment of IQ and "giftedness" as concepts
The book openly declares it will avoid philosophical debates (what intelligence is, whether it can be taught) — the author states "this work does not engage in long debates," instead seeking a practical answer to "what can we do on behalf of our children?"
The "Intelligence and Memory" section separates two concepts: intelligence is the capacity to adapt to new situations and solve problems (example: a 3-year-old matching triangle/square shapes), while memory is only one function of the mind. The author backs these definitions with citations to academic sources (Ziya Selçuk, Cavit Binbaşıoğlu, Yılmaz Özakpınar).
"The Importance of Mental Training in Children" advances a strong claim: children from economically/culturally better-off families tend to have higher average intelligence scores than children from lower-income families — the author presents this as proof that intelligence is shaped more by upbringing and attention than by birth. This is the book's central thesis, but it is delivered as "proof" in a single sentence, without independent scientific discussion.
"When Should We Start Mental Training?" cites Benjamin Bloom's famous 1964 claim (since substantially complicated by later research): roughly 50% of intelligence/mental development occurs between ages 0-4, 30% between 4-8, and only 20% between 8-17. This figure supports the book's practical conclusion — the preschool years are a "golden age," and if missed, the same effect cannot be recreated later.
The author draws an analogy between the brain and a muscle — just as a muscle develops through exercise, brain functions develop through use, but warns that brain cells "die" after a certain age. This is a simplified claim — current neuroplasticity research shows the adult brain retains significant capacity for change, a nuance the book does not address.
The author's religious worldview surfaces explicitly in the text — phrases like "while it isn't possible to exceed the intellectual capacity God gave a person at birth, developing that mind is possible" fold parenting advice into a faith framework (the author's other books are also on children's religious education).
- Each section ends with short, practical "Dear Parents" summary boxes — a repeating, bullet-point structure
- Academic citations (footnotes) give the text a scientific veneer, but no critical discussion follows
- The language is simple, direct, and warmly advisory, addressed to the parent
- The structure is less a linear argument than a runway into 170+ pages of age-group-based practical lists
A more empirical, research-grounded alternative parenting guide to child development
A contemporary work that critically examines the role of character and environment over IQ in children's success
The book's second part moves into diagnostic topics — how to recognize intellectual disability versus a learning difficulty, how to recognize a gifted child, the difference between a successful child and a gifted one — then offers concrete game and activity lists age by age (0-6 months, 6-12 months, 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-6, 6+ years).
The final sections cover a broad set of practical advice: nutrition (iodine, iron, avoiding processed food), limiting screen time, "mind games" like chess and sudoku, sports, and the effect of breastfeeding on mental development.
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