Awakening The Natural Genius of Every Child

Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D.

Executive Summary:

This paper redefines the idea of “genius” as something that is not simply

restricted to an “elite” group of individuals (e.g. Picasso, Mozart, etc.), but is rather part

of the makeup of every single child. The genius of childhood shows itself in everyday

occurrences, as the child displays instances of creativity, joyfulness, curiosity, wonder,

wisdom, flexibility, playfulness, inventiveness, vitality, sensitivity, imagination, and

humor. Scientific evidence of childhood genius can be found neurology (the child’s

brain is more active, flexible, and rich in brain connections), evolutionary

psychobiology (neoteny or “holding youth” is a feature of evolutionarily advanced

species), and linguistics (the child has the ability to learn a language without formal

instruction). Factors that repress the genius of childhood include negative home

influences such as anxiety, poverty, and high stress, negative school influences,

including testing, labeling, and boring curricula, and negative influences in popular

culture (especially mass media) including violence, mediocrity, and poor role models.

Finally, there are several guidelines to help reawaken the natural genius of children,

including: awakening one’s own genius as a parent or educator, providing simple

experiences that provoke wonder or curiosity, creating a genial climate that is open-

ended, non-judgmental, and child-centered, and finally, by using theories of learning

such as Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, that facilitate the discovery

of the unique aspects of genius within every child.

Awakening The Natural Genius of Every Child

Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D.

Every child is a genius. That doesn’t mean that every child can paint like

Picasso, compose like Mozart, or score 150 on an I.Q. test. But every child is a genius

according to the original meanings of the word "genius," which are: "to give birth"

(related to the word genesis) and "to be zestful or joyous," (related to the word genial).

Essentially, the real meaning of genius is to "give birth to the joy" that is within each

child. Every child is born with that capacity. Each child is born in fact with a number of

abilities that are key for their success in life, and that also represent significant

components of the foundation of any vibrant civilization:

• Curiosity - The reason we have to “child-proof” a house after a child

begins to crawl is because the infant is constantly curious about how

the world works. This is the same curiosity that drives scientists to

discover the fabric of the universe. All too often we discourage this

curiosity. We should remember that it represents one of the most

important resources of humanity.

• Playfulness – When children play, they exist in the nexus between

reality and possibility, and through their playful activities they create

something new. When great individuals of the past and present were

asked about their creations or discoveries, many of them compared

their work to that of a child at play. We must let the child play in safe

spaces, unimpeded by pressure, control, or restrictions.

• Imagination – The fact that children can imagine things that don’t yet

exist is a miraculous ability. Albert Einstein said that “the imagination is

everything.” Thousands of years ago there were none of the marvelous

conveniences that we possess in today’s society. It was only through

the imagination of great people who could envision what is not, and

through this capacity we have gained all these incredible features of

modern life. We should encourage this imagination in young children,

and not try to keep the child from his “daydreams.” The day dreams of

today are the inventions of tomorrow.

• Creativity – Young children possess great creativity. Picasso once said

“I used to paint like Raphael, but it has taken me my whole life to learn

how to paint like a child.” Most artists regard the spontaneous

expression of young children as the model they must follow in order to

produce genuine art. However, in our early childhood programs,

creativity is hardly mentioned anymore, with all the focus on early

reading and math. We need to refocus our efforts toward providing

materials and spaces for young children where they can create with

paint, clay, costumes, musical instruments, and other resources, so that

this freedom is retained as they grow up.

• Wonder – Young children approach everything in the world for the first

time, whereas adults are jaded because they have seen the same
 things over and over again. These “first time” experiences of young

children are often experiences of wonder: the blooming of a flower, the

full moon, a barking dog. Seemingly trivial experiences (to us) are

packed with mystery in early childhood. Let us remember to provide

children with these kinds of experiences, and when they occur, we can

simply stand by and marvel at the fresh vision of the child.

• Wisdom – While it may seem that the young child has not had enough

experience to acquire wisdom, it is nevertheless true that they possess

it. A look at the sacred texts of virtually every religion makes mention of

the deeper wisdom and insight of children. Because children sit

somewhat “outside culture” they are able to have more direct access to

the deeper truths of life embodied in nature and spirit. Children ask the

most incredibly deep questions. Instead of putting them off with delays,

rationalizations, or denials, let’s listen to what they have to say, and

honor their innocent wisdom.

• Inventiveness – Children have the ability to take things that adults

regard as “junk” and put them together in interesting ways to make

something unique. A cardbox box and paint become a lemonade stand;

a few scraps of metal become a robot. The genius of inventors have

their origin in the ingenuity of childhood. We should value this ability,

and seek to encourage it through activities that provide kids with the
 opportunity to combine things that seem unrelated into new inventions,

toys, machines, or other creations.

• Vitality – A child’s vitality is the natural resource that runs the world; it is

more powerful than oil, water, electricity, or any other power source.

Too often we seek to repress this vitality, most recently, by labeling

children as hyperactive and medicating them. However, to allow this

vitality to express itself fully (within a safe and protected space) is to

allow this precious energy source into the world where it can help

transform society.

• Sensitivity – The young child has not yet developed the psychological

defenses that adults have constructed to help ward off painful emotions.

Yet this same sensitivity is also a great asset in that it puts the child in a

much closer relationship to nature, to art, to other people, and to new

experiences, so that he or she is able to truly be alive to the world. We

need to shelter children from much of the pain of the world, but we also

need to help them retain their acute sensitivities as they grow up, so

that they can experience fully the marvelous elements of creation and

culture.
• Flexibility – Young children’s brains have not yet myelinated, so their

brains are quite flexible. Their minds can move from one idea to

another with great facility (compared to the “psychosclerosis” or

“hardening of the mind” in the average adult). Instead of hardening

children’s minds with pre-fabricated curricula, we ought to instead

channel their divergent minds into creative channels to help them learn

the things that are important for them both in and outside of school.

• Humor – Children always seem to be giggling about something. This is

often considered as “foolishness” or “sillyness” by educators and

parents, and yet there is a deep importance to humor. It preserves

mental and physical health. It keeps the mind from taking itself too

seriously. It provides a positive “jolt” to life, so that things don’t get too

boring. When children bring this gift of humor into our lives we should

welcome it with open arms.

• Joy – As we noted above, the word “genius” is related etymologically (in

English) to the word “genial” which means “joyful.” A true genius is a

joyful person. Children are born into the world filled with the joy of

learning. This is the most important asset in all of life. If we did not

have this asset as a species we would become extinct. By keeping the

joy of childhood alive through an exciting and positive classroom and

 home environment, educators and parents can ensure that this quality

will be retained into adulthood and enrich the lives of all of humanity.

The fact that every child is a genius can be proven through scientific

investigation. An infant has twice as much brain metabolism as an adult, and far more

neurological connections between brain cells. The infant brain also has the ability to

rewire itself depending upon the kind of environment that it is placed in. If the child is

put in an impoverished environment, the number of dendrites or connections between

brain cells will deteriorate. If the child is placed in an enriched environment, those

connections will grow. This is truly the mark of a genius brain. The young child is able

to master a complex symbol system (their own native language) without any formal

instruction. As we’ve seen above, young children have vivid imaginations, creative

minds, and sensitive personalities. These youthful traits are highly valued from an

evolutionary perspective. The more species evolve, the more they carry youthful traits

into adulthood (a process called neotony or "holding youth"). It is imperative that we,

as educators and parents, help preserve these genius characteristics of children as

they mature into adulthood, so those capacities can be made available to the broader

culture at a time of incredible change such as is the case at the present time.

Unfortunately, there are strong forces working at home, in the schools, and

within the broader culture, to stifle these genius qualities in children. Many children

grow up in homes which put an active damper on the qualities of genius. Factors in the

home like poverty, depression and anxiety, pressure on kids to grow up too soon, and

rigid ideologies based on hate and fear, actively subdue the qualities of genius in

childhood such as playfulness, creativity, and wonder. Schools also put a damper on

childhood genius through testing (creativity can’t thrive in an atmosphere of judgment),

labeling of kids as learning disabled or ADD, boring teachers, and regimented

curriculum. Finally, the broader culture, especially mass media, represses the genius

in our children through its constant onslaught of violence, mediocrity, and repugnant

role models.

The good news is that there is much that a teacher or parent can do to help

children reawaken their natural genius. First, and most importantly, adults need to

reawaken their own natural genius, and find within themselves the sourcewaters of

their own creativity, vitality, playfulness, and wonder. For, when children are

surrounded by curious and creative adults, they have their own inner genius sparked

into action. Second, adults need to provide simple activities to activate the genius of

children. Something as simple as a story, a toy (Einstein said that a simple magnetic

compass awakened his love of learning at the age of four), a visit to a special place, or

a question, can unlock the gates to a child’s love of learning. Third, we need to create

a "genial" atmosphere at home or school, where kids can learn in a climate free from

criticism, comparison, and pressure to succeed. We need to treat each child as a

unique gift from God capable of doing wonderful things in the world. Finally, educators

and parents need to understand that each child is a genius in a way that is unique to

them, and totally different from the genius of other children. We need to forget the

standard I.Q. meaning of genius and use models like Howard Gardner’s theory of

multiple intelligences (MI theory) to help kids succeed on their own terms. MI theory

suggests that children have at least eight intelligences: word smart, number smart,

picture smart, body smart, music smart, nature smart, people smart, and self smart.

Each child will show their genius in a different way through one or more of these

intelligences. We need to remember that the intelligent child is not just the

“bookworm” “the math whiz” or the “little scientist,” but is also include the artist, the

naturalist, the inventor, the actor, the musician, and the philosopher. By following
these simple guidelines for awakening each child’s natural genius, educators and

parents can know with certainty that they will be contributing immeasurably to the

welfare of children and to the world they will inherit in the future.

© Thomas Armstrong, 1998, 2007. All rights reserved.