Bits of intelligence: a method to stimulate the brain

• Did you know that you can help stimulate your child’s learning through a simple ‘game’?
• Arnidol^® explains the ‘bits of intelligence’ method so you can put it into practice with your little ones. 

It is in the first years of life that children show the greatest potential for learning and have the greatest curiosity and capacity for amazement. They’re like sponges, they soak up everything. That’s why they should be stimulated. But how? For instance, by grabbing their attention with pictures, sounds and textures. In this respect, one of the best known accelerated learning methods is ‘Bits of Intelligence’ by Glenn Doman, a US physiotherapist. We’ll tell you all about it!

What are bits of intelligence?

Bits of intelligence are units of information, flashcards with very accurate illustrations or drawings that you show the child while saying the name or meaning out loud. The method, designed to be used with babies and children up to about 6, consists of showing and naming the same bit cards repeatedly throughout the day over several days. It has been shown that by showing and naming the bit of intelligence around 15 times, it becomes fixed in the child’s memory.

Generally, the bits are grouped in categories. This way the brain not only learns to relate what it sees with what it hears, it also establishes the relationship between one bit and another. Some practical examples are:

How can your child benefit from this method?

Stimulating early learning in our children won’t make geniuses of them. It simply helps their intellectual development. Below are some of the benefits of this method:

• Improves focus and concentration when doing tasks and activities.
• Helps develop and stimulate the brain, memory and learning
• Contributes to visual and auditory development
• Increases vocabulary

How can you use it at home?

You can make your own bits of intelligence. First decide on your categories and the images they’ll contain. Start with everyday things. Then draw them or cut out photos from magazines, etc. They should be clear without too much detail. Each category usually has 5 to 10 bits of information.

How do you show the bit cards to your child?

Choose a category and show her each bit for a second while you say in a clear voice the name of the object on the card. Then, choose another category and do the same again. You can show up to 5 categories in a session. Repeat the series 3 times a day for 5 days.

This is a flexible method. So, if you don’t have time to show her several categories in one session or to do it more than once a day, you can show her just one category once a day for 15 days or twice a day for 7 days, etc. The important thing is that you show your child each bit about 15 times.

Try the method with your child or ask whether they use it at her school or nursery and tell us how it helps your child. Arnidol^® has a forum where you can share experiences with other mums.