Unlocking Your Child’s Genius (Andrew Fuller, Finch)

Don’t let the title mislead or deter you: ‘genius’ is perhaps too loaded a term; a better one is ‘potential’. The subtitle in fact is a bit more accurate: ‘How to discover and encourage your child’s natural talents.’ Written by child psychologist Andrew Fuller, this book is a guide for adults to nurture the sparks of creativity in children before they are prematurely extinguished by the pressures of adulthood. Early on Fuller stresses what this book doesn’t do: it is not about ‘rushing them, fast-tracking them, hothousing them or having them leap years ahead of school’. Instead, he offers practical ideas on how you can be the ‘neuro-architects of your children’s brains’, which involves stimulating curiosity by play, fun and exploration and exposure to a large range of experiences. Fuller helpfully breaks down some of his suggestions into age ranges from toddlerhood to adolescence, and various chapters include: improving memory and learning, motivation, persistence and grit, and increasing concentration skills. There is a lot of common-sense advice such as limiting screen time and advocating exercise, but Fuller also offers a large number of less obvious suggestions for parents and caregivers to implement. The key idea, he points out, is ‘extension and expansion not acceleration’. It’s a weighty, inspiring book—one of the better tomes out there when it comes to parenting resources. 

Thuy On is a Melbourne-based reviewer and books editor of the Big Issue

Category: Reviews