How to tap your children’s natural intuition

Intuition is not something we focus on at home or at school when it comes to educating kids. The main focus of our education system is developing the brain and a healthy body. Most children are told that what matter are concrete hard and soft skills, and unfortunately, intuition is a grey area.  

What is intuition? 
Intuition is an overall sense of knowing something, that does not seem to be based on immediate data, or the brain’s ability to recall information and knowledge. Adults call it gut feeling, sixth sense, or simply say, ‘I just knew’. As adults, we have all had moments of “I just knew,” a hunch or gut feeling.  

Why is intuition important?  
As adults, we often fall into regrettable situations because we ignore intuition in favour of immediate data. We take up wrong jobs, take wrong turns while driving, make wrong investments. This happens because we don’t realise intuition is ‘trained data’, i.e., our brain tries to tell us something it foresees based on a synthesis of past experiences and knowledge. So, intuition is very logical, but we are not used to perceiving it that way.  

How can we encourage intuition in children?  
Kids are intuitive. Instead of dulling this advantage, here’s how we can boost it:  

Teach them to listen: Listening is not only about the ears. Ask your kids to listen to what their body is telling them. Does a situation or person make them uncomfortable, scared or angry? Does their stomach grumble at the sight of an otherwise well-cooked dish? They need to pay attention and analyse these signs.  

Sniffing out lost items: Get your kids into the habit of paying attention to intuition when they misplace something. This is actually the first step towards recalling step-by-step and looking deeper into habits.  

Respect your child’s feelings: If your kids, irrespective of age, are strongly positive or negative about something out of intuition, don’t ignore them. Talk with them and try to find out more about what they want to say.  

Don’t lie about your own emotions: If your kid asks you if you are upset after a bad day, don’t lie. Don’t upset them too, but validate their intuitive observations.