Heidi Hankins has always been a smartypants: by age two she could read and count to 40, by age three she could add and subtract, and now, at age 4, she has been inducted into Mensa with an IQ of 159. To put that number into perspective, the average adult has an IQ of 100; Stephen Hawking has an IQ of 160. Heidi’s parents, a public health lecturer and an artist from Winchester, England, suspected she was bright but were shocked when they heard the results. And according to her father, Heidi’s already mastered the art of sarcasm as well: “The other day I gave her mash and fishfingers for dinner — something quite boring — and her response was ‘that’s impressive,’ so she has a sense of humor, too.” More... (Source: BBC News via TheFrisky.com)

10 Ways to Make Your Kid Smarter

Play Mind Games

Chess, crosswords, cryptograms, riddles—they all train the brain to perform mental gymnastics.Games promoting strategic thinking, problem-solving and complex decision-making. Keep brainteasers around the house and challenge your children to help you solve the trickier problems.

Make Music

Organized music lessons appear to benefit children's IQ and academic performance

The study found that taking music lessons in childhood was a clear predictor of better grades in high school and a higher IQ in adulthood.

Foster Fitness

Research shows a strong relationship between fitness scores and academic achievement

Surprise! Play video games

Stick to the ones that develop children's strategic thinking and planning skills and the ones that promote teamwork or creativity.

Junk the junk food

Cutting out sugar, trans fats and other junk food from your child's diet and replacing them with high-nutrient alternatives

Nurture curiosity

Support your kids’ hobbies and interests by asking them questions, teaching them new skills and taking them on educational outings to develop intellectual curiosity

Read!

Reading is a sure-fire, low-tech way to improve learning and cognitive developing in children of all ages.

Teach confidence

Positively reinforce their kids with encouragement and optimistic assurances.

Breakfast breeds champions

Eating breakfast improves memory, concentration and learning. (source: MSN.com)