Children who are obsessed with dinosaurs are more intelligent, says study


by Ellie Kirwin-Jones |
Published on

Some love football and rugby, others love dolls and dressing up, but what about those who are completely fascinated by prehistoric dinosaurs?

We all had our favourite toys when we're younger, and now it suggests that what we loved playing with as a kid, actually corresponds to what we will be when we're older.

If your little one follows the same route of Friends' Ross Geller and has developed a love for dinosaurs and evolution, you can bet that they will be exceeding in exams and scoring the high marks in assignments, later on in life.

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Joyce M Alexander from Indiana University amongst others at Wisconsin University found that kids who develop an interest early on which continues, have a higher chance of succeeding in the future, among many other benefits.

If your child has an 'intense interest', pursuing this can enhance their perseverance, improve their attention, and enhance skills of complex thinking.

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He said: "We conducted a longitudinal analysis of the relative intensity and duration of interests associated with conceptual domains between the ages of 4 and 6 years, respectively.

"Results indicated a significant portion of preschool children do sustain an interest in conceptual domains during some portion of their childhood."

It was also discovered that being invested in something can give children a higher understanding while learning, and suggests that the way children study dinosaurs helps them come up with strategies to tackle problems in their everyday lives.

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The research found that a child's obsessions only last between six months and three years, and only 20% of children were still passionate about their past childhood interest after starting school.

They recommend that if your child has become invested in any topic, educating them more about the topic will keep them fascinated and more likely will be a subject they will develop into something more long-term, or even a career.

What did you love when you were younger? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter!

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