[callout]Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do.[/callout]
I hope you’ve enjoyed and benefited from this series of posts about what’s good about each of the eight smarts. Perhaps the posts have inspired you to work to strengthen your children’s weaker smarts. Each is so important!
Today’s focus is on the advantages of having people-smart strengths. Howard Gardner refers to this smart as interpersonal intelligence.
What’s good about being people smart?
- People-smart people think with other people. Their ideas are affirmed, fine-tuned, and strengthened through discussion. And, they serve to do the same for other people’s ideas.
- Children and adults with this intelligence strength make great brainstormers. They tend to be very creative when thinking with others.
- Being people smart helps people serve well on committees. They’re usually good members of small groups. They’ll share ideas, help others articulate theirs, and ask questions to keep the discussion going.
- A strength of this smart is to accurately read facial expressions and body language. They’re able to tell when someone is happy, mad, sad, and glad. Depending on how strong this smart is, they will either use their information well or not. For example, many will choose to avoid people who appear mad. Others may not.
- This intelligence helps children and adults in relationships and friendships.
- People-smart kids enjoy socializing and parties.
- These kids and adults can motivate others. They can figure out what inspires them and what keeps them focused.
- They’ll often be able to persuade people.
- They can serve as good mentors.
- Children who have people-smart strengths will be able to learn from mentors, teachers, older siblings, and their parents, just by watching.
- These kids will enjoy and often do well learning about people in various courses. For example, they may be interested in missionaries, explorers, inventors, and authors.
- People-smart people with Christian faith will often need to connect with the pastor and their teachers/small group leaders in order to get the most from learning opportunities. Fellowship and learning with people, versus the isolation of quiet times, will be their preference.
- They can serve and volunteer because of their abilities. They’ll want to contribute to the discussions and planning and then work with others. Working alone will usually not appeal to them.
- There are many careers children with these strengths can enjoy and do well in.
What else have you noticed about people-smart kids?
Investing in your children, to help them develop their people-smart abilities, is time well spent!
