Some kids are completely obsessed with dinosaurs.
They sleep, eat and breath them and know the names of every dinosaur known to man. It's incredible that such little human beings could have such an intense interest but what the latest research suggests is going to blow your mind. According to the study, kids obsessed with dinosaurs are more intelligent.
Does your child have a dinosaur obsession? Do they know the difference between a brachiosaurus and a stegosaurus or a carnivore and a herbivore? Well according to a study, kids who are obsessed with dinosaurs have higher intelligence, that's right, science says you're raising a little clever clog.
Many would believe this is a new study but in fact, it was completed over ten years ago but has been reported by several sources in recent weeks pushing it back into the spotlight.
The study completed by the University of Indiana and the University of Wisconsin shows that a child's high level of interest has many benefits and can lead to enhanced skills of complex thinking, improved attention and perseverance.
It's not just dinosaurs that the study mentions, so don't be too disheartened. It can be a fascination with any topic and motorized vehicles came out on top.
Kelli Chen, a paediatric psychiatric occupational therapist at Johns Hopkins, told CNN:
"Exploring a topic and mastering it is beneficial because that's how we form careers as adults. A kid's primary occupation is to play, so they're going about their job of playing through the lens of this thing they're interested in learning about."
Kelli Chen
While Paleontologist Kenneth Lacovara said:
"For kids, the magic's not just in imagining these real, massive creatures of long ago - but also about knowing more than your parents for the first time. It makes them feel powerful. Their parents may be able to name three or four dinosaurs and the kid can name 20, and the kid seems like a real authority."
Kenneth Lacovara
However, there is some sad news to follow. Unfortunately, researchers who followed up with the parents of 177 kids in the study found the interests only lasted between six months and three years before they move onto the next latest and greatest craze. It showed that only 20 percent of children were still passionate about their particular interests going into school at about five or six years old.
The study suggests that children lose their free time when they start school meaning they lose time devoted to their particular interests. It also noted that kids were found to hide or show less interest in their obsessions if new friends weren't interested in it.
