If there is one thing most Singapore parents want more than a bigger Baby Bonus, it is that their child turns out smart.

That wish can be granted - if parents provide their offspring with an exciting childhood.

'Experiences in childhood determine the wiring of the brain and hence, adequate stimulation determines that the child's intelligence is maximised to its potential within the first few years,' said Dr Chong Shang Chee, associate consultant in the division of paediatric neurology, developmental and behavioural paediatrics at the University Children's Medical Institute, National University Hospital.

When it comes to brain growth and learning, it is vital that parents make the most of their child's early years.

Dr Chong said: 'Parent-child interaction is important in this stimulation process because children learn in a guided fashion.'

For children below the age of two, parents can encourage them to explore their surroundings.

Involving the child's senses helps him to learn while promoting intellectual development.

When the child is between two and three years old, parents should read and converse with him more as well as encourage him to draw, colour, count and sing.

Ms Jeanette Buckley, principal of Hess Education Centre, said: 'There is a big jump at this stage. Children are sponges for vocabulary and parents can encourage this by pointing out items, asking their child lots of questions, encouraging him or her to ask questions and reading lots of books together.'

For children between three and four years, parents can build upon what their children have learnt but with greater emphasis on precision such as colouring within lines or pronouncing words properly.

Miss Buckley said: 'Encourage full sentences, not one-word answers.

'If you allow your child to speak incorrect grammar, he or she will have issues with writing in the future. So the sooner you create an environment for using correct grammar, the better it is for the child in the long run.'

Parents with children between four and six years old can stimulate their children's capacity for learning by encouraging them to read independently, ask questions, tell stories and play musical instruments or sports.

Parents of young children can also give their children educational toys like construction sets and brain-teasers.

Watching television, especially if the content is non-educational or when there is no adult supervision, does not stimulate the child intellectually, said Dr Chong.

While learning opportunities may build a child's knowledge, there is no guarantee that these will translate into the child attaining a higher IQ (intelligence quotient) score.

As a child's abilities mature and change rapidly in early childhood, IQ measures in this period are usually unreliable or inaccurate.

Dr Chong said: 'IQ scores largely focus on verbal and non-verbal problem-solving abilities, which are important in academic success.

'However, IQ tests do not measure things like creativity, leadership, curiosity, social skills, emotional well-being or physical prowess - components which can be included in definitions of giftedness and which are also important determinants of success in the school or workplace.'

Dr Low Kah Tzay, a paediatrician at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, added: 'An IQ assessment should be performed only if there is a need. If parents or teachers are concerned about a child's ability or lack of it, it is useful to perform an IQ assessment.

'It is not meant for comparing one child with another.'

This article was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times.