I have chosen to explain linguistic (and logical mathematical) intelligence in my later posts because these two intelligences are the ones that often come to mind when people think of giftedness. Historically, most people were judged on their intelligence according to their ability in reading, writing, and mathematics. Those were the mental capabilities tested in most IQ tests. But according to Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligence, each individual has their own unique blend of the eight intelligences, and can be gifted in other ways. I wanted my readers to explore the other six intelligences first before I discussed the intelligences which may be more familiar to them. This post will provide an explanation of the linguistic intelligence. (By the way, people who read blogs are often strong in this intelligence.)
LINGUISTIC INTELLIGENCE
This intelligence is also known as being “word smart” because it has to do with an acuteness towards language relating to speaking, listening, reading, and writing words. People who have strengths in this intelligence enjoy expressing themselves through words, and may have the ability to learn other languages easily. Often people who are highly linguistic may choose careers as journalists, editors, writers, motivational speakers, politicians, teachers, religious leaders, interpreters, and tour guides.
To encourage children to develop or strengthen their linguistic intelligence, here are just a few materials and activities that you might use:
To encourage the linguistic intelligence, it is helpful to have a variety of genres of books, writing materials, and audiobooks.
lots of children’s books of different genres (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, etc.)
children’s magazines and other appropriate printed material
alphabet puzzles
alphabet magnets
picture dictionaries
letter stamps and stamp pads
writing paper or journals
individual dry erase boards (with dry erase markers and erasers)
iPad apps (such as Reading Raven)
educational children’s show on reading (such as Wallykazaam)
making up stories together
using sign language
family discussions
listening to audiobooks
telling riddles and jokes
singing and/or listening to songs
reading signs when traveling
playing word games like Scrabble and Boggle
I hope this series is providing a nice overview of Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. If you would like more information on his theory, Dr. Gardner has written several books including Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences (published in 1983 so it does not cover the naturalist intelligence which he added later).
The last part of this series will cover the logical-mathematical intelligence. Future posts that currently are in draft form include a long blog on using multiple intelligences to teach short vowels, and a more personal article on how I exercise my linguistic intelligence: some of my favorite books of the past few months.
Mimi and the Grands 
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