When your children use Mind Maps, they become more creative, study faster and more effectively, remember better, save time and see the ‘whole picture’. Surely you would agree that these reasons are absolutely huge benefits for them.

A Mind Map will accelerate your kid’s learning and gets them to use their whole brain. It works in accord with your brain by using color, images, symbols, curved lines, words, space, associations and connections to have your thought processes flow.

Originated in 1970 by Tony Buzan, Mind Maps are now used by millions of people around the world – from the very young to the very old, in business, for personal reasons…hey, for any reason at all.

OK, so what do you need to get started with a Mind Map?

1. Blank unlined paper
2. Colored pens and pencils
3. Your imagination
4. Rules to follow, and lastly…
5. A subject you want to make and take effective notes on.

Here Are Some Mind-Mapping Rules To Follow:

1) Create a unique and memorable central figure (with no box round it ); use at least 3 colors; if you feel that you are not an artist,then photocopy or cut and paste

2) Use a piece of blank A3 paper – turn it landscape ways so you have more room for branching out.

3) Start the order of your important facts close to the central figure; less important details towards the edges. Begin at the 2 o’clock position.

4) Use key words – which tend to be nouns; printed (upper and lower case); one per line.

5) Lines – length of each line = the length of key word or image; connect each line to end of previous line; radiate from centre; decrease in size; centre = thick like branches of a tree; have 7 ± 2 main branches; make the branches wavy/ curved and taper off; use only one color for each branch

6) Make use of color, arrows, codes, senses, symbols, 3D images, humor, jokes, cartoons, different pens ( fat, thin, glitter, scented, highlighters)

7) Review - Date your mind map and add these review codes: 10, D,W,M,3M at the bottom right hand corner (10 = 10 minutes, D= day, W= week, M= month, 3M = 3 months) Cross out after you have done each review.

OK, It’s Time for Some Action. Here’s What I Invite You To Do NOW:

1. Search for Tony Buzan and discover how magical mind mapping is.
2. Begin by brainstorming a topic and then grouping the sections into categories.(This was shown in a previous article.)
3. Using Buzan’s mind map examples, get started creating your own mind map and follow the rules mentioned above.
4. Model a mind mapping activity to your children and have them actively involved.
5. Have FUN learning and remembering.

I would love to hear how you use mind maps. Why not send me a copy of your mind map so we can share it with others. This way we are all helping each other.

How many of you have been asked to brainstorm a certain topic? If you’re like me, then you’ve probably said to yourself, or out loud, “Not another exercise like this! What a waste of my time!”

How many of you knew that brainstorming is actually the beginning of creating the ultimate, organizational thinking tool? That there is a more important reason for doing so?

Brainstorming is one way to express and freely link in ideas that you associate with a particular topic. What happens is that we write down whatever comes to our mind and most importantly, we do not judge these ideas.

By the way, I encourage you and your children to draw a picture (or photocopy or cut and paste an appropriate image) which they associate with the topic in the center of their paper. I strongly suggest that they use a blank sheet of paper . This does not restrict the flowing nature of the presented ideas.

I also encourage them not to put a frame around it as this helps them associate more freely.

Curvy lines are then drawn from the image and they radiate outwards.

Next, have your children write words or even draw pictures on these lines. Obviously, you and your kids will have an idea that then triggers some related ideas. Great!

These ideas are then written on smaller lines off the main lines which are radiating from the image.

Does this make sense? Yes or Yes?

So, we’ve completed the brainstorming section of this simple note-taking activity.

Now it’s time to group your ideas together into categories.This will get you and your children more focused.

For example, if you were planning a family vacation, and you had brainstormed these ideas – Australia (Gold Coast), China, Disneyland, then the grouped related ideas would be “Places. Highlight or color code the connected ideas.

When you look through your list of ideas, you will notice how they are naturally connected.

Once this has been completed, the various categories then become the main branches of a Mind Map . This strategy will be shown to you in Part 2 of this post.

OK, It’s Let’s Talk Time…

I invite you to get started using these techniques – brainstorming and grouping. Then look out for Part 2  which will show you how to use the ultimate, simple, organizational thinking tool – a Mind Map- for making and taking effective notes. Got any concerns? Then why not email me or connect with me on Twitter  http://Twitter.com/KidsMoneyCoach