The history of brain-training programs for small children is littered with failures. Remember marketers' claims in the 1990s, later discredited, that playing Baby Einstein videos for infants in their cribs would make them smarter? Here's an assessment of other pursuits often promoted as ways to improve your child's intelligence: The notion that becoming a musician makes you smarter has long been popular. Learning to play an instrument has been linked in several studies to higher intelligence. After controlling for genetic factors and shared home environment, however, a 2015 study of 10,500 twins couldn't replicate the finding.