Child Crafting

“The brain is wider then the sky” - Emily Dickinson

Latest research seems to indicate that babies have brains as sophisticated as the most powerful supercomputer, and have the ability to absorb an unbelievable amount of knowledge. New research also concludes that a substantial amount of brain development continues to occur during the earliest months of life.

An embryo’s neural tubes start to develop as early as four weeks. From then billions of neurons or brain cells form throughout the pregnancy. During the nine months of gestation, the connections between these cells called synapses also multiply rapidly thus forming the physical framework which allows for learning to take place.

“We’ve found that by the time a child is about 13 months old, she can remember certain events for at least eight months after they occur and some current data suggests that they remember even up to a year later,” said Patricia Bauer, PhD, associate professor at the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis. William Greenough, PhD professor at the University of Illinois acknowledges that ‘the actual physical wiring of the brain is susceptible to experience’.

For babies, the first year of life is the crucial period that has a tremendous impact on brain development. It is during the first few months that the brain’s wiring is fine-tuned, and excess cells and synapses - typically those that have never been used - are eliminated. Thus, children brought up in a less challenging envrironment actually have less synapses than those reared in highly stimulating envrionments.

-Excerpt from a special feature of Motherhood magazine

 What does this mean for parents?
Everything you do, from holding, singing, talking, cuddling and playing is registered in your child’s young mind. You play a pivotal role in creating an environment that enables your child’s brain to develop to its maximum potential. Breakthrough research has shown how experiences during the first years of life profoundly influence intelligence, creativity, language development-and even later reading and math skills. So what can you do?

A baby’s brain can absorb information efficiently, but the child must be ready for it. You must be cautious not to trouble a child by pressuring him/her to do what is unachievable at their current developmental stage. Do not be too worried about your child’s performance as he/she will perfect it at their own pace.

Here are a few things you can do

Read and sing to your child - Babies responds easily to sounds and rhythms. This fosters reading readiness.

Imitative games and activities - Babies love to imitate those around them.

Initiate bedtime conversations - Build your child’s memory and sense of personal history.

Develop “Baby Signs” - Help your toddler communicate before he or she can talk.

Introduce toys - Nurture your child’s creativity and problem solving skills 

Playing has been long recognized as a critical aspect of child development. A report states: “free and unstructured play is healthy and - in fact - essential for helping children reach important social, emotional, and cognitive developmental milestones as well as helping them manage stress and become resilient”

For parents, one way to promote your child’s mental growth  is to foster creative play with an appealing setting.

1.  Specify Reasonable Goals
Be mindful not to set unclear criterias and overwhelming requirements for your child with respect to his/her abilities. Pushing too hard and expecting too much will only end with dissatisfaction from both sides, and will be counter productive. Constantly compliment your child even for small improvements.

2. Do Not Overprotect
Part of the motives for play is to induce independence in the child. The child will also be able to learn to take responsibilities for their actions when you do not pamper him/her all the time. Do what is best for your child even if there may be short term setbacks for him/her.

3. Play a Part, Literally
The idea is to not only set the directions of play, but to also get personally involved. Imitation is a very big part of learning, especially at a young age. Be creative and expressive. For once, act like a child.

4. Again Please?
Repetition is as important a part of learning as imitation. Repetitive words and actions encourages the development of your child’s memory, essential in the later part of his/her life when studying becomes more intense.

5. Timing
The appropriate help at an appropriate time would greatly aid in your child realizing his true potential. Also, every child has different attention span at different stages of development. Pay attention to signs of boredom your child displays and call a time out. A minimum of 4 to 5 times of learning games a day for 8 to 10 minutes each time would be ideal.

6. Toys and Learning
Playing is the most natural,enjoyable and effective learning experience a child can have. Toys are indispensable when it comes to childs’ play. Creative and logical thinking are stimulated through the playing of toys like building and construction, jigsaws, matching by patterns etc. Let your child be imaginative with how he/she plays with the toy, and do not be obliged to only get “educational” toys. A wide array of toys would allow your child greater room for imaginative development.

7. Appealing Setting
Toys stuffed in a corner or a box is not inviting. Create scenes with the available toys are best. Neat arrangements are the minimum requirements.

8. Indoor and Outdoor
Setting up activity areas in your home with simple arrangements of tables and chairs, shelves of toys etc. But do not be confined to just indoors! A garden or a pool can be very benefiting for your child’s understanding of the outside world, and stimulate their imaginations even more. Just always be there to ensure safety.

Most of the time as adults, it’s difficult for us to come down to a child’s level and to understand his/her world. Through playing with them, we are able to gain insights to how they think and feel. When we truly know what they are going through, our teaching will become more personal and effective.

“      It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital connection between them.”
    - Leo F. Buscaglia

Reference article: unkown issue of Motherhood 1997