Child Crafting

Physical growth of the brain from birth to adulthood

Babies are born with super dense brains, having billions of brain cells. The connections among brain cells are called synapses, and are what allows learning to occur. These synapses developes with environmental stimulation and inputs. However, they are destroyed if not used. Emotional distress also have a detrimental effect on the development of synapses.

Infancy is a period of rapid, decelerating physical growth. This includes the growth of the brain too. This is why it is so important to stimulate the brain from the very beginning. A typical 3-year-old has twice the number of synapses—connections among brain cells—as an adult. This is because after age 3, children lose synapses they do not use.

What does this mean for parents?

Parents should provide intellectual and language stimulation-talking, singing, reading to, and playing with infants. Be cautious not to stress your child as it would be counterproductive. Also, nurturing and responsive care should be provided to facilitate attachment. By cuddling your child and aiding them whenever necessary, positive emotional bonds can be established. These bonds not only enhance feelings of security but will also protect infants’ brains from damaging environmental influences.

According to educational experts, children spend only about 16% of their time in school while 84% is spent under home influence. The percentage of time spent at home is greater when the child is younger. Learning does not begin when your child walks through the classroom door. Learning begins at home.

You may not control the physical growth of the brain, but you can determine what goes into it!

Tags: baby, brain, development

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 at 11:31 am and is filed under Baby Brain. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.