Children go through a lot of transformations in their early years. It has been discovered that the first six years of a child’s life is significant for the brain to develop fully. Children go through a lot of transformations in these years. Understanding these transformations and stages of brain development in early childhood can aid in providing an effective environment for better growth. The early years of a child, especially the first 6 years are very crucial for building the brain.
The brain develops rapidly during the first 6 years of a child’s life. This is the time for linguistic, social, cognitive, emotional development. Everything the child sees hears, smells, touches and tastes help in shaping up the brain for thinking, learning and feeling. It helps the child in understanding and exploring the world better. From birth to age 3, children develop their sensory experiences like different sounds, smells, objects, tastes etc. After 3, the brain starts responding to new learning experiences. In these various stages, parents play a very crucial role.
Parents are another important part of the developmental equation. Infants prefer human stimuli—your face, voice, touch, and even smell—over everything else. So now the question here is “how parents can help children to achieve the full development of the brain?” There are several ways to do so. Let us understand a few of the possible ways.
Continuous parents support: Parents can support healthy brain growth by speaking to, playing with, and caring for their child. Children learn best when parents take turns when talking and playing, and build on their child’s skills and interests. Nurturing a child by understanding their needs and responding sensitively helps to protect children’s brains from stress. Speaking with children and exposing them to books, stories, and songs help strengthen children’s language and communication, which puts them on a path towards learning and succeeding in school.
Choose the best parenting style: However, each and every parent has a unique identity and their style of parenting may differ. There is great variation in how we raise our children. But the style of parenting may impact your child to a great extent. To read more about parenting styles, read our blog https://superactivekids.com/what-is-your-style-of-parenting-think-before-you-choose-one/.
Caring, Responsive Relationships: Loving relationships with responsive, dependable adults are essential to a child’s healthy development. These relationships begin at home, with parents and family, but also include childcare providers, teachers and other members of the community. So, parents should always be caring for their children.
Talking and listening to your child: It is rightly said that talking and listening to your child is one of the best ways to make the most of his or her critical brain-building years. Hence, parents should always take care of this.
Create a safe and stress-free environment: When a baby feels stress, the brain responds by releasing the hormone known as cortisol, which activates the body’s stress response. This stress response is healthy, but only in small doses. If the body remains under constant stress, brain development and physical growth may slow down. So, parents should always try to create a safe and stress-free environment.
Provide enriching experiences: The brain learns best when it is challenged with new information and then relates the new information to what the child already knows. Exposing your baby to new things helps the brain strengthen old connections and make new ones. Even simple activities like a trip to the nearby grocery store can expose your baby to new things that help strengthen connections in her brain.
These are the few ways to help your child to achieve the full development of the brain. Apart from these, a healthy parent-children relationship always gives best results.
A word from SuperActive Kids:
All parents want their children to be smart and successful. No doubt, parents play an important role in helping ensure healthy brain development. Always indulge in everyday activities with your child. Activities like cuddling, reading, and singing are important for your baby’s growing brain. Try to be a kid with your kid.
