National Week of the Young Child
April 19-25, 2009

Priming young brains for lifelong success

At birth, the brain is only 25 percent of adult size and reaches 90 percent of adult size by age 5. A child’s surroundings and interactions with others have the greatest impact on brain development during the child’s first three years of life.

Cutting-edge brain research reveals how a child’s brain develops and also points to how to create an optimal environment for that development. This research gives powerful guidance for parents, child care providers – any adult or policymaker who impacts a child’s day-to-day environment.

TIPS FOR BRANIACS

TIP: Hold your baby close to you to build strong bonds.
WHY IT MATTERS: From the very beginning of life, the quality of relationships a child has with important people – parents, child care providers, etc. – influences the emerging architecture of the brain. Research on the topic of “attachment” reveals that the quality and frequency of basic interactions with a baby, such as touching and holding, molds the very early developing regions of the human nervous system, including the brain stem.

TIP: Respond quickly and calmly to your baby’s/young child’s needs.
WHY IT MATTERS: Emergent emotional and social experiences are as important to the wiring of the brain as intellectual experiences. Experiences – such as responding to a baby’s cries – create expectations in the child, which alters their perceptions. These positive experiences establish the foundations in the brain for “attachment” – for example, a baby’s sense of trust or knowing that crying will result in a response from the caregiver.

Sources: “From Neurons to Neighborhoods,” Jack P. Shonkoff and Deborah A. Phillips; WestEd: The Program for Infant/Toddler Care, Ronald J. Lally; Zero to Three; South Carolina First Steps staff.

MORE TIPS FOR BRANIACS:

Tip 2: Feeding young brains when they need it most.

Tip 3: Young brains need social-emotional development, too.

Tip 4: Building brain capacity for language development starts at birth.

Tip 5: ABCs of emotional health and dangers of toxic stress.





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