Most of us are very concerned or curious about our children’s brain development to its full potential. We see the brain as a mysterious concept, and because of that, there are many misconceptions about it. Unfortunately, many activities are marketed as “good for brain development.” In this blog series, we are going to learn about the development of the brain and various ways of using its full potential. It’s about “empowering mindful parenting.”
How does the brain learn?
Suppose you are walking through a forest for the first time, then you choose a ‘rough trail’ to travel on. When we keep going through the same path again and again, it becomes our permanent path. However, if we don’t use it, grass and bushes grow on the path and the path itself becomes closed. This is how our brain works. Whenever we experience something new through our five senses, a new record is created in our brain about that experience/act. When we experience that thing again, our brain responds in the same way, and then the experience is cemented in the brain.
However, if we do not see, hear, read, or experience a concept over and over again, then the brain applies its ‘use it or lose it’ rule and discards the unwanted/unimportant information. The brain uses this principle to store only important things and do it’s work more efficiently and effectively.
How does the brain grow?
The brain is the ‘command setter’ of the human body. A newborn contains all the brain cells (neurons). However, through daily learning and experience, these cells become more closely connected to the brain, and the brain begins to function accordingly. It is because of this connection that we can think, communicate, and perform many other actions.
Different parts of the brain are responsible for our different abilities. For example, movement, language, and emotions develop in different ways. The brain develops itself & keeps developing too. Different connections with different things/acts become stronger, and that is how the brain develops. When we try to remember something, the brain travels in reverse to try to reach that thing. This process is a bit complicated. However, this is how the brain develops.
Why are the early years important?
The period from conception to the child’s age of 7 years is called the period of ‘infinite potential’. At birth, a baby’s brain is on average one-fourth the size of an adult’s brain. The surprise is. After that, it doubles in size in the first year itself. By age three, it grows to about 80 percent of the size of an adult’s brain, and after that, by age five, a baby’s brain is 90 percent enlarged, or fully developed. So these initial 5 years are very important. At least one million new ‘neural connections’ are formed every second. This rate is higher in the first year than at any other time of life.
What happens after 7 years of age?
Does our brain stop developing or learning new things after age 7? So, not at all! A unique process called ‘neural plasticity’ primes the brain for lifelong learning. We can learn and adapt to that factor at any age. Also, the brain’s storage capacity is unlimited. So learning more does not affect his ability.
It is said that during two stages of life, our brain learns faster than at any other time. Those two periods are the first seven years of life, and the second period is the period of youth. During this period, our brains are working very fast. The brain structure formed during this sensitive period and the beliefs it cultivates last a lifetime. Now we know what the most important period in brain development is. So during this period, we should be more alert and pay attention to how our children’s brains can develop.
While a positive environment develops positivity in the brain, isolation at a young age can have an impact of “the nervous brain” in the future. Click here to read the real-life story of a “missing girl”
Moments that positively matter to your kids’ brains during childhood
Our brain cultivates memories and actions for a lifetime, as we just read above. Let us see a few examples of it.
- When you set a positive example through your actions & words,
- When you encourage them to express their thoughts & feelings,
- Every time you cuddle with them,
- Whenever you forgive their small mistakes,
- Whenever you give them undivided attention,
- At a time when you teach them life skills/start teaching them life skills,
- Whenever you play with them or go on vacations with them,
- When you go on adventures with them,
- When you celebrate their achievements with them.
Keep a close watch on these / such symptoms in your kids.
Children are adversely affected when significant stress threatens their family and caregiving environments. As an example, go through the below list of signs and symptoms of childhood stress. Recognize these symptoms and help children recover from stress as soon as possible so that they can live a healthy life. In other words, the brain is free from negative memories and impacts.
- Emotional withdrawal/sudden behavior change.
- Irritability/crying for no reason.
- Hair chewing.
- Thumb sucking
- Fingernail biting.
- Inability to sleep.
- Depression behavior.
- Cold or sweaty hands.
- Anxiety
- Teeth grinding
- Bedwetting.
- Temper tantrums.
Empowering Your Child Through Challenges: Building Resilience
Let your little ones learn from tough times. It’s important to keep them safe, but not away from every single challenge. Your main role is to guide them in facing problems and to give them tools to overcome these hurdles. Think of difficulties as practice sessions for your child’s brain and heart and how they interact with others. Every tough moment is a chance to teach them to manage, to adapt, and to grow strong. Instead of taking away all the hard moments, you stand by them. Offer your support as they tackle these challenges. This helps them feel supported but encourages them to navigate on their own. This helps with positive brain development.
How a child’s brain develops through early experiences
Click here to learn more about it.
Babies are smarter than you think!
Did you know that babies can recognize strings of three or four words, like “clap your hands!” even before they can start speaking themselves? This, according to psychology, supports brain development at an early stage. By talking to your baby at a young age, you can help them develop their language skills. Here are some tips for talking to your baby:
- Use simple, easy, & clear language.
- Speak slowly and exaggerate your pronunciation. Keep in mind the age:
- Use gestures and facial expressions to help your baby understand you. It makes for a great & faster learning experience.
- Repeat words and phrases often. Fix them with particular actions so that they become easy for kids to recognize.
- Talk about what you’re doing as you do it.
Brain Activation:
So far, it is very clear that our interactions with kids help them with brain development, improvement, & activation. In a joint family culture, it is seen that kids are more active & happy too. Due to the many people in the family, kids have more frequent & constant interactions. This makes them “busy” in understanding their surroundings & learning from it. Also, instances where parents are involved with kids more often, have resulted in improved grasping capacity of kids.
At an early stage, let kids explore different areas of every aspect. Just guide them, but do not force them. Do not ever ask them to do what you want. As parents, we have to understand & try to pick up the ” inborn skills” of kids & nurture them. This lifestyle can help kids with faster brain development.
Conclusion:
I hope you have liked the in-depth analysis & science behind the brain development of kids. This is one of the techniques to empower mindful parenting. Do comment your thoughts & experiences in the comments section below.
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