What is going on in my child’s brain?
Can you believe that scholars and researchers used to believe that babies were born with no mind as if they were blank slates? Many parents back then were perplexed by such conclusion, if not accusation. We see how capable our children are each minute we spend time with them. In fact, infant brains go through a noticeable change every two weeks! This article will shed light on how essential your everyday parenting is. That is, it is more than keeping your babies dry, fed, and comfortable because each interaction strengthens and shapes your babies’ brain.
Baby’s brain does not come ready to go. Baby’s brain come ready to learn. It needs all the stimulation it can get to grow stronger. Most of the brain cells babies need to develop are there when they were born; however, what is lacking is the connections among the brain cells (also known as neurons). The connection is important because we want all parts of the brain to work together seamlessly. Think left and right brain. If they are not well-connected or integrate, we might end up being too logical (left brain’s expertise) to put things in context (right brain’s specialty) and understand the situation fully and see the bigger picture. As a result, from birth to three years old, the main job of a baby’s brain is connecting, connecting, and connecting.
What helps the brain cells connect or wire together is the experiences babies receive from their environment. Guess what… most of the experiences come from you! When you speak to your child, sing to her, comfort her, and so on, she learns about the world from her strong and loving relationship with you. For instance, for your child, being comforted over and over again when she is distressed, her brain will make a connection between mom/dad and a sense of comfort and love. This is how positive attachment relationship grows. In short, what you do is going to shape the growth and physical structure of your children’s brain.
Happy Playing!
