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Use It or Lose It
We now know that babies who get lots of love and attention actually learn better. This is because brain development depends on the way the brain is used and the extent to which it is used. Every experience excites certain neural circuits in the brain and leaves others inactive. Those circuits that are consistently excited by experience are strengthened while others that are not stimulated are weakened.
The Nature/Nurture Debate
Nature (genes) and nurture (experience) interact at every step of brain development but play different roles.
- Genes provide the basic wiring plan. They are responsible for the formation of brain cells and the connections between brain regions.
- Experience fine-tunes the architecture of the brain, through a streamlining process, which determines which circuits will be kept and which will be discarded.
From the book Understanding Children.
A Caregiver's Role
Because most of a baby's experience involves his relationship with his caregiver, a newborn comes into the world eager for interaction. He wants to connect with you, right from the beginning, and it is this emotional connection that helps give him the confidence he needs to learn. From the very first moments of life with a baby, the love and attention that you share with him will lay the groundwork for the kind of adult that he will become.
From the video Begin with Love.
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How To Nurture a Child's Brain
The everyday things you offer a baby give her the comfort and security that helps promote learning: |
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Love and affection: Giving a child love and attention helps her feel confident, relaxed and happy, which in turn, impacts the development of her intellectual capacity. |
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A predictable world: Providing routines and consistent responses gives a baby a sense that the world is trustworthy and teaches him that he can depend on you. |
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Opportunities for fun: Activities that most encourage a child's brain to grow are those that she enjoys. If she is forced to participate in activities that do not hold her interest, she will tune out. |
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The sound of your voice: The newborn brain is especially interested in sounds — the building blocks of speech and language. Whatever you say, let a baby hear your voice as much as possible. |
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Understanding and patience: Respond to a baby's fusses or cries without worrying that you will spoil him. By responding, you teach him that you care and that he can trust you to read his signals. |
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Time to digest what she's learned: Beware of over-stimulation. If a child is exposed to a lot of new information without time to digest and process it, she will tune out or breakdown. |
From the book Understanding Children.
What tips do you have on how to create the best learning environment?
Your ideas could appear on our site. Send them to Civitas. |
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When it comes to enhancing a baby's brain development through daily interaction, how smart are you? Take our Caregiving Quiz to see what you know about nurturing a baby. Answers provide detailed information on topics such as: |
| o | Spoiling an infant |
| o | Reducing a baby's stress level |
| o | Stimulating a baby's development |
| o | Over-stimulating a baby |
| o | Talking to an infant |
| o | Reading a baby's signals |
| o | Shaping a baby through the care you provide and much more. |
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From the video Begin with Love. |
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