GA Parent Power (February 1/2): Brain Development

Babies are born ready to learn. Every experience – every connection -- helps shape the basis of how they think, their behavior, and even their earning potential and long-term health. Years of brain research has shown that during the first few years of life 700 to 1,000 new neural connections are made per second. It’s why this period of time is so important in a child’s life even though he will continue to form new connections throughout his lifetime.

You should think of the brain like any other muscle in the body: if you do not use it, it does not get stronger and develop.

So, what can you do to ensure that your young child receives the most beneficial experiences to help build his brain? Several great ways to support brain development with your child include:

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  • be loving and supportive
  • be attentive and take care of their needs
  • maintain eye contact with them and talk, sing and read to them frequently
  • maintain eye contact with them and talk, sing and read to them frequently

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The following websites provide information and resources to help you understand about your child’s growing brain as well as suggestions for activities to do together. Zero to Three Tips for Brain Development in Young Children

Urban Child Institute

Better Brains for Babies

GA Parent Power (December 2/2): Reading Every Day

It may seem silly for you to begin reading to your child as soon as she is born, but it is actually very important for her brain growth and development.  Research shows that children who are read to as newborns have a larger vocabulary and more advanced mathematical skills, as well as better language skills, when compared to other kids their age who did not get the same reading time at a young age.

Other benefits to reading every day with your child – no matter what age – promotes more maternal-child bonding; it introduces them to emotion and helps provide you with an avenue to aid them to better understand and name feelings.  Reading aloud also helps your child with speech development as she is taking in all kinds of information and beginning to learn about speech patterns.

As your child grows, the books you choose to share will change – perhaps from simple board books with lots of pictures to books that introduce rhyming in order to practice patterns, improve memory skills and increase phonological awareness and phonetic ability.

The bottom line is that reading EVERY day to your child is an activity that provides many ongoing and lasting benefits for you both, and can’t be replaced.  Plus, it’s fun and fosters a lifelong love of reading.

Below are links to suggestions of age-appropriate books that you will enjoy reading with your child:

• The Children's Book Review Common Sense Media Book Lists Read to Grow Book Lists

GA Parent Power (December 1/2): Toy Safety & Recalls

 

Odds are that your baby or young child will be receiving presents this month, possibly for Hanukkah, Christmas or just because. Most likely, some of the items gifted to them will be toys. Make sure that the toys they receive are safe and have not had any issues that have resulted in a recall.

You can sign up here to receive the latest recall alerts.