MOST IMPORTANT TIME OF LIFE – EARLY CHILDHOOD (Part 1/2)

It has been discovered that the first six years of one’s life is significant for the brain to develop fully. The brain continually develops and that adults and parents who provide the immediate environment of the child can do something to make this experience positive. The power of knowledge has provided parents to aid their children in their development.

As such, the development of a child’s brain is of particular interest, since an astonishing amount of human brain development takes place during a short period of time during child development. These early years are a critical period in human development and specifically your child’s development as your child learns an incredible number of skills and amount of information that they’ll need to function throughout the rest of their lives.

Many theories have evolved over the years and few prominent ones can be named such as Paiget’s theory of Cogniive Development, Erikson's Psychosocial Developmental Theory and Bowlby's Attachment Theory All these are based on intensive and deep research based studies and have been evaluated continuously to develop as per the changing world.

So now the question therefore is “how do we best help children achieve the full potential of development of the brain?”

• An Enriched Environment for brain development: They define an enriched environment as one that includes a steady source of environmental support, nutritious diet, stimulates all senses, atmosphere free from stress and enjoyable, challenging, allows social interaction, promotes development, and gives the child a chance to assess the results of their actions, all in all allows the child to be an active participant rather than a passive observer (Diamond and Hopson, 1998)

• Learning by experience: every new experience creates new connections in the brain which leads to development of brain and a new skill. Repeated experience strengthens the connection. Unused connections disappear is not used leading to forgetting.

#earlychildhood #kids #cognitivedevelopment