Learning Lessons: Four Key Connections to Foster Your Child’s Early Development

By Tanisha Turner

The brain develops faster in the first five years of life than at any other point, and studies show that the human brain is never more receptive than during this time period. Understanding some key facts behind children’s brain development can help parents and caregivers better support a child’s learning during this critical time.

Dr. Laura Jana, a pediatrician, award-winning author, and member of the Primrose Schools Early Learning Council, employs four key connections to help explain why the first five years are critical for children’s development:

1. Connecting the Neurons. Babies are born with more than 100 billion nerve cells in their brains. These neurons must connect and communicate with each other in order to form the circuits needed to think, learn, and succeed – something neurons do at the remarkable rate of 700 connections per second in the first five years of life. In fact, peak development of sensory pathways, such as hearing, vision, and language, occurs during the first six months of life. Parents can make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity by nurturing their child’s natural desire to explore, asking meaningful questions, and creating as many learning experiences as possible.

2. Making Connections with Caring, Responsive Adults. The everyday back-and-forth interactions adults have with babies – from babbling to singing, cooing and other responsive gestures – shape brain development far more than parents and caregivers may realize. Research from The Continued on page 15