As a parent, you begin your child’s early learning at home. You talk to your child. You interact and play with him. The social, emotional, visual, and auditory experiences you provide help your child develop the early skills he will use over a lifetime.
You also give your child’s brain a strong beginning through your efforts. When you place your young child in an early childhood education environment, you take another step toward providing the best possible start for his young brain. Quality education continues and enhances the essential brain-building work you began at home.
How your child’s brain develops
Brain building sounds like an abstract idea, but it’s based on scientific concepts. From age zero to five, your child’s brain is flexible. As a new building under construction, your child’s daily experiences and challenges help him build his brain from the ground up. Your child needs daily input to help it grow. A blend of family and early childhood educational activities provides the building blocks your child’s brain needs to thrive.
Research published by the First Five Years Fund explains that young children develop 1 million new neural connections every second. As your child’s brain develops, it responds to positive and negative input. As a parent, you play an exciting role during your child’s brain-formative years. You get to choose the care and educational experiences that determine how your child’s brain will grow.
Positive versus negative brain experiences
When your child has access to positive home experiences and quality early childhood educational experiences, his brain responds enthusiastically. Positive experiences with family and friends nurture your child’s brain during critical early growth and development stages. Quality, early childhood learning environments provide growth-enhancing opportunities for work, play, and social interaction. Both work together to give your child a boost in developing cognitive, social, physical, and emotional skills.
Social interactions are critical to your child’s brain growth, and adverse experiences can affect his brain growth in negative ways. When a young child consistently endures family, economic, or other trauma, his brain responds accordingly.
Adverse childhood experiences sometimes cause long term stress reactions. They can sabotage a young child’s brain during its critical development stages. Also, negative experiences adversely affect your child’s cognitive, emotional, and social growth by altering essential brain connections during the formative years.
Shaping your child’s future
Ages one through five are critical years for your child’s brain development. During this timeframe, your child’s experiences help build a foundation for a lifetime of accomplishments. Beyond the first five years, your child’s brain becomes less flexible and less responsive to change. While you have the opportunity, it’s essential to carefully consider the family, educational, and social choices you make for your child and his brain.
Contact The Learning Center
TLC has campuses in Windsor, South Windsor, and Manchester. Complete our contact form to find out more about daycare and educational opportunities for your child. You can also reach out to us to learn more about quality education and how it affects young brains.