“All children are born geniuses, and we spend the first six years of their lives degeniusing them.”
R. Buckminster Fuller
Maybe you are a mom or expecting a baby. If so, you probably want to know how you can maximize his or her intelligence. Is this predestined, or are we able to potentiate the intelligence in our child. If there is anything modern neuroscience continuously reinforces, it’s that you can actually make a difference! We want to talk about how your baby’s brain works and how stimulation helps an infant’s brain development for long term growth and health.
The plasticity of a baby and toddler’s brain gives parents the opportunity to enhance the brain development of our child through developmentally-appropriate activities:
Though a brain continues to develop throughout a person’s life, the years of 0 to 3 are the most important for reasons such as
1) The brain is one quarter of its adult size by birth
2) 90% of the brain develops by the age three
3) The plasticity of the baby and toddlers brain is more susceptible to their enriching influences
4) Environmental influences such as parent’s teachings are amongst the strongest of contributors in provoking a healthy brain
Therefore, parents and caregivers hold the potential to enhance or inhibit a child’s brain potential.
Wow!!! We, the parents, hold the essence of potential for our child’s brain development. Is it a lot of pressure? No, what a challenge, opportunity, and gift! The unfolding of our child’s potential is not predetermined, but can lay in our determination. How exciting!!!
Feature Photo credit: jrduboc via VisualHunt / CC BY
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