Why Are 0-3 Years So Important in Brain Development?

Research proves that the first few years are crucial to a child’s brain development. In reality these are the years that children receive the least attention from the world of education. However your toddler’s brain is twice as active as yours!

 

A Critical Time!

The brain is the most rapidly growing of all organs during the first few years. Research has also shown that the unique stimuli and experiences encountered in this ‘critical period’ develop and strengthen basic neural pathways such as

• sensory pathways (hearing and vision),
• social and emotional pathways,
• the basic pathways that will support reading and mathematics, development of control over the muscles; large motor skills (mainly using the legs and arms) and fine motor skills (mainly using the hands/fingers and feet/toes)
•  coordination.

You Are Your Brain! 

Nurturing relationships and varied experiences are shown to increase new connections (synapses) in the brain and enhance learning during the critically sensitive period of 0-3 years of age, having an effect on the architecture of the brain and the nature and extent of adult capacities.

Love Helps Learning

Children who are stressed, deprived of stimulation and lack nurturing relationships, are more likely to experience developmental delays leading to poorer school readiness and reading problems.

http://www.kidsdevelopment.co.uk/BrainDevelopmentYoungChildren.html