Adults have opposing views when it comes to a child's brain development. Some think that intervening and improving childcare for infants and toddlers have more impact on brain development, but others believe that pre-school is a perfect time to invest in a child's learning process.
Past research studies have tackled the infant/toddler intervention vs. pre-school debate. According to the U.S. News & World Report, 85 percent of brain development occurs before a child reaches three years old, and that investing in pre-schools or pre-kindergarten is too late for a child's learning and brain development.
Infant & Toddler Development Programs And Pre-School Complement Each Other
There are also studies claiming that pre-school learning fade out as time passes, and it is better that care and education models start as early as infancy. However, it's also true that learning investments in toddlers and infants are pointless if follow-up education programs in pre-school and elementary school aren't provided.
Providing children with development programs during their early years influence their ability to form relationships and interact with other people as they grow up. Basically, this means that infant and toddler development programs are more efficient as complements for pre-school, rather than as its replacement.
Books And Toys Help, Too
A young child's learning and brain development can also happen in the comfort of their own homes. Something as simple as parents reading to their child before he/s she learns how to read can impact their brain development.
According to a report by PBS, reading to a child beginning on his/her infancy stage boosts their brain development, cognition, language skills and helps them navigate through new situations and environments. Reading also creates a special bond between parent and child.
Charles Nelson, who studies how early experiences affect brain and behavioral development, said the first few years of brain development is akin to the construction of the frame of a house, The Atlantic reported. A child thrives in a supportive and loving environment, which makes them likely to stay in school when they grow up and become productive adults.
Playing is also crucial to a child's brain development, but this doesn't mean providing them with the best toys or the priciest gadgets. It's more beneficial when they create their own toys and play-worlds. For instance, a child constructing a dollhouse from pieces of paper and tape indicates that he/she is using her imagination, which means that the brain is being stimulated.
