Neural Connections: Neurological foundations for rational thinking, problem solving and general reasoning appear to be largely established by age one. Not so much what is wired but how much of the brain gets interconnected in the first years of life seems to be the determining factor. Dr. Lazar from Vanderbilt University stated, “The complexity of the synaptic web laid down early may very well be the physical basis of what we call general intelligence. The more complex that set of interconnections, the brighter the child is likely to be since there are more ways to sort, file and access experiences.”

Infants: Broadcaster – Parents and caregivers need to surround babies with language to help shape their brain’s development. One of the best ways to do this is to be a “broadcaster,” talking about what the infant is doing and seeing. Adults should try to describe the activities the child is engaged in, their emotions, and what they are looking at. Then all activities become language activities where infants learn language naturally by hearing it used in context. Hearing language used constantly and meaningfully during a child’s routine of the day becomes a powerful language lesson.

Toddlers: Movement Exercises– Carla Hannaford in her book Smart Moves: Why Learning is Not All in Your Head says “Physical movement from earliest infancy… plays an important role in the creation of nerve cell network which are actually the essence of learning.” Sensory motor stimulation is needed for brain development. Have toddlers get down of the floor and crawl around like the animals in the forest. Use fingerplays and chants like “Baa Baa Black Sheep” to draw their attention while they are doing these movement exercises. Encourage them to make animal sounds while they crawl about.

Preschoolers: Scarves and Streamers – Children use their own bodies as the tools for their discoveries to learn about timing of movement when they go fast or slow, start or stop, move in a steady or sporadic way. They learn to time their movements to musical phrases or beats as they coordinate sound and movements. Using scarves and streamers to move to the music does just that. Use classical music such as “The Nutcracker Suite.”

Brain Wiring: At birth a baby’s brain contains 100 billion neurons, roughly as many nerve cells as there are stars in the Milky Way. These neurons spin out a web of wire like fibers known as axons (which transmit signals) and dendrites (which receive them). The objective is to form a synapse, (connection) the gap like structure over which the axon of one neuron beams a signal to the dendrites of another neuron. This neural activity is driven by a flood of sensory experiences, which produces trillions more connections or synapses, between neurons. Every thought we think, every move we make, and every word we say is based on the electrical and chemical communication between neurons. Dr. Patricia Kuhl, a neuroscientist at the University of Washington in Seattle stated “We now know that neural connections are formed very early in life and that the brain is literally waiting for experiences to determine how connections are made.”

Where You Are Now Depends On Where You’ve Been - (Esther Thelen)