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90% of Brain Growth Happens Before Kindergarten

90% of Brain Growth Happens Before Kindergarten The brain doubles in size in the first year and grows to 90% of its adult size by age 5. During early childhood, the brain develops through forming connections between neurons, with over 1 million new connections made every second. These connections are built through interactions with caregivers and experiences that help different areas of the brain develop responsible for things like movement, language, and emotion. The early years provide the best opportunity for the brain to form essential connections needed to be healthy and successful adults, as it is much harder later in life.

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22 views

90% of Brain Growth Happens Before Kindergarten

90% of Brain Growth Happens Before Kindergarten The brain doubles in size in the first year and grows to 90% of its adult size by age 5. During early childhood, the brain develops through forming connections between neurons, with over 1 million new connections made every second. These connections are built through interactions with caregivers and experiences that help different areas of the brain develop responsible for things like movement, language, and emotion. The early years provide the best opportunity for the brain to form essential connections needed to be healthy and successful adults, as it is much harder later in life.

Uploaded by

Edz Nacion
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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90% of Brain Growth Happens Before Kindergarten

At birth, the average baby’s brain is about a quarter of the size of the
average adult brain. Incredibly, it doubles in size in the first year. It keeps
growing to about 80% of adult size by age 3 and 90% – nearly full grown –
by age 5.

The brain is the command center of the human body. A newborn baby has
all of the brain cells (neurons) they’ll have for the rest of their life, but it’s
the connections between these cells that really make the brain work.
Brain connections enable us to move, think, communicate and do just
about everything. The early childhood years are crucial for making these
connections. At least one million new neural connections (synapses) are
made every second, more than at any other time in life.

Different areas of the brain are responsible for different abilities, like
movement, language and emotion, and develop at different rates. Brain
development builds on itself, as connections eventually link with each
other in more complex ways. This enables the child to move and speak
and think in more complex ways.

The early years are the best opportunity for a child’s brain to develop the
connections they need to be healthy, capable, successful adults. The
connections needed for many important, higher-level abilities like
motivation, self-regulation, problem solving and communication are
formed in these early years – or not formed. It’s much harder for these
essential brain connections to be formed later in life.

How Brain Connections Are Built


Starting from birth, children develop brain connections through their
everyday experiences. They’re built through positive interactions with
their parents and caregivers and by using their senses to interact with the
world. A young child’s daily experiences determine which brain
connections develop and which will last for a lifetime. The amount and
quality of care, stimulation and interaction they receive in their early years
makes all the difference.

Caring, Responsive Relationships


A child’s relationships with the adults in their life are the most important
influences on their brain development. Loving relationships with
responsive, dependable adults are essential to a child’s healthy
development. These relationships begin at home, with parents and family,
but also include child care providers, teachers and other members of the
community.

From birth, young children serve up invitations to engage with their


parents and other adult caregivers. Babies do it by cooing and smiling and
crying. Toddlers communicate their needs and interests more directly.
Each of these little invitations is an opportunity for the caregiver to be
responsive to the child’s needs. This “serve and return” process is
fundamental to the wiring of the brain. Parents and caregivers who give
attention, respond and interact with their child are literally building the
child’s brain. That’s why it’s so important to talk, sing, read and play with
young children from the day they’re born, to give them opportunities to
explore their physical world, and to provide safe, stable and nurturing
environments.

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