The brain, a formidable organ

Rich experiences—play, artistic pursuits, and thriving relationships established with others—fundamentally shape a child's development.

The basic architecture of the brain is built through an ongoing process that begins before birth and continues to restructure throughout life. During childhood, the brain experiences impressive growth: an explosion of synapse formation between neurons, which play a vital role in learning, memory formation and adaptation in early life. Once the brain forms a synapse, it can be strengthened or weakened depending on how often it is used. The more active the connection, the stronger it will be. 

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Constant stimulation and exposure of children to valuable growth contexts causes synapses to grow and become permanent. 

The first years of life are the most active period for establishing neural connections, and to ensure that this dynamic process is as valuable as possible, as parents, teachers, caregivers or responsible adults, we must ensure that we provide the necessary conditions development of each child. 

HOW DO WE ENCOURAGE A LOVE OF LEARNING?

The dominant type of mindset (rigid or growth-focused) is trained from an early age. Young children need to enjoy the learning process, understand why failure is an important step, and practice resilience, perseverance, and analytical skills. Also, even now, the little ones need to understand that talents and abilities are developed through effort, rather than being innately fixed. Children will learn to love learning if we show enthusiasm for the process instead of fixating on the results. 

WE FOCUS ON SCOPE

One way to avoid a focus on outcomes at this stage of development is to emphasize the breadth of skill development over depth. Exposing children to a wide variety of activities lays the foundation for developing skills in a range of diverse areas. This is the time to engage children in music, reading, sports, math, art, science and foreign languages.

In his book Range, David Epstein argues that the breadth of experience is often overlooked and underappreciated. Focusing on excellence in a single activity may be appropriate at some point in life, but in an ultra-dynamic reality, people who thrive are those who first learn to draw inspiration from multiple fields and think creatively and abstractly. 

WE NEED EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Among all the academic topics we tackle with the little ones, it is essential not to neglect the process of developing emotional intelligence. The benefits of learning during this critical first period of brain development should extend to interpersonal skills such as kindness, empathy and teamwork.

Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson explain the importance of developing children's empathy in their book "The Whole-Brain Child". Empathy starts with recognizing your own feelings; therefore, they suggest that the number one step towards building emotional intelligence is to support young ones to correctly identify their own feelings and experiences, and then to give reasons for their emotions. Once children practice labeling emotions, educators can begin to ask questions that encourage them to consider the feelings of others.

One way to encourage caring for others is to provide examples of good practice, every day!

It is easier and less expensive to form strong brain circuits in the early years of life than to intervene or repair them later.

Cognitive, emotional and social capacities are in a continuous process of transformation. The brain is a highly integrated organ, and its multiple functions operate in coordination with each other. Emotional well-being and social competence provide a solid foundation for emerging cognitive abilities, and together they are the bricks and mortar of the brain's architecture. The emotional and physical health, social skills and cognitive-linguistic abilities that emerge in the early years of life are all important for success in school, the workplace and the wider community.

*Article written by Veronica Dunga, KEN Academy trainer.