As a parent, you may not realise how very much your child’s brain develops. We know that children’s brains are like sponges and that they soak up the information quickly in the first few years, but did you know that while an adult’s brain is made up of millions of brain cells that a baby’s brain has even more?
As a parent, you may not realise how very much your child’s brain develops. We know that children’s brains are like sponges and that they soak up the information quickly in the first few years, but did you know that while an adult’s brain is made up of millions of brain cells that a baby’s brain has even more? The brain develops at such a fast rate and it is one thing that constantly surprises parents too. As parents, we constantly concentrate on how much our child grows but never consider the brain power that is ongoing inside their little heads. From birth to age 5, a child’s brain develops more than at any other time in life. Here is a bit more about your child’s brain development.
The first year
Before your baby is even born their brain cells develop rapidly developing billions if not trillions of connections among themselves. This interesting insight dictates how your baby will develop as a person and how they act or think as a result. Babies learn quickly, how to communicate with their parents and they learn immediately from what they see you do. In the first year, it is vital you talk to your baby to prepare them for language and social skills.
Tots
Through their brain development toddlers eventually learn how to express their emotions and they develop social skills too, consistently. Talking to kids at this age is paramount to their development as simple instructions and conversations ultimately pave the future for your child’s brain progress and abilities. Babies and tots can process the language they are spoken to by their parents. However, toddlers are prone to tantrums because they lack the skills to control themselves and are mentally incapable of sharing or thinking outside of their own feelings. Most toddlers are not to blame for their bad behaviour – it is simply science.
School-age kids
Once your child enters school their brain continues to develop and unsurprisingly, the brain can be negatively affected if the child is bullied. It is amazing to think that such experiences influence the brains power. Children of this age will be better able to manage their emotions at times and they are more coordinated too. They can physically perform better and understand instructions as given to them. Kids will begin to play more, and they will build last relationships with friends. By the time a child reaches 6 years old, their brain will be nearly the size of an adult one yet, they have so much more to learn.
Teenagers
We know teenagers behave completely different from adults and there is a very good reason or that. Their brains are not fully developed until they are at least 25 years old. Teenagers tend to love listening to music and this is good for their brain development and it also helps with their blood pressure and heart rate. Exercise is always attributed to healthy mental health and it makes sense considering exercise improves the flow of blood to the brain. With the beginning of puberty, a teenager’s brain develops, and it is now that teens begin to do what they love because their brain connects with certain activities. They may change to being reckless or emotional due to their development and it can make parenting challenging, but it is part and parcel of teenage development.
Written by Emma Hayes staff writer at FFHQ who also blogs at www.emmamadjotters.com.
