The brain is the most immature of all organs at birth. How it grows was thought to be determined by genetics, scientists now believe that it is highly dependent on the child's experiences. The belief is that the "plasticity" of the brain (it's ability to grow and develop in different and changing ways) will cause the brain to adopt to it's experiences, environment and needs.
The brain consists of many areas. Each area has millions of neurons ( nerve cells) that speak to each other by sending messages through synapses. These synapses are your brains wiring system. The areas of the brain communicate to each other in this manner. Neurons (nerve cells) have branches on them called dendrites and axons. Dendrites bring information to the nerve cells and axons take information away from the nerve cell. Information is passed from one nerve cell to another through a synapse.
The number of connections will influence how the brain functions. For the most part we do not develop new nerve cells but rather we develop new synapses. In early childhood the brain is programmed to create new synapses. This is our window of opportunity. By facilitating varied and new experiences for our children, particularly before three years old, we facilitate the creation of new synapses. We now understand that what a child experiences in the first years of life will effect how his brain will develop and how he will interact with the world throughout his life.
So get creative with your baby and enjoy the variety of experiences that life has to offer.
No comments:
Post a Comment