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It
is very interesting to read all the articles on the latest research
into infant brain development. Governments all around the world are
sitting up and taking notice of what many early childhood educators
and parents have known for years – that the interactions a child
has in the first seven years of their life greatly affect healthy
brain development, social competence and creative thinking skills.
So
what does it all mean to us as parents? At first I thought we were
going to be bombarded with all this information about accelerated
learning and using flash cards to teach two year olds reading! But
no, the answers are incredibly simple and point us back to
old-fashioned values and ideas which are central to our
quolkids fundamentals. Some of the important points include:
-
The
connections in an infant's brain are not complete and continually
develop. Environmental
influences and experiences in the early years will determine how
well this process is allowed to happen;
-
Healthy
development of these connections or healthy early brain development
is more likely to occur in a stress free, nurturing environment;
-
This
stress-free environment ideally is one which nurtures trust,
individuality, imitation, learning potential, and significant
relationships with adults;
-
Nurturing
imitation acknowledges the importance of providing a good role
model, a beautiful environment full of rich daily experiences,
and the fact that sensory experiences for young children impacts
on them deeply;
-
Nurturing
learning allows long uninterrupted periods for imaginative play,
providing play materials which enhance this, ample opportunity
for outside play, allowing children to become involved in
household tasks, and the opportunity for children to make their
own decisions sometimes.
The
wonderful thing about all this is that it proves motherhood is truly
one of life’s most honourable professions. It gives a pat on the
back to every parent who has chosen to stay home with their children
in those vital early years. Every time you sit down to do a puzzle
with your child, every time you go out into the garden, or sing them
a song, or read them a book, you are helping that little brain make
those connections!! Just being with your child, connecting with
them, involving them in daily tasks and giving them lots of rich
experiences is laying a solid foundation for a lifetime.
You can’t
get that time back – so if it is at all possible, spend as much
quality time as you can with your child today. It truly is about
quality of life, about recognising the significance of those
precious early years. You may have to make some sacrifices and get
back to basics to give you the time but, as the research shows, it
is the simple things that are the most important.
For those mums who choose to or need to work, the importance of choosing a
carer and a child-care environment is something which needs very
careful consideration. The reassuring thing here is that governments
and professionals are taking this research very seriously, so we
should start to see some welcome changes in the quality of
childcare.
The
findings are very supportive of the ideas presented in our Education
Booklet and are similar to many of the approaches used in early
Waldorf /Steiner education.
The
heartening message which comes out of all of this is that by doing
the most motherly of things, holding your child, cuddling them,
talking and singing to them, and looking deeply into their eyes, you
are doing the best thing possible for them. Nature had it worked out
a long time ago, parents know it intuitively, but isn’t it nice
that technology can prove to us that children and simplicity go very
well together.
The
two articles Infant Brain Research and
Stress-free Environments give
a good summary of the findings.
References
Lawrence,
H (2000) Stress-free environments- promoting healthy brain
development.
Every
Child, Volume 6, No.1,
Autumn 2000
Linke,
P (2000) Infant Brain Research – What is it and what does it mean?
Every
Child, Volume 6, No.1,
Autumn 2000
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