Key Factors That Contribute to a Child’s Brain Development
Posted On: April 22, 2018 By Jim Newton
As parents, we all want what’s best for our children. We know that it’s important for them to: get a good night’s sleep; be fed nutritious foods throughout the day; learn to build social skills by playing with other children; and have a caring, loving home to return to at the end of each day. It’s difficult enough some days to meet those basic needs without adding the confusing topic of brain development. The fact is, children’s brains are developing, and there are certain factors that greatly contribute to the outcome. Of course we all want our children to be intelligent, but brain function also contributes to qualities like empathy and compassion, understanding and forgiveness, and decision-making and self-awareness. As a parent, you’re not alone if you are at a total loss of how to achieve what seems like the huge task of making sure your child’s brain development goes well. However, many of the key factors that contribute to a well-developed mind are likely things you already implicitly know and attempt each day with your kids. Here are some of the big ones:
Nutrition and Exercise
Have you ever had a busy day and forgotten to eat? Or been unable to eat something healthy, so you settle for a sugar-filled snack? The answer is “yes,” and to tell you the truth we’ve all been there. Have you ever spent your entire day off in front of the computer or TV because it was “too cold outside” to go for a walk or you just didn’t feel like it? Again, the answer is yes, for all of us. As adults, with essentially “fully-developed” brains, our diet and exercise certainly plays a part in our overall health, happiness, and energy levels, but it doesn’t affect our brains the same way it affects our children’s. The very matter of a child’s brain can be altered by what they put inside their bodies—just look at how they behave when they’re all hopped up on sugar!
Social Interactions with Caring People
At the end of a hard day, sometimes we need to be alone—or sometimes what we really need is someone to give us a hug and vent to about our experiences. Children also need this type of constructive, meaningful relationship with adults they can trust and rely on for support and comfort. When children don’t feel they can rely on the people in their life for those things, whether it be parents, teachers, aunts, uncles, babysitters, or really anyone who spends a significant amount of time with them, they can feel isolated and alone, which impacts how they think and view the world. Scientific studies have found that sometimes a simple hug or understanding conversation can calm brain activity and bridge gaps in synapses.
Structure and Consistency in Different Environments
Discipline is an important part of children’s upbringing in that it offers them structure and consistency—a dependable model they can rely on for guidance while they’re figuring out the world and themselves. Through healthy disciplinary techniques, and explaining in your child’s language the reasons why we as adults must discipline them can ease your child’s anxiety and help them connect logical brain processes with emotional development in a healthy way.
Talking Through Tough Emotions
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of your child’s brain development is teaching them how to identify, express, and regulate their own emotions. Most parents don’t realize that brain development plays such a critical role in emotions, that it’s easy for them to become angry, frustrated, or fed up with children’s egocentrism and “bad behavior.” Children often struggle with making sense of how they’re feeling, and it’s our job to help them understand themselves better—especially when it relates to others. Talking through tough emotions and engaging with your child will help them feel safe to explore their emotions and learn ways of identifying them and coping with them as they grow into healthy adults.
Our Philosophy on Children’s Development
The truth is that we are all born different. Some children might pose more challenges to parents, while others are labeled “easy” kids. The fact of the matter is that your child’s brain is not fully-developed yet, and this certainly affects their behavior. Certain circumstances can help their developmental process along better than others, and at Great Beginnings Child Care and Learning Center in Sugar Hill, GA, we gear all of our programs and interactions with children toward enhancing their intellectual, social, and emotional development. It is our mission to strengthen and unify families in our community with the services we provide. If you’re interested in how we can help you and your child feel more at ease about their development, please contact us directly.
prescription de cialis click here They have a smaller student to faculty ratio, around 13 students to 1 teacher. He who order levitra took Fo-Ti and reinstated his black hair, youthful look and sexual energy. 4. So you should follow the physician instruction and should take the dosages as advised in order to restrict any major health issue or the developments of the adverse reactions in the form of diarrhea, upset stomach, seizure, redness sildenafil samples in the face, especially the nasal area. viagra generika http://appalachianmagazine.com/2018/1/page/2/ However, the role of traditional Chinese medicine treatment are not usually used except the last one.
