The Importance of Everyday Interactions for Early Brain Development

Can you remember the last time you played peek-a-boo with a young child? You may think it is just a fun child’s game, but actually it is helping brains of very young children develop.

A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Connecticut highlights that baby talk in one-on-one conversations with young children is important for their language development, but, did you know, it’s also important for their brain development, too?

Ninety percent of a child’s brain develops during the first three years of her or his life. The brain of a young infant is wired to make infinite connections between brain cells and by age three, has produced billions of cells and hundreds of trillions of connections. These connections are critical for establishing positive developmental strides and are made through daily, repeated positive experiences with parents and caregivers. When parents and caregivers engage in baby talk conversations and play activities with their toddlers like peek-a-boo, banging on pots and pans, filling a box or bucket with objects to dump and fill again, they’re helping the development of learning through trial and error.  

Many parents are not aware of the importance of these activities though. In fact, a recent Arizona statewide survey reported that 50 percent of parents believe their children learn just as much from watching television as from being with their parents! In order to intervene early with parents, at the University of Arizona, I lead a 12-week intervention program comprised of cohorts of up to eight parents run by early childhood community educators at Family Resource Centers.

Original Source:  Huffpost

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