Parenting Information

The Metamorphosis of The Brain: Raising Your child to be a Brainiac


The human brain never actually stops developing. Beginning formation in early prenatal life (just 3 weeks after conception), the brain's development is a lifelong endevour, endlessly under construction, constantly reshaping and redefining itself based on everyday life and the types of stimulation that we provide for it.

When children receive loving care from a parent, neural connections are formed and strengthened between the brain cells. Warm responsive parents who speak to their kids, cuddle with them and provide challenging learning experiences, promote healthy brain development. But neglectful parents who hardly talk to their children (unless their typical sentence starts with the word "don't") and plop them down in front of the television for hours, on the other hand, are doing their kids's brains a terrible injustice. Babies really do thrive on this interaction much the same way that trees tend to thrive on water and sun. Researchers have discovered that kids who are often talked to by their moms learn nearly three hundred more words by age 2 than kids whose moms hardly spoke to them.

And it would appear that mere exposure to language through TV doesn't quite cut it. Kids need to hear people speak right to them about how they are seeing the world around them.

The biggest difference between the child brain and the adult brain is that the young brain is simply much more impressionable. Here are a few tips to raising a Brainiac: First, be a warm, responsive and loving parent. Respond to your child's perplexities and try to answer his or her questions. It is important to talk, read and sing to your child.

Encourage your child to learn a second language. In addition, establish different rituals and routines. Limit that television watching and encourage safe play and exploration. It is also important to expose your child to as many things as possible. Recognize the uniqueness in each childand choose mentally stimulating child care. And finally, make sure your child gets enough omega-3' fatty acids. For more details about brain function visit Fish Oil and Brain Researchand learn more.

Ryan Joseph is a writer/researcher. For more information go to http://www.thewellnessportal.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Anderson court records detail accused killer's commitment to parenting
Anderson Independent Mail, SC - 4 hours ago
In 2006, family court officials ordered both parents to submit to drug tests and to comply with court-ordered behaviors, including the exposure of their ...


Examiner.com

Parenting Tip of the Day: Watch the sugar
Examiner.com - 4 hours ago
by Terreece Clarke, Parenting Examiner Though I'm writing this with the holidays in mind, this is actually a good tip for any time - watch the amount of ...


Sydney Morning Herald

The TV channel to good parenting
Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia - 8 hours ago
I AM not ashamed to say that TV makes me a better parent. Too much TV isn't good for kids, but a bit of it sure is good for mums and dads. ...
Parents defy experts on television and computers Melbourne Herald Sun
all 24 news articles


Examiner.com

(ie San Francisco hiking, San Francisco parenting)
Examiner.com - 9 hours ago
My parents gave me a magic kit one Christmas. In it was a little tube of gooey salve that if you rubbed between your fingers, smoke would rise up. ...


Should Schools Close on Inauguration Day?
Washington Post, United States - 3 hours ago
Let us know in the comments here or on the On Parenting blog. Stay on top of the latest from Inauguration Watch! This easy-to-use widget is simple to add to ...


Interaction of Parenting Experiences and Brain Structure in the ...
Archives of General Psychiatry - 1 hour ago
Objective To examine the influence of adverse parenting as an environmental moderator of the association between brain structure and depressive symptoms. ...


(ie San Francisco hiking, San Francisco parenting)
Examiner.com - 9 hours ago
by Mark Donovan, Boston Bars & Clubs Examiner This Friday will mark the 75th anniversary of the end of Prohibition. And you know what that means: Debauchery ...


Telegraph.co.uk

Parenting: The Idle Parent
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - 10 hours ago
It is highly critical, for example, of full-time day care for small children, arguing that, in the early years, the child needs its parents to be close by. ...


(ie San Francisco hiking, San Francisco parenting)
Examiner.com - 9 hours ago
by Onajide Shabaka, Miami Visual Art Examiner by Onajide Shabaka Is it really been 10 years that Locust Projects has been part of our cultural landscape? ...


(ie San Francisco hiking, San Francisco parenting)
Examiner.com - 9 hours ago
by Mary Purdey, Allston Community Examiner Thanksgiving is now over for another year. I hope that everyone had a good time this past week, ...

Parenting - Google News

home | site map
© 2006