We all have music that brings back memories. Growing up, I would listen to music every night in my room before I went to sleep. I would listen to folk music, musical and movie soundtracks.
As I got older, I developed a love for all kinds of music from jazz to punk and found music to be a way to express myself, deal with emotions, and connect to other people.
An affinity for music is one of the things my husband and I have in common and we sing to our favorite songs to our kids every night before bedtime.
More importantly, it turns out that singing to your kids every day is an excellent way to stimulate brain development. According to First 5 California, if you can develop a simple habit of talking, reading, and singing with your child every day, they can reap the benefits of a larger vocabulary, more developed social and emotional skills, and better financial success in their lives.
Get a FREE kit for New Parents with a board book!
Just check out "Kit for New Parents" under "Services and Support".
Just check out "Kit for New Parents" under "Services and Support".
School success starts from the moment your baby is born.
Babies who are read and talked to early often develop better vocabularies and wind up doing better in school.
Synapses that do not “connect” in your child’s brain through early experiences, interactions and stimulation are unfortunately lost, and they don’t come back.
Your child’s increased vocabulary means he or she will be less likely to drop out of school later, and that equates to earning $1 million more dollars in lifetime income.
By the time your child is 3 years old, he or she should know or recognize about 1,000 words.
Children who learn fewer words by age 3 suffer with poorer vocabularies and are behind when they start school, often never catching up.
By the age of 5, your child’s brain will have grown to 90% of its adult size. But even earlier than that, by age 3, it’s already reached 82% of its size.
What are some things we can do to improve brain development?
Establish a daily routine of reading, talking, and singing.
Read for 30 minutes each day, even if it is in 10 minute increments.
Ask your baby questions, even if they can't talk yet to help build their vocabulary.
Bring a book everywhere you go.
Get a free library card and attend story time at your local library.
Have a lot of conversations about everyday things with your child.
Take your child outside and point out animals, birds, bugs, flowers when you see them.
If they don't like to read books, try books with finger puppets, lift-the-flap books, sliding window books, baby's first dictionary or ABCs books.
Join a playgroup where there is a lot of talking between moms and babies.
If you aren't a good reader, tell stories from your childhood, make up a fairy tale.
Visit the Activity Center at First 5 California for some ideas on things you can do with little ones at different ages and stages.
Also check out their Learning Center for more information and insights into your child's brain.
You can also find some helpful Videos and Downloads here.
Check out all the resources First 5 California has for babies and little kids and don't forget to order your Free Kit for New Parents under "Services and Support".
The kit includes a Puppy and Friends touch-and-feel board book, a DVD, Advice for New Parents reference book and more. Kits are available in English, Spanish, Cantonese, Korean, Mandarin, and Vietnamese.
First 5 California funds programs to educate parents, grandparents, caregivers, and teachers about the important role they have during a child’s first five years of life.
First 5 California funds programs to educate parents, grandparents, caregivers, and teachers about the important role they have during a child’s first five years of life.
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It is always great to share brain development information for the benefit of children! You have shared some valuable points! You may want to consider making one adjustment.
ReplyDeleteSince the brain makes new connections throughout life, the statement: "Synapses that do not “connect” in your child’s brain through early experiences, interactions and stimulation are unfortunately lost, and they don’t come back." could be corrected. It could instead explain that the most rapid time for making synaptic connections is during the early months and years of life. So it is of course most beneficial to have the most positive experiences during this time to wire the foundation of the brain optimally from the start. The good news is however, we can make new connections at all ages.
This would be great for my granddaughter, who is a new mom
ReplyDeleteI like reading about the brain works.Thank you for the chance :)
ReplyDeletesue-hull64(at)comcast(dot)net