The Developing Brain

“Your brain is changing every minute of the day, from your time in the womb until the moment you die.” Abigail Baird, Ph.D.

According to the most recent brain studies, the brain develops at a remarkable rate from birth through the teen years. At birth, your brain is the size it is right now! That’s one or the reasons why babies have such large noggins relative to the rest of their bodies.

The most critical time periods for development of the brain are when it can most easily make new connections, strengthen existing ones, and get rid of unnecessary connections.

The First Three Years:

The toddler years are an unparalleled time for learning. That’s because during the first three years of life, a child’s brain may have double the number synapses as an adult brain. These extra synapses are important. They fine-tune the brain’s communication connections – and they do so through experience. Every interaction with the environment has the power to shape your child’s brain. That’s why the most valuable thing you can provide your child is experience.

The Teenage Years:

Any parent of a teen knows that these years are full of changes. While we often think of the physical developments that occur during this time, it’s important to recognize the incredible changes that are occurring in your teen’s brain. As a child approaches adolescence, the prefrontal cortex, often referred to as the “executive control” center of the brain, continues to mature – with a significant spurt of growth just before puberty. The pre-frontal cortex has to do with the development of a person’s ability to focus, pay attention, learn impulse control methods, complete tasks, and develop short-term memory abilities.

But once a child reaches adolescence, scientists have discovered, they undergo another burst of “synaptic pruning.” That means important connections are strengthened as unnecessary ones are discarded – or simply, out with the old and in with the new. Just like the toddler years, adolescence is a time in which the human brain is primed to learn through experience.

Adolescence, then, is basically an in-between time, where young people can gain the experience and the skills they need to grow into fully functioning adults.

One specialist in the field of neuroscience named Abigail Baird has spent her entire career studying the so-called “teen species.” She often compares the teen years to a second toddlerhood. Neurologically, she reports, “there are three big systems that get boosts during both the toddler years and the again in adolescence. The first involves the language systems. Two-year-olds are acquiring their first language. But adolescents get a language boost, too. But they’re acquiring social language (like slang) that helps them understand overall social communication.

The second big brain renovation is in the systems involved with abstract thought. When your typical two-year-old starts telling you ‘no,’ it’s because these systems are online. They start having their own thoughts and understand that there are alternatives to what you are telling them to do.

Adolescents, too, get a boost in abstract thinking. It’s almost like another layer. Now the adolescent has some extra horsepower in this area to start questioning more about things.

The final big change is independence. There’s a drive to be more self-sufficient. And both age-groups go through that, too. And you’ll see heightened parent/child conflicts as the kids break out and start doing more on their own.”  

6 Simple Ways to Enhance Children’s Brain Development:

1. Enrich Your Child’s Environment: Making sure your child has access to stimulating environment is key to building the kind of brain that will support strong learning later in life.
2. Nurture Your Child: Study after study suggests that chronic stress can derail normal brain development. But there’s a quick fix: a little extra cuddling. This bolsters brain circuits involved in both emotional regulation, impulse control and overall executive function.
3. Read and Talk Often: Exposing your child to lots of words, both in conversation and in written texts, greatly promotes brain growth and learning.
4. Invest in Music Lessons: Children who play musical instruments tend to excel in academics: especially in reading, non-verbal reasoning, and focus. Music gives the brain a special kind of workout.
5. Promote Play Time: Children learn best through self-directed play, not through flash cards.
6. Let Your Child Take Some Risks: Letting your child take supervised physical risks helps them to better understand the relationship rest of the world. So let your child explore, climb and try new things – it will promote learning by strengthening the brain circuits responsible for emotional regulation, motor control, and decision-making.