UNDERSTANDING THE GROWING BRAIN
BY CATHY ALBRO
Children don’t come with owners’ manuals. Oh, how I wanted one when my first daughter was born twenty- four years ago. After listening to Jane Healy, Ph.D. speak a few weeks ago about her new book, YOUR CHILD’S GROWING MIND, I may have finally found that “owner’s manual”.
In the last decade, so much has been researched about brain development and learning. In YOUR CHILD’S GROWING MIND, Healy provides a wealth of practical information that includes real examples. Creativity, motor development, memory, learning to read, write, and speak, science, math, intelligence, social skills, and more are affected by brain development. Although much of what happens with the brain is based on natural progression (don’t tamper with this), heredity and other uncontrollable variables, substantial growth (or lack of growth) is contingent upon environmental factors. That’s where parents, teachers and significant others play such an important role in helping to shape a child’s mind. Healy provides information about critical periods in brain development, what to expect from the child, and ideas to enhance maximum brain growth and connections. Here are some examples of what you’ll read.
…simply listening to Mozart will raise your child’s IQ has been debunked, future musical development will profit by exposing your child to many types of music, since there may be a critical period in the first year for developing a good sense of pitch.
Explaining things to children won’t do the job; they must have a chance to experience, wonder, experiment, and act it out for themselves. It is this process throughout life, that enables the growth of intelligence.
Interesting and challenging play materials in children’s homes after the first year predict later IQ and school achievement in reading and math….the fact remains that simple open-ended toys are still best.
Children who are good at pretend play also get along better socially.
…one of the best predictors of your child’s first grade math achievement is how many board games and card games you have played together.
As I read through the book, I found countless recommendations that fit with our store philosophy and selections. Although the adult’s role in this process of “brain building” goes way beyond toy selection, we’d like to assist you with that one small part. You can also find YOUR CHILD’S GROWING MIND at Creative Learning Toys-naturally.
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