Posts tagged ‘brain development’
Naps are Key to Positive Engagement in Toddlers
A 2012 study from the University of Colorado Boulder confirms what most parents of two to three year-old toddlers instinctively know: missing a daytime nap results in “crankier” kids. The study showed that, “toddlers between 2 and a half and 3 years old who miss only a single daily nap show more anxiety, less joy and interest and a poorer understanding of how to solve problems, said CU-Boulder Assistant Professor Monique LeBourgeois, who led the study.”
The facial expressions of children in the study were videotaped an hour after taking their regular nap, and on a different day after having missed their nap time.
Early Music Training Permanently Enhances The Brain
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Over the past decade, researchers around the world have uncovered compelling evidence that formal music training, particularly for very young children, permanently improves cognitive capabilities and increases IQ scores. In 2006, researchers at McMaster University in Canada studied 4 to 6 year-olds who participated in musical training using the Suzuki method over the course of a year. According to the BBC, those with training “performed better [than the control group] on a memory test also designed to assess general intelligence skills such as literacy and maths ability.” Lead researcher Professor Laurel Trainor said, “It suggests that musical training is having an effect on how the brain gets wired (more…)
Your Baby’s Brain Development
Significant advances have been made in the field of neuroscience since today’s new parents grew up. It’s helpful to understand the basics of early brain development and how new scientific research is shedding light on the caregiver’s role in raising healthy, intelligent kids.
A child’s brain undergoes the greatest transformations from conception through the first two years, however brain development continues into the teen years and beyond. There are various areas in the brain that develop at different times, with the more fundamental, lower-level brain functions largely developed by the time an infant is born (hence why proper prenatal care is so critical). Thereafter, the brain develops (more…)
DHA and Omega-3 Demystified
Omega fatty acid, DHA, Omega-3, Omega-6, fish oil, flax oil… ACK!! Confused? You’re not alone.
While most adults assume that they should reduce fat in their diets, fat is actually a critical building block for the developing brain of a child. Getting sufficient supplies of the right types of fats are important for your child’s brain growth and development. (more…)
