Why Are The First 7 Years Of A Child’s Life So Important?
The First 7 Years Of A Child’s Life
A baby has 100 billion neurons or brain cells and 2,500 synapse connections at birth. Immediately after birth, connections begin to form between the neurons at an incredible rate of over 1 million per second. These connections, called synapses, are tiny gaps between the neurons that release chemicals called neurotransmitters with every interaction and every sensation the baby experiences.
Neurotransmitter (chemicals)
Neurons
Responding Neuron
External stimuli
Your baby’s brain wiring is not fully connected at birth. It is active, changing, and developing in response to what’s happening around them. The connections start immediately after birth with the first experience called skin-to-skin cuddle.
Brain development is a day-to-day experience – for example, playing, being read to, singing, cuddling, interactions, and being responded to by people help to create connections in the baby’s brain.
With these external stimuli, your baby’s brain stimulates neurotransmitters (chemicals) to pass from one neuron to another via synapses. Your baby’s brain releases chemicals to form synaptic connections with every external stimulus or sensory stimulation.
For example
- Skin-to-skin cuddle releases oxytocin in your baby’s brain
- When you sing to your baby, their brain releases dopamine
- When your baby laughs, their brain releases endorphins
- When you read to your baby, their brain releases dopamine
And so you want to engage in activities with your baby that will release more “happy chemicals” in their brain.
As your baby’s brain continually releases these chemicals because of external stimuli, connections form between the neurons at an incredible rate of over 1 million per second. In addition, These connections are strengthened through repeated positive experiences. Also, These connections are vital in helping babies learn the essentials they need to survive and thrive within their family, community, and the world.
Your Toddler’s Synapse Doubles By Age Three
Your toddler’s synapse (where neurons connect) grows to 15,000 per neuron at three years old. These times in a child’s life are critical because of the abundance of synapses – the connections between brain cells are where learning occurs; twice as many synapses enable the brain to learn faster than at any other time of life. Therefore, children’s experiences in this phase have lasting effects on their development.
This critical learning period begins at age two and concludes at age seven.
Expose the child to various activities to develop their skills in multiple fields. This is the time to engage your children in music, reading, sports, math, languages, and science.
At this tender age, your child’s developing brain is ready to soak in a wide range of skill sets.
Such examples of skill sets include:
Adaptable thinking
Planning
Self-control
Time management
Organization
Observation
Stress tolerance
Focus
Task initiation
Emotion control
Self-restraint
Working memory
Prioritization
Achieving goals
Defining goals
Flexibility
Remember instruction
Multi-task successfully
By the age of seven, the critical learning period ends – This reason is why The First 7 Years Of A Child’s Life are vital.
Children learn to mentally combine, separate, order, and transform objects and actions between the ages of eight and ten.
They learn to conserve mass and area. Their ability to apply logic and reason increases, as does their ability to focus attention.
Children can take perspective, understand, and consider others’ attitudes by age twelve. With an increasing attention span, children in this age group can follow detailed directions and make step-by-step plans for complex projects.
By age 15 to 18 years, children adopt skills including time management, test preparation, and study skills. Written and spoken languages have become more and more sophisticated. They may start to grasp political, moral, social, and philosophical concepts.
The brain continues to develop until a person is in their mid-20s
