The Magical Years
Did you know that a child’s brain makes more than a million neural connections each second from birth to age three? That’s why it’s so important to help your child learn during these crucial years! Parents are the most important people in a child’s life and are their first teacher. You don’t have to be an education expert to help your baby learn – in fact, you’re probably doing lots of learning activities already.
Parents as First Teachers
Singing songs, talking to your child about what you’re doing during the day, reading to your child, going to a playgroup or to a story time at the library are all terrific ways to learn. You don’t have to spend money or a lot of time figuring out activities – there are lots of great, free resources for you. Our website, particularly the Early Learning page, has lots of effective ways to help your child grow those neural connections!
If you think about reading a story at bedtime, you probably have a mental image of your child snuggling next to you, gazing at the book’s illustration while you read the text. Which is another great thing about early learning activities – they promote family bonding. Family bonding creates positive experiences, which helps your child develop resilience.
Overcoming Trauma
Unfortunately, life doesn’t always go as planned. Adverse Childhood Experiences, also known as ACES, can be witnessing violence, parental separation, mental health problems in the home or other traumatic events. These situations can, but don’t always, mean a child will have difficulty in learning and other areas of life. The resilience “muscles” built up during family bonding and learning activities can help a child weather these difficult circumstances.
As Your Child Grows
Studies show that early learning is the foundation for success in school. Success in school leads to success in later in life – and every parent wants the best possible life for their child. But don’t worry – if you’re reading this and your child is older, it’s never too late to help your child learn! We invite you dig into our website to find easy, fun early learning ideas to engage in with your child. And we’d love to have you join us at our monthly meetings.