Baby Brain Boosters
Babies. Just the word can make you smile. And that baby smell (the other one) — it’s more relaxing than a visit to the Dalai Lama. But what goes on inside those little, developing brains can be puzzling.
Luckily, we know from brain scans and observational studies just how much, right from the start, infants are tuned in and reacting to the events and people around them. And we know what provides the “nutrients” a young’un needs to develop his or her full intellectual and emotional potential. The short menu is LARIS + L: love, attention, responsiveness, interaction, stimulation and then more love. If you, Mom and Dad, provide those “nutrients,” it makes all the difference.
Frequent, affectionate interaction, with touch, eye contact, lots and lots of words and songs, is essential. Children learn social behaviors, language, facts and ideas from love and human interaction. Studies show that they DO NOT learn as well from TVs, digital games or electronic programs — even if those are delivering information specifically designed for infants and children.
One notable study 20 years ago found that children who are spoken to a lot from the get-go — with complex sentences, explanations of what’s around them and interactive questions — even before they seem to “understand,” end up with higher IQs at age 3 and better school performance at age 9. And subsequent research reinforces that it’s hearing words from another person — not a TV, video or audio tape — that offers learning opportunities and the intellectual stimulation needed to thrive.