Start Smart: Building Brain Power in the Early Years
Language: English
Pages: 160
ISBN: 0876593937
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Winner of the National Parenting Publications Award.
Did you know that emotions boost our memory? Or that small muscle exercises help the brain develop? Early experiences contribute to the structure of the brain and its capacities. The quality, quantity, and consistency of stimulation will determine, to a large extent, the number of brain synapses that are formed and how those connections will function. This is true for both cognitive and emotional development, and the effect is lifelong. Start Smart offers simple, straightforward ways to boost brain power with active exploration, repetition, sensory exploration, and direct experience. Revised to reflect the latest research about how children learn, the new edition of this classic bestseller offers explanations on how and why these activities help the brain develop. The layout has been updated, and the illustrations are now in color.
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enters the brain, it is routed through the amygadala where it is provided a “code” for processing. When the information has emotional content or when it is of high interest to the learner, that information receives a high priority for processing. Not only will this high-priority coding increase the chance that the information will make it to long-term memory, it will also make the learning indelible (Sousa, 2005). It is, then, easy to see why we remember most easily life’s highs and lows.
touches. Provide space for infants and toddlers to move. Refrain from using walkers, swings, carriers, and any equipment that inhibits movement. The fertile time for wiring the foundation of physical skills is between birth and two years. Encourage little ones to chase bubbles. Play movement games. Here are few suggestions: REGULAR EXERCISE IMPROVES ATTENTION SPAN, MEMORY, AND LEARNING. Musical Freeze—Invite your walkers to dance or move in a circle while a favorite song plays.
logical, smaller units and, at the same time, illustrate the story as a whole. Story maps and graphic organizers appeal to both hemispheres. THE BRAIN IS DIVIDED INTO TWO HEMISPHERES BY A THICK LINE OF NERVE CELLS CALLED THE CORPUS CALLOSUM. When discussing concepts with the children, do so both logically and intuitively. Use imagery and comparison when describing a concept. Point out how a new concept is similar to another concept that is familiar to the children. Ask questions that
different. Ask the children “what if” questions. What if red were the only color? What if children were in charge of parents? What if horses could ride people? What if dogs could talk? Ask questions that require the children to exercise judgment. Ask, Do you think all these marbles will fit in this jar? or Do you think it was all right for the Little Red Hen to refuse to share her bread? Set up activities that require the children to engage in different kinds of problem solving. A few
Encourage the children to share their ideas of what happened. Children will guess things like the bird flew away, the cat ate the bird, and the bird hopped on the cat’s back. Ask the children if there is any way they can know for sure what happened. Fill a clear plastic cup with pebbles and then ask the children if the cup is full. If they say no, have the children add pebbles until everyone agrees that the cup is full. Then ask the children if they think anything else will fit into the cup. The