A youth human brain is a
chaotic jungle of neurons getting "wired" together into intricate circuitry
patterns. Early experiences have an enormous influence on children's absorbent
sponge-like brains and also strongly affect the way they mature. By providing
everyday activities that arouse your child's curiosity, you’re helping to create
neural pathways that will increase their learning efficiency and capacity.
Expose your preschooler to a variety of stimuli and allow your child hands-on
interaction with three-dimensional materials. Cooking, finger-painting, clay
construction, musical instruments, and going to festivals, petting zoos,
museums, tide pools, concerts, and outdoor natural areas are all sensory-rich
activities.
Children need to feel safe and confident. You can minimize stress by giving your
child positive, loving, sensitive, and encouraging feedback. Keep reprimands and
threats to a minimum, avoid unnecessary power struggles, and shouting or
spanking in discipline. Also, be patient about bedwetting, be sympathetic about
fear of nightmares, the dark, and thunder-and-lighting storms, and allow your
child to have a security object like a cozy blanket or a stuffed toy.
Preschool is prime time for auditory brain development. Supporting your child's
hearing and speaking helps construct strong neural circuitry for absorption of
more language acquisition. Ideally, talk, sing, and read to your child in a
voice that varies in pitch and rhythm and emphasizes important words. (If we
mumble in a flat drone your child will get bored and not focus.) Try to ask
open-ended questions that initiate thinking, explain "how things work," use
high-level vocabulary, and regularly include your child in conversations that
will help expand their vocabulary. Protect your child's hearing by treating ear
infections promptly, and encourage her to "use her words" instead of throwing
tantrums. Preschool is also an ideal time to introduce a second language since
the young, "plastic" brain absorbs language quickly.
If possible, enroll your child in a quality preschool or schedule regular play
dates with friends. Encourage your child's fantasy play with friends — "pretend"
games develop the brain's verbal zones and enhance social skills in sharing,
communication, and conflict resolution. Allow your child to have "imaginary
friends" for the same reason, but remember, preschoolers have difficulty
separating reality from make-believe, so don't call them "liars" if they insist
that their stories are "true."