Brains under construction: Play and brain development

Brains under construction: Play and brain development

Play is vital for developing your baby’s brain. Babies learn about themselves, the world around them, and their relationships through play.

When we think of play, we often think of imaginary games. Yet for babies, play consists of everyday moments spent experiencing their world through their senses.

This is why babies put objects in their mouths for the first 18 months. In this way they are able to sense the taste, texture and weight of the object. 

Learning through the senses

Most babies are born with the senses of touch, smell, taste, vision, hearing, movement and balance. Using information gained from the different senses is how your baby’s brain begins to understand the outside world. The way we take in and make use of the information from our senses is called sensory processing.

Sensory information is processed by babies’ brains and affects everything they do. This includes how they explore, move, learn, interact with others and control their emotions.  

From birth, parents help their baby experience the world through their senses. By being cuddled, talked to, fed and having their nappy changed, a baby receives signals through their senses. These signals help them learn about balance, momentum, space and movement, and their muscles. Your baby needs these experiences before they can physically move, roll, crawl and walk on their own. 

Spatial awareness

By involving your baby in everyday activities you are letting them explore their world. For example, by rocking or swinging them, you are helping their spatial awareness. This is their awareness of objects in the space around them and also their body’s position in space. 

Children who have well developed spatial awareness are able to feed themselves as they can judge the distance from the plate to their mouths.

It also helps them become better at abstract thinking, maths and reading. Spatial awareness will enable them to see patterns and spaces between the different letters. As they grow, they may also be skilled at team sports as they are aware of the precise positions of other players on the field. 

What can parents do? 

  • By simply holding your baby you are helping to wire your baby’s brain circuits. That will help your child achieve at school in the fields of maths, science and language.  
  • Your baby’s favourite toy is your face and body. 
  • Hold your baby close to your face and talk to them, while watching to see that your baby is not getting too tired or overstimulated. Stop if your baby indicates that they are tired and overstimulated. They will do this by looking away, arching their backs, or crying. 
  • Allow your baby time to lie on their back while being able to freely move their arms and legs. 
  • Provide your baby with frequent supervised tummy time. 
  • Model play behaviours to your child by picking up and shaking a rattle.  
  • Allow your baby to safely explore their world. This way you will encourage them to develop their thinking, emotional and physical skills through exercising their muscles. 

Want to know more?

Read about play for newborns and babies

Raising Children Network – Thinking and imagining: newborns 

Raising Children Network – Newborns Development 

Brains under construction: Sleep and brain development

The brain experiences the outside world through the senses. Seeing, hearing, smelling and feeling are how human beings collect information about the world. This information is relayed to the brain, which uses the information to formulate ideas and opinions, assess situations, generate reactions and then store what it has learned as memories.  

In the early months, the brain connects through a sensory dance with significant adults. The relationship that a baby has with an adult has a big impact on the baby’s development. 

Brains wiring, firing and resting

Brain development in the first three years of a child’s life occurs so rapidly it is referred to as a ‘critical period’. The rapid accumulation of cell connections during the first three years teaches the brain how to react in a given situation. Repetition builds stronger connections. 

Basic pathways are being created from birth. At around six weeks of age, babies start to smile with purpose. Parents know when their baby sees them and when they smile the baby smiles back, and this causes a positive response from the parents. This action is repeated over and over again – creating strong connections through cause and effect.  

While the way our brains are organised and the way we respond and interact with the world around us is set early in life, there is potential to adapt and change, throughout life. This is known as brain plasticity.  

The brain wires itself in a way that lets all parts communicate, make decisions, problem solve, analyse the environment and plan for the future, and this process may take years.  

Sleep and brain development

On average a newborn baby sleeps 15 to 18 hours over a 24 hour period. They usually tire after 1-1.5 hours of awake time and sleep for a one to three hour block. 

Their sleep is made up of sleep cycles. Within those sleep cycles they have periods of REM sleep and non-REM sleep. 

Circadian rhythms (those natural signs that tell us when to eat and sleep) are not developed in babies until they are four to six months old. As a result, babies can become hungry or tired at any time of the day or night. However, with regular repeated cues from a loving and responsive  adult, babies understand the experience and begin to form a feed, play, sleep pattern. 

Babies also encode memories during REM sleep. Their memories are the ones formed through the senses. These include their parents’ smell and voice, the familiar sounds of home, the warm sensation of being cuddled and repetitive experiences of being responded to when they cry.

With time, your baby’s ability to settle themselves off to sleep will improve as they become familiar with the routine and develop the ability to regulate their feelings. 

What can parents do?

  • It is important for parents to tune in to their baby’s tired signs. This will avoid overstimulation and help them settle to sleep. 
  • Some babies also need help to resettle to sleep if they wake from REM sleep. 
  • Warm and responsive parenting help babies to feel safe and calm. It will help them to form positive memories through their senses and daily experiences while they sleep 
  • Babies learn routine by regular cues from their parents in the way they are settled to sleep. Pat, rock and stroke your baby to calm them. Stop when they are quiet but still awake. This way they learn to fall asleep during this calm state by themselves 
  • Keep the light dim during sleep times because the melatonin level (sleep hormone) is dependent on light. Keep household noises normal as your baby is familiar with these sounds and it helps them to feel secure. 

Want to know more?

Raising Children Network – Newborns Development 

The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne – Brain Builders (video) 

How does my newborn grow and develop?

Babies learn and develop when they are actively involved and having fun with you during everyday activities.  

Development usually progresses from the head down, and from the centre of the body out to the fingers and toes. 

There is a rapid rate of growth in a baby’s first year. Birth weight has typically doubled by five months of age. By one year of age, babies are 50% longer than at birth. Some babies are even walking by 12 months of age.  

By being engaged and interested in our baby’s day to day activities we help them to develop and grow. It is about making the ordinary everyday moments extraordinary. Every nappy change is an opportunity to chat to your baby – lifting up their bottoms to wipe them clean involves touch and movement. You are stimulating their senses.   

Newborn

Gross motor skills
  • No controlled movement  
  • Arms and legs are bent  
  • Hands are in a fist and brought to mouth  
  • Continually moving arms out to the side of the body  
  • Head is not in the middle, but turned to one side or the other  
  • Can turn head side to side with great difficulty when lying on stomach  
  • Stands on legs briefly when held upright  
Fine motor skills
  • Grasps anything that touches the palm of his/her hand (reflex)  
  • Speech and language – cries at loud noises, listens to speech  

One month of age

Gross motor skills
  • Still no controlled movement  
  • Arms and legs are still bent, but not as much as a newborn  
  • Slightly improved head lifting when lying on stomach  
  • Head lags significantly when pulled up to sitting  
  • Stepping movement seen when held in standing position 
Fine motor skills
  • Continues to have the grasping of hands reflex 
  • Speech and language – cries at loud noises and listens to speech  

Two months of age

Gross motor skills
  • Baby appears more floppy than in previous months  
  • Arms and legs not in the bent position anymore  
  • Head is more often seen turned to one side or the other  
  • Able to lift head slightly when lying on stomach  
  • Uncontrolled reaching / batting at objects  
  • Eyes beginning to follow a moving object  
  • Head still lags when put in sitting position, but infant trying to lift head  
  • Baby no longer stands or steps when held upright  
Fine motor skills
  • Continues to have the grasping of hands reflex 
  • Speech and language – cries at loud noises and listens to speech  

Three months of age

Gross motor skills 
  • Head is in the middle with the chin tucked down when lying on back  
  • Controlled reaching for toys  
  • Brings toys to middle of body  
  • Frog leg position when lying on back  
  • Props self on forearms while lying on stomach  
  • Able to lift head and chest up when lying on stomach  
  • Turns head to one side when pulled to sitting  
  • No trunk control in sitting, needs full support  
  • Bears weight through the legs with stiff knees when held in standing position 
  • Toes are curled when in standing position 
Fine motor skills
  • Holds a toy that is placed in their hand with the 4th and 5th fingers  
  • Can’t reach out and pick up a toy, but will swipe at it  
  • Speech and language – begins cooing, recognises parents’ voices, enjoys noisy toys  

Reference – Baby Builders. (2017). Developmental stages. Retrieved from http://www.babybuilders.com/developmental-stages/

Want to know more?

Raising Children Network – Newborns development

The Raising Children Network’s newborn development tracker is a great resource for further information

The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne – Plagiocephaly (misshapen head)

Zero to three – Brain development

Managing technology

Technology is a part of everyday life for most children these days. Managing children’s screen time effectively is important to make sure that risks associated with the overuse of electronic media are reduced. 

Benefits and risks of technology

Child development experts recommend limiting children’s screen time, and this also applies to pre-teens. As a parent, you are likely to be concerned about the potential negative impacts from pre-teens using technology. 

We hear in the news about the potential risks, such as accessing inappropriate material, reduction in physical activity, and excessive overuse or preoccupation with their devices, creating problems with family and friends.  

However, technology can be a great tool for entertainment, education, and communication. For example, to access TV shows, movies and games, apps and websites. Children can use technology to complete school work and find information for assignments, and use social media to stay in touch with friends and family.  

Quality apps

There are many good quality apps that may support your child’s learning by: 

  • encouraging your child to be creative; 
  • encouraging problem-solving;  
  • helping your child to develop communication skills and broaden vocabulary; and
  • helping them to develop social skills. 

Think about the age appropriateness of apps and always check privacy settings.  

Staying safe online

Discuss the risks with your child. In particular, remind them never to give any personal information over the Internet, like their name, address, phone numbers, or school. This includes not posting photos in their school uniform.

Monitoring your child’s use on a device is crucial to making sure they are not being exposed to any content that can cause them harm.  

Setting rules around the time spent on a device is one way to monitor their use. Also, consider putting parental controls and restrictions in place so they can’t access sites that are not appropriate for them.  

Want to know more? 

Raising Children Network – Pre-teens entertainment and technology 

Braveheart – Keeping safe online 

Office of the eSafety Commissioner – eSafety resources and advice 

Learning Potential – Cyberbullying 

Screens and devices

We are surrounded by digital media, technology and screens. They are a big part of life for most people.

Children and families often use technology for entertainment and learning. Modern technology allows us to seek answers to questions, reach out across the world, and open our minds to endless information and possibilities.  

Supporting healthy screen time habits

Australian school children use technology (including TV) for an average of 20 to 25 hours a week.

It’s important to make sure that the use of devices and screens does not take the place of beneficial activities essential to our children’s health – and ours too. This includes adequate sleep, regular mealtimes, and physical activity.

You have an important role in managing your child’s screen time and helping your child develop healthy screen time habits.   

Healthy screen time for preschoolers and primary schoolers means choosing quality programs and applications (apps). It is also important to have an adult watching or playing with them whenever they are using their devices.  

When you help your child combine good choices with screen time boundaries, it forms the foundation of a healthy relationship with technology. 

Managing boredom

Constant use of technology can mean your child ends up relying too much on technology for ‘something to do’. 

Playing on a device in boring situations may distract your child, but it can mean your child misses the chance to learn social skills. These social skills include how to act in public, how to interact with new people, and how to manage boredom in creative ways.

You can set a good example by using other ways to keep your child entertained in situations like long car journeys. You can use books, crayons and paper, toys, or play games like ‘I Spy’. 

Some guidelines that may be helpful

  • Be a good role model by monitoring and limiting your own use of technology.  
  • Have relaxation time that does not involve screens, like listening to music or stories.  
  • Be selective about programs and apps.  
  • Set clear limits and boundaries and schedule screen-free time. 
  • Participate in or monitor device-based tasks. 
  • Take time to ask your child about their homework. 

Supervising and setting limits

Managing screen time can be tricky. One of the best ways is to encourage your child to make choices about their screen time within your agreed limits.

  • Use technology and devices as an opportunity to connect and have fun together by playing games or watching with your children. 
  • Actively supervise and explain what they are seeing and how it relates to their world – the more a child can apply their learning to the real world, the better their educational experience.  
  • Aim to limit screen time to one hour a day for pre-schoolers. 
  • Avoid use of digital devices or screens for at least an hour before bedtime. 
  • Keep track of what your child is doing or using on digital devices.  
  • Consider consistent time limits based on the value of the content: does it stimulate imagination,  encourage creativity, or build meaningful connections? 
  • Talk to your child about cyber-safety and ways to stay safe online. 

Want to know more?

Kids Matter – How screen time affects health 

Kids Matter – Strategies for screen time 

Kids Matter – Cyber safety and children’s mental health 

Raising Children Network – Entertainment and technology articles 

Office of the eSafety Commissioner – iParent

The latest recommendations based on science can be found American Academy of Paediatrics.  

Managing media and technology

When children make their first trip out to a store on their own, parents are clear about the benefits of the increasing independence. Our guidelines for their safety may have been: stop at the corner, wait for the light and don’t talk to strangers.  

Teens need the same kind of parental guidance as they take their first independent steps out onto the Internet.  

Guiding teens’ technology use

Just as they are naïve about how the world works, most teens—contrary to popular belief—are also naïve about the Internet. For example, lots of young people don’t realise that Google searches can be biased. Advertisers can blur the lines between ads, content, entertainment, and social media.

To make matters more difficult, the brain undergoes tremendous changes in the teen years, especially between 12 and 15 years of age.  

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to guiding teens’ technology use. The combination of technological and social change and normal adolescent development creates a huge challenge for today’s parents. Understanding these changes can help parents better guide their young teens in the wise use of technology.  

Five research-based tips

Support teens’ social lives online and off

Teens are absorbed by their social lives—it’s one way nature nudges them out of the nest. Social media actually meets an important need. By tagging friends, commenting on posts, and uploading photos, teens build on offline relationships.

Parents can guide, discuss and model healthy relationship skills. Stay in conversation with them to help them express themselves in healthy ways. 

Support their focus on their new interests

This includes sports, hobbies, online interests and face-to-face friendships.  

Being self aware

Encourage them to check in with themselves to become more aware. Does hanging out on social media makes them feel connected and happy, or sad and excluded?

They can then choose either to maintain the feeling or do something to change it. Help them to set goals and screen out distractions. 

Encourage face-to-face relationships

Face-to-face relationships increase our health and ability to connect with others.

Set limits on teens’ technology use, emphasise real-life interaction—and practice what you preach. By checking your own mobile phone all the time, you may be role-modelling the very behaviour you want teens to avoid.

Watch and intervene

If you’re lucky, your teen will bring any issues to you. Or you may notice your teen ‘cry out’ on the Internet, or see changes in their eating, sleeping, or social behaviour.

Respond to your teen with empathy or a hug while you check in with yourself to manage your own anxiety and beliefs. Use gentle prompts to allow your teen to express concerns and then explore ways to manage the situation together. 

Want to know more?

Australian Government – staysmartonline.gov.au 

Office of the eSafety Commissioner – esafety resources and advice 

Learning Potential – Cyberbullying 

The Raising Children Network – Teens entertainment and technology 

Parents who work away

There are growing numbers of families where one parent works away regularly. Though usually working in the resource sector, other sectors that often require onsite workers include: the defence forces, transport, maritime, small business, corporate, and sales and service industries. 

FIFO (fly in fly out) appears more common than DIDO (drive in drive out), but all families with a parent who works away face unique challenges and opportunities.  

Benefits and challenges of a FIFO lifestyle

FIFO work often provides an opportunity for well-paid employment without the need to relocate families. It means families can maintain their social networks and access familiar schools and services.

FIFO parents are able to spend extended periods of time at home to focus on full-time parenting.

There are also unique concerns and challenges for FIFO parents. At the heart of their concern is wanting what is best for their family, whatever the type of employment.

Research has found that social support, negotiating parenting tasks, and maintaining an emotional presence within the family unit were of particular importance to FIFO families.  

Common concerns of parents who work away
  • How do I stay emotionally connected and in tune with my partner and children? 
  • How do we both function as a parenting team given my regular absence? 
  • How do I readjust to family life after being away? 
  • How does my family at home manage and adapt to the household’s needs as I come and go? 

The effects on families of a parent working away vary according to the length, predictability, and frequency of shifts.

Managing issues and getting support

Managing what is best for your family is as individual as the personalities within it. An important way to resolve parenting issues is to recognise the unique challenges of your own family.

Children’s personalities and ages, conditions of employment, availability of family support, and access to services are all factors that affect how you manage with working away.   

Parents report that the quality of life with their children is related to the level of support they have. This support may be found through friends, family, sporting and community groups, or parenting education services.

It helps to be part of a network of people who understand what it is like being a family where a parent works away. Developing a network that can provide support in times of stress can act as a buffer for the times when one parent is away.  

There are many community services that provide support for families for a range of issues. There are also organisations, like Ngala, that offer specific programs for families with a parent that works away. These organisations provide information that will increase awareness and access to support. 

Want to know more?

Work and family 

FIFO families website 

Mining Families Matters

Talking and listening to your toddler

Toddlers love playing and exploring the world, learning how it works and where they fit in it. It can be a challenging time for parents and carers as toddlers want to become more independent but still have lots of things they need to develop, practice and learn.

It can also be a wondrous time as your toddler encourages you to see the world from their perspective. Communicating clearly with your toddler can help things go more smoothly. 

Tips for communicating with a toddler

  • Toddlers can get very involved in what they are doing. Calling out from another room probably won’t get their attention!  
  • Get close and get down to their level. Make eye contact and use your child’s name. This will help your toddler focus on you and your words. 
  • Toddlers find it hard to take in a lot of information at once. Long instructions are tricky for toddlers to remember. Keep sentences short and to the point. 
  • Use positive language. Limit your use of the words ‘no’ and ‘don’t’. For example, say “Yes, when I’ve finished this” rather than “No, not now”.
  • Tell your child what you want, rather than what you don’t want. For example: “Please walk on the path” rather than “Don’t walk in the garden” or “Please shut the door quietly” rather than “Don’t slam the door”. 
  • Be specific when you praise and encourage your child. For example, rather than “Well done” or “Good girl/boy”, say “You did a great job packing your toys away” or “I can see you are trying really hard to wait quietly”. 
  • Offer two choices so your toddler feels like they have some control. For example, “Do you want to get out of the bath by yourself or would you like me to help you?” or “Would you like to wear the blue jumper or the red jacket?” Giving more than two choices is confusing for toddlers. 

How you talk to and about your child matters

There is an old saying “sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me”. But children CAN be hurt by adults talking to them, and about them, in negative ways.  

Children need to hear that the adults in their lives think they are okay. You can help children feel good about themselves by the way you speak and the things you say. Hearing positive things helps children feel more confident and helps them try even harder to get our respect and approval. 

When adults use helpful and supportive words, children feel loved, worthwhile and valued.  

Children who feel this way are more likely to be confident and try new things, recognise when they do well, value and respect themselves and others, feel hopeful about the future, enjoy school, take part in sport and other activities and enjoy being healthy. 

Being positive and giving praise

Children need to know your love does not depend on how they behave. 

When adults use negative words to or about children, they are usually talking about the behaviour they don’t like, not the child. But the child hears the words as being about them and this can make them feel bad and worthless. They often show this by behaving badly, even though adults may not see this as a response to the hurtful words the child heard. 

It is important to separate the child from their unacceptable behaviour. Let the child know you will always love them no matter what, but you don’t like their behaviour.  

Praise your child and ‘catch them being good’. Use positive, honest comments that are specific about what you like. This helps your child feel good and be more confident next time. For example, “I am really impressed by how hard you worked on that”, “It was lovely to see you so happy when you did that”, “I liked the colours you used” or “You should be proud of yourself for finishing that. I’m proud of you!” 

Want to know more?

The Raising Children Network – Toddlers connecting and communicating 

Talkable – Your toddler’s development 1–3 years 

 

Brains under construction: Language and brain development

The brain is already processing sounds, voices and language rhythm in the womb. Babies come into the world already primed for language.

However, speech can only be learned if it is heard. The more words you use and the frequency with which you talk to your child will enhance your child’s vocabulary, even if the words are yet to be understood. 

Language and development

Language is important for a baby’s development. It is used to communicate, build relationships, express emotions and learn.

A baby needs to hear a language in their usual environment by the people with whom they interact. Without any interaction (like hearing talking on TV), language does not have the same impact on brain development. 

At birth, your baby is ready for some form of communication. For example, your baby will start communicating by looking into your eyes and will stop by looking away. Your newborn baby can hear a wide variety of sounds. They prefer the sounds of voices and other complex sounds. Newborns prefer happy sounding talk, not speech with negative or neutral emotions. 

Talking to your baby

When your baby hears you talk, the language areas of the brain are stimulated. The more language your baby hears, the more these areas will be stimulated and grow. Long before babies can speak, they understand the emotional meaning of speech. 

How your baby’s language skills grow depends on the development in the language areas of the brain. This can take time and happens mostly during the first four years of life. 

What if we speak more than one language?

Bilingualism is common and the brain is so sophisticated and ready to learn that it can absorb and process multiple languages at the same time. If there is more than one language spoken in your home, your baby will be able to process the difference.  

Children have no problem learning more than one language, as long as they hear them from a young age. They also need to be supported and have a consistent language environment to learn well.  

What can parents do?

  • When your baby cries, respond to them in a sensitive and nurturing way. Your baby will learn that the world is a safe place. 
  • When your baby coos or babbles at around two months of age, delight in their interaction and respond with talking and sounds. 
  • When you and your baby are looking at the same object, comment or name what your baby is seeing. Excite them and talk about the object’s shape and colour. 
  • Talk about everyday activities, things and objects to your baby. Research has shown that how much an adult talks with their child in the first few years of life affects their language development and eventual success at school. 
  • Play games with your baby, sing songs and nursery rhymes, and enjoy large picture books together. 
  • Use a higher pitch or expressive voice, commonly called a “sing-song voice”. 
  • Pause before continuing a sentence and use gestures to support your verbal meaning. This type of speech helps your baby notice the emotional meaning and important parts of the conversation. They will be more likely be attentive when you speak like this. 

Want to know more?

Read more about reading to babies and newborns 

Raising Children Network – Language development: an amazing journey

Raising Children Network – Thinking and imagining: newborns

Work and family

It is important for couples to openly discuss their roles within the home and outside the home. These roles can dramatically change once a baby comes along. 

Three areas of major change in time-demands include: 

  • paid work,  
  • house work, and 
  • daily infant care.  

Parenting as a team

Communicating openly and staying flexible can help to reduce the stress of parenting in the early years. This will make the whole experience more enjoyable. 

Most new parents feel a bit ‘all over the place’. They often feel excited and proud about the new baby, but equally overwhelmed and exhausted by the whole process and the amount of work involved. 

Many parents may be confused and not really know what they think or feel about it all. There is no right or wrong way to feel. All responses at these times are natural. However, it is important to pay attention to each other’s wellbeing following the arrival of your child. 

Socialising – even when you or your partner go back to work

Once you or your partner go back to work, keeping up your social life may become even more difficult.  

If your partner goes back to work and you are at home alone with your baby and perhaps your other children, try to: 

  • Have friends around or join a playgroup. This way you won’t feel so alone.    
  • Try to have a rest when your baby is sleeping. Try not to fall into the trap of thinking this is the time you can get everything done.   
  • When your partner gets home from work, ask them to join you with the baby to sit outside or in the garden. Let them take over with the baby for a while so that you can relax and do something you want to do.   
  • Encourage your partner to do things with the baby when they come home, like bathing or feeding.   

If it is you who has gone back to work, you may enjoy having more variety in your life and other things to think about. But equally, you may feel guilty about leaving your baby with someone else. You may feel stressed at having to do so much extra work, and concerned that you’re not as focused on your work as you used to be.   

Try to remember that parenting is a journey and that there is no right or wrong answer to your unique situation. 

Parents working away

You may be one of the many families who have a partner who works away in a fly in fly out (FIFO) role or a drive in drive out (DIDO) role. More information can be found at Parents who work away. 

 Want to know more?

Raising Children Network – Grown-ups: going back to work 

Raising Children Network – Relationships with extended family in your blended family 

Raising Children Network – Blended families and stepfamilies 

Raising Children Network – New baby: helping school-age children and teenagers adjust  

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