7 Amazing Secrets of Children’s Brain Development
The human brain is a marvel, especially during childhood and adolescence when it’s rapidly evolving and adapting.
Understanding the process of brain development in children can help you to be a more attuned and effective in your parenting.
For example, when you understand how a teenager’s brain undergoes critical changes affecting decision-making and emotions, you parent in a way that supports these emerging changes.
Let’s explore some incredible nuggets of knowledge about your child’s brain growth.
1. The Incredible Adaptability of Growing Brains
Neuroscientists have only recently discovered how flexible and adaptable our brains are. This is called “plasticity”. Brains can adapt and change constantly, to cope with particular situations in the environment.
Children’s brains are especially malleable but even adult brains adapt to their environment.
One classic example is London black taxi drivers. They train for a very long time and they are required to learn thousands of routes and street names.
Studies have shown that taxi drivers have a much larger hippocampus than most people. This is a part of the brain which is important in learning and memory.
Environments shape brains.
The good news is that if one area of a child’s brain is not strong, we can often strengthen it through practise.
This is the basis of something called Growth Mindset – the idea that are abilities are not fixed and we are constantly growing.
Show your child this video from Khan Academy to teach them about growth mindset!
2. Early Brain Development Shapes Future Success
The early years of a child’s life (the first three in particular) are the most crucial. This is because of plasticity, which I mentioned above.
Everything a child sees, hears, tastes, smells and touches will shape the brain’s development.
This makes some areas stronger and more developed than others. For example, if a child spends lots of time outdoors exploring, climbing and balancing, the parts of the brain that are responsible for motor development, co-ordination and balance will grow stronger than those of children who stay still.
The brain is rapidly growing and being shaped, with new neuronal networks forming and strengthening all the time.
Whilst it is important not to overstimulate a child (because children need plenty of rest and recovery time too), exposing them to lots of different experiences will give their brain a great start.
3. Movement is Vital For Brain Growth
Another thing we know about brains is that they do not work at their best when kids are sitting still for long periods of time.
As cavemen, we would have spent long periods on the move as hunter-gatherers.
Movement actually helps us to learn. It directly encourages the growth of a substance called BDNF, which causes new cell growth in the brain.
Our brains have not changed much since we were “cavemen”.
Many of the old caveman parts are still in place, and our brains have not had a chance to adapt to modern living.
Sitting still for long periods of time, as many schools require, is really not the best condition for learning.
Our current education system was not designed based on understanding brain development in children.
What can you do about this? Firstly, show this article to your child’s school! Secondly, suggest regular movement breaks in class. Thirdly, ensure your child does as much movement as possible before and after school!
4. Nutrition Fuels Your Child’s Brain Power
The brain and connected nervous system need a balanced diet to function at their best.
Fat makes up around 60% of the brain. Omega 3 essential fatty acids are the most important type of fat. Fats build brain and nerve cells and coat the networks between brain cells (the myelin sheath).
Omega 3s can be found in chia seeds, walnuts, kidney beans and seaweed or algae (including algae oil capsules which my kids and I take!).
Antioxidants in berries, particularly blueberries, improve communication between brain cells. Studies have shown they can improve memory.
Magnesium is also essential for learning and memory. It’s important for many functions in the body, but it is most crucial for maintaining a healthy nervous system. You can find it in dark chocolate, avocados, nuts and lentils.
These are just a few examples of essential nutrients for your child’s brain.
5. Quality Sleep is a Brain’s Best Friend
Sleep is also crucial for healthy brain development.
Our brains process, categorize and store what has been learned during sleep. Children are learning more rapidly, and need more sleep to cope with this.
Several studies have now shown than getting less than 10 hours’ sleep before the age of 3, can contribute to language, reading and attention problems in older children.
The natural biological rhythms of sleep (called the circadian rhythm) change in the teenage years.
Teenagers start to shift their natural sleep time too much later in the evening but still require 8-10 hours of sleep. Therefore they face a challenge when faced with getting to school at the normal time.
A study in 2013 found that sleep also helps the brain cleanse itself. Cerebrospinal fluid washes into the spaces between the neurons, gathering toxins and washing them away.
So, are you prioritising your child’s sleep? One way to do this is to help your child develop a calming “pre-bedtime runway”, which I cover in my article about Child Sleep Solutions.
6. Puberty Supercharges Your Child’s Brain Reward System
Different parts of the brain grow at different rates.
The prefrontal cortex (thinking, planning, organising, decision-making) starts to grow rapidly from puberty into early adulthood.
However, the nucleus accumbens, a tiny area of the brain responsible for seeking rewards, develops even quicker.
As a result, the brain (especially in boys) seeks buzzes faster than the thinking part of the brain can control these urges. This leads to an increase in risk-taking behaviour.
Therefore it is very important to work on emotion regulation and self-control skills with your child before they hit puberty so they can better manage this desire for more buzzes.
7. Your Child’s Brain Is Not Just a Smaller Adult Brain
A final important idea is that children are not born with an adult, “finished” brain.
Some areas of the brain are much less developed than others.
Young children are not as good at planning or being rational as adults. This is because an important part of the brain, the prefrontal cortex, is not yet finished.
If you expect your under 12 child to be able to think through a situation rationally, weigh up the options, and then decide on the best course of action, you are expecting too much.
The prefrontal cortex has a period of rapid development from puberty onwards, allowing teenagers to get much better at planning, organising and rationalising, as they become adults.
You can see how parents with a sound understanding of brain development in children might be at an advantage!
Conclusions: Maximizing Your Child’s Brain Potential
Brains develop at different rates and some of this is inherited.
However, the environment has a huge role to play.
We should nurture our children’s brains by stimulating them with lots of different experiences to encourage growth in many different areas. This might include thinking, social interaction, motor skills and play.
We must feed children’s brains with healthy foods such as those rich in omega 3s, magnesium and antioxidants.
We also need to ensure that children’s brains can rest and recuperate from all that learning, including plenty of sleep.
This advice applies throughout childhood and the teenage years.
It’s not easy, and yet again, it’s all about getting the balance right!
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Dr Lucy Russell is a UK clinical psychologist who works with children and families. Her work involves both therapeutic support and autism assessments. She is the Clinical Director of Everlief Child Psychology, and also worked in the National Health Service for many years. In 2019 Lucy launched They Are The Future, a support website for parents of school-aged children.
Through TATF Lucy is passionate about giving practical, manageable strategies to parents and children who may otherwise struggle to find the support they need.
Lucy is a mum to two teenage children. She lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband, children, rescue dog and three rescue cats. She enjoys caravanning and outdoor living, singing and musical theatre.
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