This post was most recently updated on July 25th, 2023
The first six years of a child’s life play an essential role in developing his brain. Taking good care of and raising children at this age is what parents need to be focused on.
You may have heard someone say that the first six years of a child’s life are a crucial period, but you still don’t know why. The first six years of a child’s experience are also a period of excellent brain development along with a precise formation of the baby’s intelligence and personality.
In the first year of a child’s life, the brain will develop rapidly
The brain grows very fast in the early years of a child’s experience. Before the age of 3, millions of nerve connections are formed in every minute. These links become a mapping system within the brain, developed between the natural association and the care process, especially the interaction of “giving and receiving” information.
In the first year, crying is a sign that your baby really needs to be cared for. The above interaction shows that parents respond to the baby’s cry by feeding, changing diapers, or putting them to sleep.
However, when the baby is a little older, this interaction will be shown through the game. These interactions show that your child is paying attention to what he or she is trying to say to you. This will be the foundation for learning communication skills and social standards in the future.
The nerve connections resemble the roots of a tree. That is the foundation for development.
Lack of interaction will not reduce a child’s brain development. However, for parents who are always stressed about life, it is best not to neglect the interaction with children in these early years.
Focus on what you are doing and forget about the worries in daily life; this will help you realize your baby’s need to be connected. The giving-receiving interaction can develop into attachment, which will affect the way children develop relationships in the future.
Attachment theory affects the development of children’s relationships
Attachment theory is an essential part of a child’s development. Children often tend to stick in the following directions:
- Safe
- Worry – not safe
- Worry – dodge
- Disorganized
Children who are attached to a safe path often feel distressed when their parents leave but feel comforted when the person comes back. On the other hand, children who are engaged in a nervous – unsafe way often feel uncomfortable when their caregiver leaves, and when they come back, they will stick to them.
Children sticking to anxiety – avoiding often does not feel sad when the caregiver is absent nor happy when they return. Finally, children who tend to stay disorganized often feel less comfortable with care even though the caregiver does not hurt the child.
Children who are bonding safely may feel sad when their parents leave, but they can still feel comfortable with other caregivers. Children are also happy to see their parents back, which shows that they are very confident in this relationship. When growing up, children will be more attached to parents, teachers, and friends. Children consider this to be a safe “stop” when all their needs are met.
Attachment theory is often formed very early and can affect a child’s attachment to adult relationships.
At age 6, Children Want to Interact With New Friends
During the first six or seven years of a child’s life, the brain is developing rapidly to create a solid foundation for children to interact with the surrounding people.
When children enter grades 1 or 2, being interested in making friends will start to separate them from caregivers gradually. Children will be better equipped to talk about their feelings.
Seven years old is also the time when children begin to be acutely aware of the surrounding information. Children will learn how to speak metaphor, how to express their thinking genuinely. For example, your child might ask you, “When does the rain stop dancing?”. You can now imagine how the child’s mind replace the movement of the raindrops into a dance.
Is “good enough” really enough?
This may sound ideal, but in parenting, “good enough” is when you have provided your baby with all the physical and mental needs, through making food for your child, convincing your child to sleep every night, sharing a happy moment when they are sad and enjoying the moments with them. This will be helpful for children to develop healthy nerve connections.
As a parent, you can’t control all aspects of a child’s life. But you can help your child to achieve success by helping them with every needy step of their life. You can only show how you control your emotions so that when your child experiences feelings of failure or stress, they can recall what you did when they were young.
