Ever wondered about our brains?
How do they grow and develop from the tiny brain of the newborn which appears to need to do so little, to the more mature version of the adult that needs to do so much?
Why do I say appear to do so little? Let me use some familiar analogies to help you understand more.
Brains are gradually built over time. It is a process that begins in utero and continues throughout the years of infancy, childhood and adolescence and well into adulthood. This is known as developing the architecture of the brain.
Using a very simple analogy, it’s a bit like a join-the-dots activity. The dots are the brain cells, and the interconnecting lines are the pathways between cells that allow messages to transmit to different areas of the brain at super speed. But, unlike join the dots where the lines generally go in one direction only, in the brain, each dot has many lines/connections, bringing all sorts of interconnected and different information. Just like a very complicated electrical circuit!
How does this come about?
The ordinary back-and-forth interaction between an attentive, attuned, responsive adult and a child is described by some as “serve and return” – something akin to the experience of a game of tennis. Just as the individual serving in tennis initiates a response from their opponent by hitting the ball, the baby initiates a response from the caretaker by seeking connection through eye contact, vocalisations, smiling, crying, wriggling, touch, to name but a few inherent baby skills.
These interactions between baby and caregiver are repeated over and over, and the brain circuits associated with the interaction become reinforced, strengthened and connected to other brain circuits in a highly integrated and coordinated fashion.
Just like building a house – solid foundations, laid down in the early years of life, are crucial for healthy brain development. Emotional well-being, social competence and cognitive development are inextricably intertwined in this ongoing process of growth and maturation of the brain.
Wanting to think more about how to do serve and return with your child?
N/A. (n.d.). 5 steps for brain-building serve and return. Retrieved May 2023, from https://developingchild.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/HCDC_ServeReturn_for_Parents_Caregivers_2019.pdf