The ability to form secure relationships (social development) and the ability to regulate and express emotions (emotional development) are vital to the health and well-being of your child. Good social-emotional development also has an impact on academic success later in life. Young children who develop strong relationships with parents, family, carers and teachers learn how to pay attention, cooperate and get along with others. They are also confident in their ability to explore and learn from the world around them.
THE MOST IMPORTANT YEARS OF THEIR LIFE
Early childhood is the most rapid and significant period of development in a human’s life. Babies are born with about 100 billion brain cells, but their neural pathways and connections are ‘wired’ in the first few years, mostly as a result of the child’s sensory experience with the outside world.
More than one million of these neural pathways are formed every second, which form a foundation for all future learning, behaviour and health. Research shows that if your child’s brain is not appropriately stimulated during this critical stage of development, it is very difficult to ‘rewire’ it at a later stage.