20 Terrific Brain-Boosting Ideas!

Swati Popat Vats, President of the Podar Education Network, tells you how...

- Swati Popat Vats

Every baby is born with 100 billion brain cells. Some of these are connected at birth, but most of them are not. It is these connections that will happen in the first five years. Therefore, more the connections, the smarter and more efficient will be your child’s brain function. But between feeding, changing nappies and catching up on lost sleep, the focus is never truly on making these connections. As your child grows older, your focus may only be on whether he sits, stands, walks and talks on time. You may fail to realise that these developments are connected to brain growth, which means that just like you take care of feeding your baby, you also require to focus on feeding his growing brain too.

Here are some brain-boosting ideas for nurturing your child’s growing brain. After all, 98 per cent of his brain develops in the first five years!

1. WATER ON THE BRAIN! More than three-quarters of the brain is made of water. Ensuring that your baby is hydrated, is key. Kids can never drink a glass of water at a time; they are more comfortable taking small sips. This may get annoying to us; however think about how it actually helps your child’s brain, as the brain needs to be properly hydrated in order to be alert.

2. HAPPY, HAPPY, JOY, JOY! Positive emotions greatly enhance memory. The brain has an emotional filter called the amygdale. This part of the brain filters all incoming stimuli and information, accepting it only if it is emotionally stimulating. This means more the positive emotions we expose our kids to, the more memory development will be enhanced. The happier and stimulating the interaction and activity, the more likely children will learn for life.