Memories of a childhood rich in stimulus and its importance for brain development
My education was rich in stimulus. From an early age, I was inserted into the great world of letters. I remember watching my father carefully consulting the dictionary while reading the newspaper. He looked at me and read the new word he had just learned in the dictionary. Even without understanding the meaning of every word, he regaled me with books, and I loved to flick through the pages, which were rich in colors and illustrations. My mother also had great motivation for reading. She told me that much of the knowledge she had acquired about parenting and motherhood came from magazines on the subject.
Plays of make-believe nourished my imagination and my childhood. My sister and I used to invent theater pieces and perform them to a large imaginary audience. We used to hang a sheet over a clothesline, calling it the curtain, in order to open to the “public.” We also used to reenact scenes from horror movies using red kitchen detergent as human blood. I even clearly remember the apple smell of that detergent.
Creativity is another skill that was strongly encouraged by my parents during my childhood. Once when I was six years old, I decided to make a camera out of recycled material and bring it to school for the “day of the toy.” I grabbed an empty box of cotton swabs and filled it with pictures of people I cut out from magazines. The photo-taking machine was a sensation at school!
Learning based on the integration of stimuli (vision, hearing, smell, touch and taste) was also part of my life during childhood. I used to fill my toy pans with rice and beans and prepare biscuits with bread dough. I also had the opportunity to learn about marine species by visiting aquatic animal parks, to develop critical thinking and interest in the seventh art by going to the movies, and to experience different sensations and feelings on the beach with my family.
Play is essential in a child’s life because it creates rhythm and meaning through the senses and movement. It is necessary for parents to show interest in play and in the first discoveries of children because these practices create meaning and provide encouragement for them. It is through play movement that children come to know and perceive the world around them, using the senses of their own bodies to comprehend themselves, and establishing relationships with others and with the environment.
Stimulus is crucial for development. Without stimulus the child does not learn, cannot feed, does not gain confidence and autonomy nor is able to strengthen relationships. When the child learns something new, such as riding a bicycle, the brain associates this new learning with other experiences previously acquired such as body balance, laterality and motor coordination in an integrated and holistic process. In this way, new learning creates new brain synapses that result in new skills and adaptive behaviors in a child’s life.
In order for the child to develop his/her abilities properly, an education based on stimulus is essential. This “attachment education” begins with the creation of consistent relationships between parents and children in all child development stages.
The early years in the life of a child have a strong impact on brain architecture and the development of neural connections, as they mark the beginning of neuropsychomotor development. Thus, the first stimuli and learning experiences are decisive for the consolidation of cognitive and socio-affective competencies. In my personal experience, this occurred when:
- I learned my first numbers and letters through some books presented by my father, and board games I used to play with my sister.
- I improved my motor coordination and posture through dance classes, encouraged by my mother.
- I really understood equilibrium and confidence after learning to ride a bike.
- I received encouragement from my parents as they helped me with my homework.
- I learned by example how exciting it was learning to read and discover new words and curiosities.
It is very important that children develop everyday experiences to strengthen skills and apprenticeships, and families must be aware of this. To educate through positive stimulus is to educate for a happier and more fulfilling life, promoting the development of more confident children, able to influence the world positively and creatively.
Photo Credit: Ivan Radic http://photopin.com
