Everyone experiences stress, and learning how to cope with stresses is an important part of child brain development (Shonkoff et al, 2014). You might want to use music to help you carry out the activity. For example, use a favourite song, nursery rhyme or action song. You could ask the children to play to the beat of the song. You need to be confident and give children time to respond to the things they see, hear and experience at their own individual level. This is as relevant to babies as it is to older children. The effects of harmful stress on a child’s brain and body can be reduced with long-term, consistent help and support (Shonkoff et al, 2014). Give children enough space and time to experience and explore. Help and encourage them to develop their own curiosity and creativity. A child’s imagination and creativity are enriched through their awareness of art and other children around them.

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To support children’s creativity and imagination you will need to consider the range of what you offer. When adults do not respond to a child’s serve or if children spend a long time on passive activity – such as watching TV – this can break the rally and interrupt development. For example, children learn language, more effectively face-to-face with a teacher or caregiver than by watching TV or a video (Shonkoff et al, 2018). Either on that day, or maybe a few days later, depending on how the children respond, start to make some suggestions, point out that they may need to make their buildings stronger, bigger, smaller or more fit for purpose for their superhero. Bring books and images in to show a range of different houses. How this activity links to the other areas of learning But our brains always have the potential to change and grow. It’s never too late to give a child or young person positive brain building experiences.Use strips of paper or white boards and pens to allow the children to experiment with making marks to represent each sound. They could also represent sounds in the form of movements too. How this activity links to the other areas of learning Just as good rallies between tennis players develop their athletic abilities, good rallies between children and adults strengthen children’s developing brain architecture, improve their cognitive skills and develop resilience (Shonkoff et al, 2004; Shonkoff et al, 2015). Soothe and care for children when they are distressed – this helps their brains develop healthier ways to manage stress (Crowley, 2017). During pregnancy, the brain can be affected by many types of risks, such as by infectious diseases like Cytomegalovirus or Zika virus, by exposure to toxins, including from smokingor alcohol, or when pregnant mothers experience stress, trauma, or mental health conditions like depression. Regular health care during pregnancy can help prevent complications, including premature birth, which can affect the baby’s brain. Newborn screeningcan detect conditions that are potentially dangerous to the child’s brain, like phenylketonuria (PKU).

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But if children are exposed to prolonged or repeated traumatic experiences, such as child abuse and neglect, this can cause ‘toxic’ or ‘harmful’ stress, where they start to feel more stressed more often and for longer periods. This can disrupt the building of healthy brain architecture (Shonkoff et al, 2014). As good quality materials help build a strong house, positive experiences during childhood help build healthy brains. Shonkoff, J.P. et al (2011) Building the brain’s “air traffic control” system: how early experiences shape the development of executive function: working paper 11 (PDF). Cambridge: Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University.When I was in the teaching credential program at San Francisco State, I often thought it was odd and even wrong that I was never asked to read the foundational writers of educational theory and child psychology. Students read about Dewey, and Piaget, and Vygotsky, yet we never read the authors themselves. Register for our face-to-face training to better understand how to foster healthy brain development in children

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For older children, choose a superhero that’s popular in the setting, for example Super Daisy or Spider Man. Provide pictures of the superhero and a superhero toy. Suggest to the children that they could make a house for her/him so that he can live in the setting. If you do not have a superhero toy in your resources, improvise with dolls’ house figures. These interactions invite children to listen and to use spoken language to imagine, recall stories, predict and give each other instructions. Interact with young children through serve and return, for example by listening and responding to their concerns. This helps build brain architecture and stress management systems (Center on the Developing Child, 2013). Although executive function skills can be improved at any time during and after childhood, negative experiences such as trauma and abuse, can hinder the brain’s cognitive development (Diamond, 2013). This can weaken the child’s air traffic control system and may lead to:With practice and the right support, children learn to organise and control the tasks in their mental headspace, like an air traffic controller organises and lands aeroplanes in a busy airport (Shonkoff et al, 2011).

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Engage in playful serve and return interactions: social play is important to the development of executive function skills (Shonkoff et al, 2011).Although influenced by his work (she even started her career at his Institut pour les Sciences de l'Education in Geneva) Margaret Donaldson is here rejecting or, at least nuancing, some of Jean Piaget's theories. Use a wide range of interesting and beautiful found materials, like wallpaper and fabric. Fabrics, fastenings and accessories for roleplay can have more potential than dressing-up costumes. Exploring materials and media inspires children to think flexibly and creatively. The serve and return metaphor from Sharing the Brain Story looks at adult-child relationships by comparing interactions between a child and adult to rallies in a tennis match. Like improving or rebuilding the architecture of a house – refurbishing rooms, strengthening foundations – the brain can also be improved and rebuilt following childhood trauma through an active process of maintenance and care from supportive, trusted adults.