This text highlights an interesting perspective on brain development and the potential for enhancing intelligence through specific stimuli during a child’s formative years. While intelligence is largely influenced by genetics, the brain remains malleable, and its potential can be continuously unlocked.
Lin Chengzhi, a renowned brain scientist, discovered that a child’s brain undergoes three critical stages of development, each presenting a unique opportunity for cognitive enhancement.
In other words, the brain has three windows of “awakening,” and capitalizing on even one of these pivotal moments can significantly impact a child’s potential.
First Leap of Intelligence: Before Age 3
A newborn baby’s brain contains 100 billion neurons, similar to an adult’s. However, they are not yet connected, and there are minimal synapses, hindering smooth signal transmission and resulting in the inability to perform tasks like grasping objects or walking.
Over time, stimulation increases the number of synapses, creating intricate neural networks. This process is akin to moving to a new place and gradually getting to know your surroundings and forming connections with your neighbors, resulting in a deep-rooted community.
Before the age of three, it is crucial to provide a stimulating environment to foster brain development. Love and play are the essential “shuttles” in weaving this neural network. Every loving word, glance, and reaction from parents ignite countless neurons, fostering connections. Similarly, a child’s sensory explorations through play further enhance these connections, forming synapses and an intricate web of neural networks.
This network enables humans to perceive, think, and create. Thus, to achieve the first leap of intelligence before age three, parents should focus on unconditional love, exploration, and joyful experiences rather than inundating children with knowledge.
Second Leap of Intelligence: Ages 4 to 7
Many parents observe a noticeable change in their children around the ages of three and four, as if they have experienced an epiphany. Not only do they become more adept at various skills, but their cognitive abilities also flourish.
After age three, the brain enters a new phase. Following the peak of synapse formation around age three, the brain starts pruning away redundant connections to become more organized and efficient.
Before age three, the brain acts like a simple and diligent construction worker, laying the foundation. However, from ages four to seven, the brain resembles a gardener, pruning away dead, diseased, and disabled branches to provide more nutrients and space for healthy growth.
During this stage, parenting styles should evolve to encourage children’s independence and self-exploration. Instead of constantly saying, “Don’t do this” or “Don’t do that,” parents should focus on fostering good habits and allowing children to make their own decisions. This approach will enhance brain development and provide the opportunity to elevate their intelligence to new heights.
Third Leap of Intelligence: Ages 8 to 10
From ages eight to ten, the brain’s primary task is to continuously develop neural pathways.
To illustrate, consider road construction. Before age three, you are building roads to towns and villages. From ages four to seven, you clear obstacles, widen the roads, and pave them for smoother travel. After age seven, you are constructing a vast network of highways connecting multiple cities and towns, fostering economic prosperity.
Similarly, well-developed neural pathways enable the transmission of vast amounts of information at high speeds, facilitating fluid thought processes.
During this stage, children begin to crave more independence and the sense of accomplishment that comes with it. Therefore, parents should nurture their children’s initiative and encourage them to take on tasks independently to foster a sense of achievement.
You may have noticed that when you ask your child to do their homework, they might become irritated and say, “I’ll do it soon,” but then fail to take action. This is because their brain has associated the task with a sense of independence, and they instinctively resist it.
As a result, it’s essential to listen to your child and provide them with options, such as “Would you like to play first and then study, or would you prefer to study before playing?” or “I think tidying up your desk before studying would be more efficient and leave more time for play. What do you think?”
By staying attuned to your child’s developing brain, continuously learning, and adapting to their age and personality, you can maximize their potential and set them up for success.