The Birth-to-Five Brain: What It Needs From Us

In the early years of a child's life, every domain of development is growing at the same time, all mediated by the incredible brain. From a child's birth through 5, we adults can nurture and promote brain growth in far easier ways than we may imagine. What do young children's developing brains need from us? As Deborah McNelis explains, Brain development is a lot less complicated than we think. In this episode, educator and early brain specialist Deborah McNelis, founder of Brain Insights, LLC joins me to discuss the developing brain from birth to age 5. In this time period, children's brains primarily need warm, dependable loving interactions with adults, opportunity for lots of movement, rich independent play experiences, and nutritious food. Deborah McNelis will describe her award-winning Brain Insights Activity Packets that teach simple engagement activities that foster brain development in the critical first 5 years.