MommyGarten, Reprise: Cognitive Development
As our readership grows, we want to make sure the timeless posts from our archives get their fair share of attention.
While MommyGarten is on vacation this week, please enjoy these excerpts from popular blog posts.
How do babies learn? (from January 2010)
The word “learn” has fascinating origins. The ancient languages that gave us this word first described learning in terms of footprints, furrows and tracks. Considering the process by which experiences shape the brain, and leave a physical trail of life’s experiences, it is clear that the old schoolers were intuitively aware of principles of neuroscience that would not be (could not be) confirmed for centuries.
Here are some images that remind me of how new experiences stimulate the infant brain: Envision walking along, leaving your footprints on a soggy beach when the tide is coming in. The faint impression is there, but shallow, and not necessarily permanent. Now think of a well-worn path that suggests itself as the best way to cross a yard, or hike a hill. Those repeated trips across the terrain are analogous to how repeated experiences shape the brain. On the beach or nature trail, our feet make the journey. In our brains and bodies, electrical impulses carry information between brain cells.
What is your baby’s learning environment like? (from March 2010)
Traditional classrooms function like courtrooms. The judge of knowledge (the teacher) decides which evidence (information) is worthy of consideration. In later grades, the test is the method by which students are allowed to prove their cases, their understanding of the material. What if your child already understands the facts of the case, and becomes bored? Objection! What if your child is a kinesthetic learner, and will remember better by acting out what butterflies do? Objection!
The best possible preparation for formal schooling begins now. Your infant’s curiosity is an expression of innate intelligence. Her learning instinct should be rewarded by the joy of discovery, not mishaps due to lack of safety-proofing. Later in life, your child won’t be content to wait for an external authority to tell her what to think, or what to think about — if you let her practice at home.
More recaps tomorrow and every day this week. Check back daily for specific, realistic, age-appropriate child development tips.
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Carly Jennings | Cognitive Development | 
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