Most parents in the world do not give much importance to the first few years of their child’s life. The first few years, to be more precise, the first 6 years of your child’s life are the most essential and the most formative years with respect to all areas. 

The following was suggested by Glenn Doman:

Scientists have discovered that the maximum brain growth and development, i.e. about 50%, takes place in the first 4 years (0 – 4), a slightly lesser percentage increase i.e. about 30% happens over the next 4 years (4 – 8) and a minimal 20% increase happens over the next 9 years (8 – 17 years). 

At birth the head circumference of the head of a baby is 35 cm, by 21 months, it increases up to 50 cm and from 21 months to 231 months, the increase is only by 5 cm, that is to 55 cm. 

Thus, whatever you do in the first 6 years to stimulate this growth makes and builds the foundation of what your child will be. Everything that you would want to instill in the child should invariably be done in the first 6 years. This will allow the child to grow up beautifully with all the moral values intact. 

Scientists have done extensive studies on the brain and they have discovered many facts.

Brain development occurs at a tremendous rate in the early years. 

At birth, most children have a 100 billion active brain cells and these have already made 50 trillion connections with other brain cells and other parts of the body.

In the first month of life, the baby reacts to the environment with her senses. New synaptic connections at the rate of up to 3 billion per second are developed.

In the first six months, a baby babbles, using the sounds of all the languages in the world. He then learns to talk using only those sounds, which he picks up from his immediate environment, particularly his parents. His brain then discards the ability to speak in the languages he does not hear.

By eight months, the brain has about 1000 trillion connections. This number, however begins to decline unless the child is exposed to stimulation through all the senses. 

By the age of 10 years, about half of the connections have died off in the average child but that still leaves about 500 trillion that last through most of the life. 

From birth, up to the age of 12, the brain is seen as a super sponge that is, most absorbent. It is during this period, especially in the first three years that the foundations for thinking, language, vision, attitudes, aptitudes and other characteristics are laid down. Then the windows close and much of the fundamental architecture of the brain is completed. 

The Encyclopaedia Britannica contains 12,500 million facts, the National Archives (USA) contain thousand times more, which is 12 trillion 500 billion facts. A tiny child can store 10 times that of the National Archives, which is 125 trillion facts.

If only, all parents were aware of their child’s brain’s tremendous capacity and potential! Then no parent would ever neglect making use of the formative years of the child. 

How to make the most of the vital years: from birth to age 10

1. Fifty per cent of the person’s ability to learn is developed in the first four years of life.
2. Another 30 per cent is developed by the eighth birthday.
3. Those vital years lay down the pathways on which all future learning is based.
4. After age 10, the branches that haven’t made connections die off.
5. Youngsters are their own best educators; Parents, their best first teachers.
6. Youngsters learn best by what they experience with all their senses, so stimulate these senses.
7. Our homes, beaches, forests, playgrounds, zoos, museums and adventure areas are the world’s best schools.
8. Simple physical routine can help infants explode into learning.
9. Infants grow in a patterned way, so learn to build on that growth pattern.
10. Learning anything, including reading, writing and mathematics, can and should be fun.

Glenn Doman

Every child has, at birth, a greater potential intelligence than Leonardo Da Vinci ever used. 

Glenn Doman