Why babies can (and should) learn to read

Early learning and baby brain development

A baby’s body develops at an incredible rate during the first few years of life, but one of the most amazing aspects of this process is how the brain grows and develops. Between birth and 3 years, the human brain goes from a highly underdeveloped form, weighing only a quarter of its final size, to an incredibly complex state through the dramatic growth and development of billions of neurons and hundreds of thousands of neurons. of trillions of connections, or synapses, between these neural cells. This period of active neural growth is when parents and caregivers can best help their children get off to a great start and lay a strong foundation for lifelong learning.

The basic neural connections are created before birth.

The basic structure of the brain is still being formed during pregnancy. Here the main components of the brain develop and take shape and the most basic brain functions begin to be organized. However, the vast majority of synapses have not yet formed, so the brain is not capable of the increased complexity that characterizes human cognition, learning, and reasoning. These connections emerge during the first three to four years, and the architecture of the complex networks of synapses depends to some extent on the child’s interactions with, and experiences with, the environment.

The ability to learn languages ​​is programmed into the baby’s brain

Language is a basic human characteristic, and a baby’s brain is ready to develop language early on. Studies have shown that babies can be stimulated by the sound of their mother’s voice. As soon as they are born and begin to interact with their family, the first patterns of the mother tongue are established by establishing millions of synaptic connections between specific groups of neurons. At the same time, the brain continues to grow, and the highest density of neural connections is reached at 3 years of age. This is very important, since after this age, many of these synapses begin to disappear through a process of elimination that brings density. of synapses to the level found in a typical adult brain. Taking all this into account, the conclusion is that the first three to four years after birth are the most critical times for brain development and, consequently, the period during which the brain has the greatest power to acquire and fix skills. especially those related to language.

Now, in our society, the language acquisition process is clearly separated between speech development (learning to speak) and literacy (learning to read and write). The first arises naturally, almost spontaneously between the first and third year, but the second is relegated after the age of five, when most children go to kindergarten or primary school. Being the ability to speak and read both sides of the same process (language), the natural way to develop it would be at the same time, when the brain is naturally formed to acquire language.

The consequence of this is that for decades, billions of children have not enjoyed their prime time to learn to read. In fact, children can learn to read from childhood, and the benefits of this remain forever. Children who read before kindergarten do better in virtually every way, both academically and socially, and are more likely to be successful in life than their peers who were illiterate at age five.

Psychologists and early childhood education experts have developed effective methods for parents and caregivers to train their children to read while they are still babies. These programs are usually based on books, word cards, and also multimedia components such as DVDs and songs, and parents should look for those supported by professionals with experience in Early Education and Child Development.