The first 5 years are extremely important for the development of a child’s brain. In fact, it’s the most crucial stage, even more than any other time in life. Moreover, the early brain development during these years continues to impact the child’s ability to study and succeed in life! If we look at the statistics, around 90% of the total brain growth is already completed before a child can even join kindergarten! That is why here at Haymarket Children’s Academy we dedicate ourselves to ensuring the proper Early Education for Brain Development stages in your child’s life.

This tells us that the first few years of your kid’s life are imperative for brain development and must not be taken lightly. Considering the importance of these early stages, it makes sense to take the most advantage of this time in your child’s life by ensuring they receive proper early education. When children receive high-quality early education during this first phase of their lives, it results in a lot of benefits such as increased intelligence, self-regulation, sensory modulation, confidence, and even language growth!

Importance of Early Education for Brain Development

Let’s look at the top 6 reasons which demonstrate why early education is important for brain development:

Language Growth

Between the ages of 3 to 5, the vocabulary of your child almost triples. But those children who are not exposed to new experiences and social encounters during these critical years, miss out on this amazing opportunity for massive language growth.

When a child is exposed to new adults (teachers & staff) along with peers of the same age at an early childhood education, it can help them take advantage of this language growth opportunity. In any early education academy, there are children from all walks of life with their own unique experiences. On the other hand, there is no such diversity of culture or even experiences if a child stays at home!

Although it is a good idea to expose your child to literacy and numeracy enrichment activities at home, we can’t discount the benefit of peer exposure in a teacher-led setting during early education. In fact, you can’t replicate the same environment at home!

In addition, besides good language growth during these early years, a child will also be able to form positive socializing experiences!

Confidence

Another benefit of early education is in the form of increased confidence. When a child attends an early education institution, they are surrounded by same-age peers without the involvement of parents. And when they study, interact with others, or even perform simple tasks such as getting their snacks without the parent’s involvement, it helps them develop confidence and feel empowered!

This increased confidence is very helpful when a child actually starts kindergarten, as they already experience separation from their parents while attending an early education school. And, not to mention that this increased confidence built during the early years can help a child develop a strong and confident personality later in life.

Self-Regulation

When a child is exposed to same-age peers in early education, their brains develop an important skill called self-regulation. During early education, a child experiences a lot of things such as sharing, turn-taking, patience, and even how to calm down after being upset. But more importantly, they learn about self-regulation and impulse control which can’t be taught at home where a child can get what they want.

As parents, we all develop a habit of giving unrestricted access to whatever the child demands. The child wants a rolling pin or Play-Doh colors right now? As parents, we provide these things right away! But in an early education setting, a child has to learn self-regulation through various means such as waiting for their turn, sharing, collaboration, and so on.

During the early childhood years, connections between the neurons are established, which are responsible for most of the functions such as communication, thinking, moving, and so on. So when a child is exposed to same-age peers and a structured educational setting, they develop self-regulation at an early stage which can prove very beneficial later in life!

Attention Span

For personal and academic success, one of the most important skills is attention span. And by attending early education, your child can develop an increased attention span as the brain is still in its early development stages.

If a child is only exposed to learning in kindergarten, their attention span will be limited and not developed. On the other hand, a child who has attended early education will already have developed the required attention span to follow more complex and detailed learning. So, in short, early education gives your child a head start by increasing the attention span, which is not only useful in academics but also in personal and professional life.

Sensory Modulation

When a child goes to kindergarten for the first time, it is normal for them to experience sensory overload. From bumping shoulders to swinging backpacks to the bombardment of colors, it can get overwhelming and difficult for a child to experience so much neurological load. And the reason for this is simple – This is the first time a child is exposed to all of this, and the brain is not just ready to handle so much.

On the other hand, a child who has attended early education has already developed the required sensory modulation to easily navigate the school’s highly stimulating environment.

Intelligence

In early education, a child gets to play with other children of the same age. This early playing can help a child develop a higher IQ by the time they reach the age of three! According to the University of Arkansas’s study, playing with others during early education can enhance the linguistics, cognitive, and social development of the children – All of these skills can contribute to improved intelligence!

Intelligence is not something that is built overnight… Instead, it is something that is built at an early stage in life and continues to do so later in life. And when a child is pushed to experience new things, form new connections, and even learn at an early stage, it challenges their brain, which results in improved intelligence!

HCA’s Benefits of Early Education for Brain Development

If we look at how early education can help a child’s brain develop, it becomes clear that there are numerous benefits and pretty much no drawbacks! When a child attends an early education centre —such as Haymarket Children’s Academy, it challenges their brain just enough and results in language growth, improved confidence, and an overall improved intelligence!