Increasing Cognitive Abilities We all know how fast kids grow up. Before you know it a new born infant is crawling, feeding them self, talking and walking – POOF – it’s their first birthday. …next thing you know they’re growing out of their first school clothes and won’t let you hug them in public anymore… remember how fast this summer passed?
We also know that there are windows of maximum opportunity for learning and development… things like potty training, social skills, math concepts, language… You’ve probably known someone who has talked about missing a developmental window like that haven’t you? It’s easy to relax after those early years, as a child becomes more independent we tend to let things happen, this frees us up to do (whatever)… And we should let things happen to a certain extent, however…
Diagram of Right Brain
Did you know that these developmental windows correspond with the brain’s physical growth? We’re all born with approximately 100 billion neurons. This neural network is the framework everyone is born with – it is our standard hardware if you will.
The physical development of the brain starts weeks after conception and is not fully developed until around age 20. The physical growth of the brain progresses in concert with mental abilities; from the back in the cerebellum, developing muscle control, vision and spatial awareness – to the frontal cortexwhere intellect, creativity, impulse and inhibitions are formed.
But neurons only make up 15% of the brain. The rest of the brain is actually a different group of cells (mostly glia cells) and make up the other 85%. This 85% is the white matter of the brain and gets “programmed” with experiences, memory, skills, talent, and intelligence… And it is in this white matter that we see huge differences in abilities and gives a select few an advantage… You could think of this as the software of the brain and this time frame, from 5 to 12 years old, has optimum programming potential… By the time a child is 5 they have wired or “programmed” most of the rear section of their brain and are working to develop their strategies for intelligence in the frontal cortex…
These years are easily taken for granted – kids are more independent and self-sufficient – but they haven’t become the challenging teenager yet either (Thank goodness!). This age is the best time to develop their intellect, talents, self-interests, creativity – in short, their high potential. It’s probable that developments of talents and skills at this age have a geometric progression, in effect multiplying intelligence and talents that will grow 50 fold by the time they reach 20 years old. This type of development is simply not possible at any other time; this geometric window of opportunity will close.
This window from 5 to 12 years old is an optimal time to form mental assets for success. Programming their software to tap into their real potential – – the other option is to allow their brain to be programmed by advertisers and media executives. Your kids can sit and watch TV and develop acute TV watching skills or they can pursue worthwhile self-interests and gain a completely different neuro-circuitry for the rest of their life.
The strategies a child uses to relate to problems and people changes dramatically in these years. Developmental Psychologist and world renowned researcher Dr. Carol Dweck has studied and documented child development for 30 plus years. Her observations show how difficult the changes are for children in this age group. How kids learn to cope with those changes largely affects how they form their self-image, confidence, their mindset, their ability to overcome challenges and take on a successful track. This is the opportunity to give your children a growth oriented self-image that will serve them forever.
For example: if a child begins playing chess at age 5, plays for 30 minutes a day, 3 days a week until she is 20; she will have developed 900% more brain function (related to chess) with approximately 500% faster connections than a young lady who starts playing at age 20 and puts in the same amount of time. That, not only, means that she has access to 900% more intelligence related to plays, strategy and even statistical variations she can access that intelligence 500% faster than the person who started when they were 20.
Chess is merely an example; you could use soccer, horse riding, a hobby or small business enterprise, anything that the child enjoys. So long as the child is in occupied with dynamics in play and variables that require engaged thinking, they will be building a better brain. Now compare that to a passive activity like being entertained by a television 4 hours a night. How will that affect building active and connected brain tissue? Not very much, television and passive entertainment are the worst activity for increasing cognitive abilities.
