Brain Development Quotes for Transition Book
By the age of two, toddlers’ brains are as active as those of adults. By the age of
three, the brains of children are two and a half times more active than the brains
of adults—they stay that way throughout the first decade of life.”
p. 21 Rethinking the Brain: New Insights into Early Development, Rima Shore, 1997
85 percent of a child’s brain development takes place by the age of 5. Synapses
are created with astonishing speed in the first three years of life. For the rest of
the first decade, a child’s brain has twice as many synapses as an adult’s brain.
This means that a child’s environment during the first five years of life can greatly
impact the brains’ ability to develop.”
Rethinking the Brain: New Insights into Early Development, Rima Shore, 1997
(but I found it in an Ohio publication)
“What occurs during the first five years of life can have an enormous impact on
not only do well the baby’s brain develops at the moment, but how well that baby
learns and grow throughout their lifetime,”
Christopher P. Lucas, MD, director of Early Childhood Services a the NYU Child Study Center
“…every minute a baby is in front of a (TV or computer) screen, they are not
engaged with a loving, familiar caregiver… and infants learn from loving adults”
Jill Stamm, PhD, author Bright From the Start.
“Early experiences determine whether a child’s developing brain architecture
provides a strong or weak foundation for all future learning. Behavior and health.”
p. 3, www.developingchild.harvard.edu, Aug. 2007
“Stable, safe relationships and rich learning experiences are key to brain
development.”
Jack P. Shonkoff, Harvard pediatrician, Jan.16, 2008 www.courant.com/news/education
From Neurons to Neighborhoods:
 P.4 “All children are born wired (for feeling and) ready to Learn”
“Your child learns more in their first three years than adults do in a decade.”
(zero5.org)
“Research is showing that the early years matter. By the time they come to
school, it’s too late. We’ve lost the most valuable years to make a difference.”
-Early care and Education expert, NM
This reality is revealed in several studies that show that impoverished early experiences lead to a trajectory
of school failure and behavioral problems. Lower child neonatal health status is a strong indicator of lower
cognitive abilities and behavioral competence. There is a causal link between nutrition and cognitive and
behavioral outcomes.
Newspaper article: Howard O. Nornes professor a Colorado State University
Gerald Benson
“
“
From the Harvard Article: The Timing and Quality of Early
Experiences Combine to Shape Brain Architecture, working
paper 5
www.developingchild.net/pubs/wp/Timing_Quality_Early_Experiences.pdf
“After birth, experience plays an increasingly important role in shaping the
architecture (of developing neural circuits so that they function optimally for each
individual)” of the brain. (p.2)
“Reading a picture book with a toddler who is learning to speak, for example,
provides an important opportunity to point to and talk about the pictures, not to
focus on the written word. The ability to decode written language comes later.”
(p.3)
“When adults or communities expect young children to master skills for which the
necessary brain circuits have not yet been formed, they waste time and
resources, and may even impair healthy brain development (by inducing
excessive stress in the child.” (p.4)
“There are no credible scientific data to support the claim that specialized videos
…have a positive, measurable impact on the developing brain….highly unlikely
that the potential benefits of such media would even come close to matching the
more important influences of attentive, nurturing, growth-promoting interactions
with a vested adult.” (p.5)
From: Final Report of the NGA Task Force on School Readiness
“The education of America’s children begins the day they are born, not their first
day in the classroom.” (Former Kentucky Gov. Paul E. Patton)
“There is compelling research on early childhood development and that research
clearly shows the importance of tapping into a child’s potential by beginning
education in the first five years of life.” ((Former Missouri Gov. Bob Holden)
“The importance of a strong family and caring parents in a child’s life can’t be
overstated. Parent are a child’s first and most influential teachers.”
(Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne)
“Children learn more from the birth to the age three than any other time in life.
During these years, what we do will affect the way they learn, think and behave
forever. As parents, child care providers and concerned citizens, it is our job to
ensure that our youngest and most vulnerable residents are prepared and ready
to enter the classroom.” (Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm)
"Learning begins in the first days of life. Scientists are now discovering how young
children develop emotionally and intellectually from their very first days, and how
important it is for parents to begin immediately talking, singing, even reading to their
infants....We already know we should start teaching children before they start school."
(from a White House Conference in April 1997)
Brain development is dependent upon both experience and genetics.
Children are born with a range of IQ potential of approximately 40 points.
Our goal as educators and parents is to help our children reach the
maximum of this range in the first nine years of life.
 � Increased experiences define the wiring of an infant’s brain. In fact, by
the age of three, 80% of the synaptic connections of brain cells - the
“building blocks” of development - are already made. The relationships
we foster with our children as we mediate their contact with environment
directly impact’s the formation of these neural pathways.
 Have you wondered why there appear to be more children with
ADD/ADHD? Perhaps it is because every hour spent with technology (TV
and electronic games) increases the ADD/ADHD symptoms by 10%. As
we speak with principals and admissions directors each year, the
#1 issue they observe in young students is an inability to translate concrete
concepts into abstract terms. 90% of what children experience should be
through active play and direct, hands-on participation.
