Today I’d like to talk about the awesome brain.
I know this House is all for healthy families and vibrant communities. I’ve recently learned about brain development in the young child. I realize there are implications and opportunities for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of many of our government programs.
I would like to share some of the researchers’ new insights on the brain. At birth there are over 100 billion brain cells, or building blocks, that make up our brain. They are especially designed for communicating among themselves across the spaces between them. Communication between brain cells occurs through electrochemical signals. When these connections are made, they shape our thoughts, our feelings, our capacity to think and learn.
Of all the incredible numbers of pathways or connections that can be established, only those that are used during our first two years actually become hard-wired and established for life. By age three a child’s brain has formed 1,000 trillion connections. From birth to 18 months the brain forms connections that have to do with emotional attachments. From birth to four years the connections deal with visual development, colours, shapes and distances. From one to five years connections are made to learn music and math and, from birth to ten years, capacity for language development.
Our programs need to help families enhance the development of these connections in the wee child in the best ways possible. Under the right conditions and day-to-day experiences, what the baby sees, hears, touches, tastes, smells and feels actually shape the brain, form connections and cause the brain to grow larger and more active.
The very best way to develop a child’s brain is to nurture and love your children and expose them to a variety of new experiences. An environment lacking love and experiences starves the brain. The neurons don't connect. It’s love that grows brains.
One final note, Mr. Speaker. Beginning about age ten, the brain starts pruning, or getting rid of, cells and connections that are seldom or never used. The hard-wired pathways that are often used, however, are kept and become stronger and more efficient. This knowledge can help guide our efforts to reduce and reinvest wisely. For example, from birth to age ten, it is easiest to learn languages. This has implications.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted.
As a government we need to work with young families to increase the awareness of when and how these brain connections are made. Let’s use this knowledge to guide our support of early childhood development programs, language nests, and parenting and family support.
Let us, as leaders in this government, have the vision to increase awareness and provide the programs to ensure that our children’s brains grow to their full potential. They are our future. Thank you. Mahsi.
