What to do from 0 - 2

Many people do not realise how crucial the early years are in determining a child's future development.

Professor Allan Schore of UCLA has found that eighty percent of the brain cells that a person will ever have are manufactured during the first 2 years of life. Brain scans of children who have been neglected compared to a 'typical' child show huge differences in the size of the brain. The interaction between the child and their main care givers at this time is crucial. The neuro pathways on which further learning is based are being laid down from 0 to 2, the foundations for language development, coordination, motor skills, visual skills, listening skills and focus are all being put in place.

It is not about 'hot housing' children or forcing them to do activities they are not ready for but being aware that play and interaction are important right from the start.


If you observe and interact with a group of pre-school children of 3 - 4  years of age the difference in the range of skills some children have compared to others is already huge.

Much as many people hate to say it, the advantage some children have at this stage will stay with them all throughout school.   The differences between children are partly genetic and partly due to their environment.  Of course nothing is straightforward, children all develop at different rates.  Some children are 'late bloomers' and some children have learning difficulties and developmental issues to deal with.  But stimulating and interacting with our baby and toddler will always make a difference to their later skills and ability to learn.

If you take a typical nursery or kindergarten class and ranked them in terms of language development, motor skills, focus and readiness to learn.  Then you looked at the attainment in reading and maths for the same group of children at the end of primary school at 11 years old you would find the order is pretty much the same.  It is not to say that schools and parents do not make any difference but they can only build on the foundation that is already there.

The purpose of this article is not make any one feel bad about their child or their parenting but just to raise the awareness that those first 2 years can make a real difference.  Many parents are unaware of what they can do to encourage and nurture their child at this early stage.  Many educators and parents are increasingly concerned about range and level of skills of children coming into school. But the answer is not to do more in pre-school or bring educational goals lower and lower.  The answer is in supporting parents and other caregivers and their children before pre-school.

So what can we do?

Many people still think that a quiet baby is a good baby and while we can not change a child's temperament we can encourage all children to interact and respond to their environment.

1. Talk
Talking to your baby as much as possible is important for future language development.  Some people think that because the baby can not understand you, that it is not important to talk to them. But the baby can pick up on the rhythm and sound patterns right from the beginning.  They recognise tone of voice, they recognise their care giver/s voice/s above others.  It is also not necessary to use baby talk, if you use the correct words you will find that when a child is ready to talk they will use these words too. Reading and sharing books right from the beginning is also a great way to introduce children to a whole range of vocabulary and the world beyond their own experience. Most children it love too!

2. Movement and curiosity
Encouraging your baby to reach for objects and touch things is also important. Let them have plenty of time out of their pram or cot to explore what is around them. Let them look at and touch everyday objects (as long as it is safe). We don't need fancy toys; as we all know at Christmas, when the baby or toddler plays with the box as much as the toy inside!  Encourage curiosity as much as possible, let your baby or child watch you do all the everyday things that need to be done - cooking, cleaning, shopping.  Lying on their tummy for some time each day, as well as their back helps to strengthen muscles and helps later coordination.  When they are ready to crawl let them go and explore, try not to contain them much as practical.  Babies experience to world through all their senses and we should encourage this as much as possible.

3. Play
Play, play and more play! Play is how we are meant to learn the boundaries of our environment and ourselves. It is how we learn cause and effect, how we learn to problem solve and focus.  Many of the 'traditional' toys are best - building blocks, shape sorters, jigsaws, matching games. We also want a balance between adult directed play and child directed play.  We don't always need to show a child how to do something 'properly' they can learn a lot by playing with a toy or game the 'wrong' way and then working out what to do.  Messy play with water, mud, sand or paint are all fun and hugely beneficial.

'Play' is currently a hot topic terms of pre-school, school curriculum and education but the point is play is important right from the beginning.

See https://www.zerotothree.org/espanol/brain-development video clips and great practical tips.

Also take a look at https://www.education.com/reference/article/infants-toddlers-ages-zero-two/  for further reading on early development.