Read on to learn interesting facts about how the brain develops, what can affect that development, and how learning is impacted.
Read aloud. Parents and teachers who read aloud and talk often to young children are promoting brain development.
Bilingual brains. Children who learn two languages before the age of five have a different brain structure than children who learn only one language.
Child abuse and the brain. Studies have shown that child abuse can change the way the brain develops and can negatively affect learning.
New neurons. Throughout life, mental activity promotes the production of new neurons in the brain.
Handedness. Those who are left-handed or ambidextrous have a corpus collosum that is about 11% larger than those who are right-handed.
Brain growth. The human brain continues to grow until about age 18.
Stimulating environment. If a child is in a stimulating environment, she has a 25% greater ability to learn . Conversely, if she is in an environment with low stimulation, she has 25% less ability to learn.
Creative vs. methodical. Scientists have shown that creative thinkers’ brains work in different ways from the brains of those who think more methodically.
Food and intelligence. One study looked at students in New York and showed that those who ate lunches that did not include artificial flavors, preservatives, and dyes did 14% better on IQ tests than the students who ate lunches with these additives.
Boredom. Humans have an innate curiosity, but when they have a lack of stimulation, boredom sets in.
Learning new things. A study shows that when people are learning new things, their brains change very quickly. Those learning to juggle showed change in the brain in as little as seven days.
Music. Children who take music lessons show a considerable increase in the ability to learn.
Reading faces. The area of the brain called the amygdala is responsible for the ability to read someone’s face for clues to how they are feeling.
