Your Child's Emotional, Social, And Intellectual Development

04/21/2008 - Parenting Recent research on the brain shows a dramatic spurt in learning between ages 4 and 10-when the brain is most biologically equipped to learn. Although the brain can learn new skills throughout life, it will never again be quite as active and receptive as it is during these years. During this time the brain eagerly seeks information from the senses as it decides which brain cell connections to keep and which ones to eliminate. Connections that are not reinforced by stimulation from the outside world are trimmed away until; by about age 12, the brain's basic architecture has been formed. Learning a foreign language and other skills such as playing a musical instrument become more difficult after age 12 because the brain has to work harder and more indirectly to commit these skills to memory by building new connections and breaking apart old ones. For instance, a child under 10 years old who moves to the United States from a foreign country can pick up English with ease, while his or her parents struggle to learn the language and, if they do, never completely lose their native accent. Music lessons affect the physical wiring of the brain by increasing spatial reasoning (the ability to recognize variations in the shapes and positions of physical objects), a skill that is used in physics, mathematics, and engineering.

While you should expose your child to learning opportunities-such as music lessons, athletics, dance, and foreign languages-don't overload him or her with too many activities or force him or her to do them. Let your child choose the activities he or she enjoys. One or two extracurricular activities is plenty for a school-age child because most activities require a degree of emotional and physical investment. Praise your child's achievements-successful experiences create a positive self-image. Children this age tend to take criticism personally and don't know how to accept

Although you can't guarantee your child will be a prodigy by signing him or her up for music lessons at a young age, learning music will be a lot easier now than when he or she gets older. Although people can learn to play a musical instrument at any age, they can do it much more effortlessly before age 12. Give your child the opportunity to learn to play an instrument-but don't force the issue if he or she isn't having fun.

Try to encourage your child to be active in music. You can encourage them by making them look at other children who know how to play instruments. If possible buy you child a small instrument such as a keyboard, guitar etc. This will make them become more curious about playing instruments. Once they play a note or two correctly or incorrectly, praise them and encourage them. Also try to make their instrument learning time experience to be a fun time for the child. This will make them associate doing their practice a positive experience. Once you make it a positive experience, your child will always be longing to go and practice.