Babies Arrive With Windows of Opportunity
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By Mark W.F. Condon, Unite for Literacy vice president
Windows of opportunity, like the windows in a house, only provide fresh air when they are open. Babies and children from birth to 5 years old are similar. Really, they are.
Precious futures and the future of the world are presented to us as little bundles of possibility on day one of each child’s life. Each baby is a squirming, babbling tiny life force that too few of us understand as a uniquely open window of opportunity. We say “window” because the life-long potential that is likely to be manifested by those precious cuties is importantly shaped by what happens for and to them during a specific time period—from birth to age 5 years. Conversely, what doesn’t happen during that brief period is as important as what does.
Food, water, shelter, and safety are the bare basics of what we can provide to babies if we want them to physically survive. To help them flourish and increase the chance that they’ll enjoy a wonder-filled and rewarding life requires love and intentionally nurturing the gray matter between their tiny ears. Babies’ brains provide the nexus for the development of all their unique potentials, and the corresponding window of opportunity exists within their first 60 months of life when 90 percent of their brains’ development occurs.
Human brains don’t develop randomly or in some formulaic way. They develop in direct response to life experiences and the environmental stimuli (or lack of it) with which brains engage. The part of the brain that gets stimulated gets stronger—so that window of brilliance opens wider. Sadly, any part which doesn’t get stimulated will slowly wither away; think of that as a critical window closing.
Parents already have a lot on their plates, but having information about and understanding brain development can help them make the most of the small, everyday moments in their children’s lives to keep developmental windows wide open.
Supporting Your Babies
There are three small, sure-fire ways to help babies develop rich language, critical thinking, and engagement with and connection to the wonders of the world: Picture Books. Reading Them Together. Talking About Those Books. These are daily experiences that optimally must happen before day one of kindergarten. It’s that simple. Here are the expanded versions of each.
Picture books offer children, even those in remotely located or otherwise isolated families, access to experiences, ideas, and images that may not be readily available to them otherwise. We encourage parents and their children to frequently visit the children’s section of a public library. If there is no library nearby, or if it is closed much of the time, parents may wish to contact the local school district to see if and where there may be “bookmobiles” that bring a select portion of a library to neighborhoods.
There also is a growing number of “Little Free Libraries” popping up throughout communities. These small structures are filled with donated books of all genres by people interested in sharing their love of reading. They encourage passersby to “take a book or leave a book” and often offer visitors benches or inviting seating where they can relax and browse the collection.
If a family has internet accessibility, there are many, many terrific books available for free in online libraries. For example, Unite for Literacy’s free online library of 600 mostly nonfiction picture books has been created for young children and those new to reading, including people speaking other languages. At the end of each book, there are suggestions for similar or related titles in our library that readers might find interesting.
Parents also can reach out to librarians for ideas about children’s book choices and how to help their child joyfully engage with books. The goal is to enrich their baby’s understanding about the world and anything in it.
Regardless of how or where parents borrow or buy books, we encourage them to keep a steady stream (a half dozen or so) of age-appropriate titles on hand for their little ones to read, discuss and enjoy with family and friends.
Reading together presents babies and young children with richly combined visual and auditory stimulation for the development of vivid language along with broad concepts about their world and its wonders. Lap reading helps little ones connect books and literacy with loving closeness and warmth, an impression that may carry over to a positive relationship with books and libraries throughout their lives.
Talking about the books you read with children is critical. This means having conversation with children, not simply quizzing them. Talk with babies and children animatedly about a book’s words and pictures, and its characters.
“Ooo! look at that guy. He looks kind of unhappy? What do you think he could be sad about?”
Continue with additional focus upon story settings, events, and ideas and how those all connect with a child’s everyday life.
“This story is fun! Look where they are. What does it make you think about? Who could we take with us if we went there?”
“Who does that little girl look like that you know? She reminds me of Sadie, down the block. Look at her face. What do you think she’s going to do?”
This consistent kind of exploratory reading expands and enriches children’s sense of the world. When we “stop and talk” as we read, we magnify and personalize the events and interactions found in stories. Over time, those interactions move young children toward comfort with actual conversations about events and interactions in the text, and connect your child’s humanity with those in the rest of the world.
Prior to about age 5, the brain’s fully open “window” offers the richest growth opportunities for ideas and language. But as research has shown, that window closes fast. Mom and Dad, brothers and sisters and extended family, too—the time is NOW for your preschooler. So, get your tiny darlings to the library and into interactions with books and their personal significance.