Neuroscience has shown that the first three years of a child’s life is the period of most rapid cognitive development, with 90% of a child’s brain developed the time they are three years old. It is incredibly important that toddlers are given every opportunity to develop to their full potential with the following factors being vital in early childhood development:

  • The first five years last a lifetime
  • Good nutrition, health and exercise are vital
  • Children are born ready to learn
  • The best learning happens through nurturing relationships
  • The brain develops through use

Children’s wellbeing is crucial to brain development and learning

  • Children learn through being engaged and doing
  • Children learn through watching and copying
  • Children’s self-control is critical for learning, responsibility and relationships
  • Children learn language by listening to it and using it
  • Children are born ready to learn mathematics1

 1 P Winter, Engaging Families in the Early Childhood Development Story, Department of Education and Children’s Services, South Australia, 2010, p.4