Health For HimThe men guide to fitness, workouts, weight loss, health, nutrition and muscle building

What you should know

The first three years of life provide a unique opportunity to enhance the growth and future success of a young child.

Milestones reached during the first three years of life can set the basis for future achievements. Many researchers have seen that children in high-quality early childhood environments — at home or in schools — are more likely to complete high school, get good jobs and become productive citizens.

A child’s brain starts developing in the womb. Good prenatal care is extremely important. But the brain also grows very fast after birth. Learning starts the moment a child is born. Many children without proper attention and learning in the first three years of life fall behind in school by the third grade.

Experiences in the first three years of life can teach prosocial or antisocial behaviors. A lack of attention and negative experiences in the toddler years can cause a child to develop negative behaviors: distrust, physical and relational aggression, indifference and selfishness.

A nurturing environment can teach a child to be empathetic, compassionate and respectful of others. Positive social and emotional skills have a strong correlation with later social and academic success.

Secure and close relationships at home and in early childhood learning programs tend to cause children to copy those behaviors when with others. Emotionally secure children are often better at listening to adults and peers, being supportive of others, and engaging in meaningful conversations and activities.

The first three years of life can be crucial for the brain cell organization needed for future learning. Activities and attention that stimulate the developing brain can have positive results in physical activities and in the development of the five senses.

Early experiences that stimulate the brain can have a lasting impact. Speaking and reading to a child can affect hearing, comprehension and language development. By the third year, one expert explained, a child’s vocabulary may be approximately 900 words, a threefold increase from the vocabulary at age 2. Potty training should be achieved by age 3. By the third year, a child will understand that her existence is a separate from you and others — an important fact for developing positive relationships.

Most researchers agree that positive, high-quality environments and stable emotional attachments are very beneficial for toddlers, regardless of race, ethnicity, culture or income.

Research clearly shows that positive environments have positive effects both mentally and physically. Experts do not have a clear understanding of whether emotional deprivation causes permanent changes in the brain or changes in behavior. Early intervention is often recommended to prevent permanent damage.

What you should do

Be a role model for small children. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Learn how to support early learning. Study the ways in which the first three years of life affect the future success of your child. Vision, speech, hearing, touch, coordination, relationships, preferences and more are in development.

Use everyday moments to teach children about the world, how to relate to people, and how to take care of themselves. Don’t invest in every advertised child development product. Instead, invest your time and effort. Play with a child. Provide reassuring touches and hugs. Sing and read together. These activities will pay big dividends.

Make it very clear that you expect a child to be kind, respectful and helpful. Make this message clear without force or rewards. Children who are good only because of rewards often tend to be less generous and kind as soon as the rewards stop.

Invest dedicated and quality time in giving attention. Being in the same room while preoccupied with a computer, paying bills, washing dishes, reading alone, or other tasks is not the same as giving a child attention. Don’t use a TV or video games as a substitute for positive direct interaction with your toddler.

Seek a consistent high-quality child care arrangement. Young toddlers with multiple arrangements tend to behave more poorly than children in stable child care settings.

As adults, the positive growth of children is up to us. Find ways to enhance the opportunities for early childhood development, at home, at school, and through implementation of government policies that support education, nutrition and safety for young children.

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