FOSTERING COMPASSIONATE CHILDREN

Between three and five, children learn to grow emotionally by interactions with adults and peers. By aiding their emotional growth, children are more likely to attain emotional mastery as adults.

Between birth and six or eight, children naturally learn about grace, kindness and empathy. This gives them a good base for the rest of their lives. Of course, this is an ongoing journey; however, ideally, it begins at the earlier stages of their growth. Because it aligns with their brain growth, it is natural for children to master this phase early.

Healthy environments, particularly from pre-natal to six years of age, are essential for healthy brain growth. From before birth into adulthood, the brain is always growing. Like building a home, the process begins with laying the base, framing the rooms, and wiring the electric system in a typical order. Early experiences shape how the brain is built; a strong base in the early years increases the chance of positive results, while a weak base increases the odds of later issues (Alberta Family Wellness Initiative).

If we do not give the child love and aid to grow emotionally, it is possible that the child will find it harder to grow socially. This is what happens when an adult has great intellectual ability and poor emotional skills. With proper aid given to a child’s emotional growth, a child can grow to become mature.

In a world that has become so ambitious, some parents push their children academically, hoping to jumpstart a good future. This comes at the cost of other skills, which are vital to young development.

When children are born, their brains are already hardwired by genes, chemicals, and their time in the womb. They then spend the next two years growing their brain: with their neurons sprouting dendrites to send and receive signals with other parts of the brain at a rapid rate. By the time children are two, the number of neural connectors inside their brain essentially reaches its height. They then spend the next decade removing the ones they don’t need.

The process of “learning” in a young brain, doesn’t mean forming new neural pathways. It means losing unwanted neural pathways to improve brain efficiency.

A 2002 Stanford University study showed that for every hour we spend on computers, we lose a half-hour of face-to-face time—and that’s vital for young children who spend the first few years of their lives learning to identify gestures, like a shrug or a raised eyebrow. Some studies show that children aren’t forming crucial social skills they need.

“The brains of young people are digitised, and often academically hardwired from toddlerhood, often at the cost of neural circuitry that controls one-on-one people skills” (New Media and Development Communications).

Everything occurs at the right time in the right order. Sacrificing your child’s social and emotional growth for high grades will come at a bad price! The gifts of empathy, grace and kindness for others and enabling them to form a love for learning, are some of the best gifts we can give our children. These are equally as vital as good grades.