Common “Whys” From Parents With Young Children!
Contributed by Cassie Chu, Training Director, Spring Learning
3 Common “Whys” From Parents With Young Children!
- Why Does My Child Have A Hard Time Concentrating?
- Why Is My Child So Clumsy?
- Why Does My Child Fidget All The Time?
Cerebellum: What Is It? What Does It Do? Why Is It Important?
CEREBELLUM:
Location: Sits at the base of the brain
Also known as: The “Little Brain”
Sensitive period of development: 0 – 1 year
Responsible for: Coordination of movement, controlling posture, and finding balance in and out of motion
Did you know that the cerebellum is the part of the brain that helps us with our balance and coordination? While we may think that we need our balance and coordination only for sporting activities, we forget their importance in helping us concentrate and navigate through our daily routines and tasks. When our brain fails to find balance and coordination, we will find it hard to focus and make sound judgement, which triggers our brain and body to try to find ways to regain balance. That is when we fidget, move around, and even get a little clumsy to find the balance that is needed to refocus.
The cerebellum is located at the base of the brain and serves as the foundation for which the other areas of the brain are built upon. Without this strong foundation in our brains, areas of the brain responsible for higher-order thinking and executive skills, such as planning, problem-solving, and creativity, will be compromised. By giving the cerebellum the appropriate amount of stimulation during its sensitive period of development, we are building the simple brain connections needed for the more complex connections to be constructed as the brain develops. This fundamental part of the brain, surprisingly, only has a short optimal window of opportunity to reach its potential. The most optimal time for developing this area is from birth to one year. Unfortunately, most parents miss out on this opportunity and neglect to provide beneficial activities to help build and stimulate this area for their children’s future growth.
“It is easier and less costly to form strong brain circuits during the early years than it is to intervene or ‘fix’ them later…More importantly, the connections that form early provide either a strong or weak foundation for the connections that form later.”
Source: Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
