Is Your Child Ready for School?

We usually regard our children's readiness for school as simply being a matter of ideas and habits. But at the center of it all is your child's brain. And in recent years, scientists have made astonishing discoveries about how the brain grows, beginning in the womb. We now know, for example, that the impulses received by a child's brain - the signals it receives from its environment - actually help to physically shape the brain, like fingers pressing upon clay. And much of the molding happens by the age of three.

That is why experts agree that parents are a child's first and most important teachers. Here are some practical tips for helping to prepare your child for learning:

• Hold, touch, and comfort your baby. Beginning with birth, being lovingly held and touched is a child's first education about the world. It nurtures the ability to trust and to feel valued. In the same way, being comforted when he or she cries teaches a child that the world cares and that he or she matters.
  
  
• Speak and listen to your baby. Lean in close to your baby's face and talk to him or her in "parentese," the cooing, singsong language that adults tend to use with young children. Studies show that this type of speech, with its slowness, exaggerated vowels and musical tone, actually helps infants to learn better than "adult" language.
  
  
• Provide safe places for your child to explore. Depending on your baby's age, having safe places to crawl, pull up, or walk or run freely is important. It lets a child make discoveries with confidence.
  
  
• Keep your child healthy. Well-child checkups, immunizations, a healthy diet relatively free of junk foods, and good exercise and sleep are all part of healthy brain development.
  
  
• Read to your child. The earlier and the more often you begin reading to your child, the better. It gives children a head start on understanding language. Try to do it at least once a day.
  
  
• Limit TV watching. Research shows that children who watch a lot of TV tend to not play creatively; instead, they merely imitate TV, often violently. Creative play, on the other hand, strengthens children's language skills and their ability to get along with others and to solve problems.
  
  
• Don't try to be a super-parent. Parents are under enough pressure already. Do what you can. And don't be afraid to ask for help, whether from your extended family, friends, or the many groups that support parents.