Brain Development in Infants and Early Childhood

The learning process for humans lasts a lifetime. However, the groundwork for experiences of older children and adults is laid during the development of the brain in infancy and early childhood -- from senses such as hearing and sight to physical, emotional and social skills.

Hearing and Sight

• From birth to 5 years old, children are most apt to develop hearing and sight. Exposing infants to shapes, colors and movement develops their vision, while voices, music and sounds help develop their hearing response.

Speech

• Children develop most of their language skills that they draw on later in life as infants and toddlers, through exposure to talking and singing as well as interaction with caregivers. Human brains are also more receptive to learning foreign languages in early childhood.

Motor Skills

• Motor skills, such as rolling over or walking, typically develop first, beginning in infancy. Fine motor skills, such as grasping a small piece of food between two fingers, tend to become more refined through early childhood.

Emotions and Socialization

• Babies develop emotional bonds to their caregivers during their first 18 months, building their capacity to feel emotions such as empathy and happiness. They later become aware of their individuality and learn to interact with others, developing skills like sharing as toddlers.

Stress and Trauma

• Stress and traumatic events in infancy and early childhood can adversely affect emotional development of the brain, leading to depression, eating disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder in children.

Nutrition

• Fat supports the production of myelin in the brain, which speeds up its processing of information. Inadequate calories or proteins adversely affect fine motor skills and language development in infants and young children. According to the website Zero to Three, iron deficiencies have been linked to cognitive defects.