Children and young people are growing and developing

How does the brain work?

As adults, we have an important role to play in guiding children and young people in their growth and development. Children and young people are different and have different needs. To understand this, we need to look a little into developmental psychology and how our brains work.

By the age of six, all the major structures in the brain are in place, but the connections between these parts are not fully in place. These connections will develop and strengthen over the next few years and throughout childhood and adolescence. Puberty is the final push.

Children need to be understood, even when their emotions take over knowledge and experience. This requires adults who can control their emotions and be good role models who speak in a calm voice and perhaps help put what is happening into words. An adult who can confirm the feelings the child has and help regulate them if necessary.

This self-regulation is something that the child will eventually learn on their own, and some need more help with this than others. Self-regulation is something that must be learned together with others, in the environment and with other children. Adults have a particularly important role. 

Adults become a guide or supervisor in many situations

For some children, the situation may be that they know what they should do, and yet do something else. This can help create a gap between what the child actually does and what they know they should have done. As children get older, this becomes more and more apparent.

Children and adolescents grow and develop differently. Many factors affect the ability to self-regulate, including who the child is as a person, how easily they get angry, how easily they get sad, their temperament, the support they have from home in their earlier years, and their experiences in kindergarten and school. Some children learn this quite early and have good control, while others need support and help with regulation well into their teenage years. This can also be situational.

Example , the child comes to school one day and does the tasks well and gets the experience of mastery. The next time, perhaps with a different teacher, or a different activity, the situation is completely different. Then, among other things, the relationship the child and the adult have plays a role. How safe the child is in the adult, or in the others who are in this arena. This takes time and must be practiced.

We can compare it to a child learning to take their first unsteady steps until they are running around. The more you practice, the stronger the connection in the brain that controls balance and coordination becomes. Eventually, the connection will stick. That is why it is recommended that children engage in many different activities – versatile influence at a young age creates different connections in the brain related to movement and movement experience.

Feelings, experiences and impressions

In the same way, we must practice handling emotions, experiences and impressions. Children and young people's natural way of learning and practicing is through play. In play, children are allowed to practice. on rules, practice how to relate to each other, practice setting their own boundaries and practice tolerating the boundaries of others.

Three themes that are very important throughout childhood:

Different skills children and young people need to have to succeed together