"Touching" brain development

Our brains develop primarily through every day experiences we have in our early years! My daughter sent this wonderful clip knowing how much I would enjoy how it provides an example. This event captured on video shows a heartwarming experience impacting this baby's brain.

It shows first of all the natural curiosity the baby has which creates the motivation to move closer to "check out" the item on the floor. The baby then uses touch in addition to vision. This combination creates more learning than just looking at something. This is extremely apparent in this clip.

It is most fun to watch the cause and effect learning that is taking place. The baby sees a reaction happen from touching the dogs foot. The same action is repeated to see if it will create the same result. This is how we learn! And repetition is what creates strong connections between brain cells. How valuable this learning experience is for this baby --- and what fun it is for us to watch it taking place in such a pleasurable way!!