Building Healthy Brains

A person’s brain starts growing and developing while they are still in utero, and it continues growing very quickly during the first few years of life. Children need positive, nurturing interactions with trusted caregivers to support their brain development and help get them ready for school.  

Positive interactions between children and caregivers in their early years are like building the foundation of a house – they provide a strong support for that child’s future brain development and mental health. Health professionals often refer to this as Brain Architecture.

A great strategy for creating positive childhood experiences and helping to build your child’s brain is to think of your interactions with them like a game of tennis. Some experts refer to this strategy as Serve and Return.

Serve and Return works like a game of tennis between child and caregiver. The child “serves” by reaching out for interaction - with eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, babbling, or touch. The parent/caregiver then ‘returns the serve’ by responding to the child and engaging with them.  

For example, perhaps you are at the park with your child, and they see a duck. Your child points at the duck, and you see their facial expression change. You then make eye contact with your child and say “Do you see the duck? Can you point to the duck? What colour is the duck? What does the duck say? You might even start to sing a song or recite a rhyme about ducks. 

Supportive and nurturing relationships between children and caregivers are the building blocks of children's early brain development. They can help prepare children for school through the development of executive functioning skills. These skills, such as controlling emotions, paying attention, working memory, math and literacy, can all be enhanced through simple serve and return interactions between the caregiver and the child. 

Stress is one of the factors that shapes brain architecture in a developing child, but not all stress is the same. Some stress can be good for brain development.  

Positive Stress involves situations like making new friends at school or learning new skills. These kinds of situations may cause some discomfort to a child, but they are necessary to help us all to learn and grow.  

Sometimes a child might face a truly difficult situation like losing a loved one. This kind of stress is called Tolerable Stress. It can be very difficult for a child to deal with, but they can often work through it with the support of a loving caregiver.  

Toxic Stress occurs when there is no caregiver around to offer a child comfort and support in difficult situations. The brain remains in a state of stress for a long time, which can disrupt healthy brain development.  

Parents and caregivers can help their child in stressful situations by offering them comfort when they are upset. They can also talk them through stressful situations and provide them with strategies to manage their stress which can include:

• Staying calm
• Offering comfort and reassurance
• Encouraging them
• Having consistent household routines  

York Region Supports for Parents/Caregivers and Children

• Mental Health and Wellbeing for Schools

The term ACE has been in use since 1998, when the U.S., not-for-profit healthcare consortium, Kaiser Permanente, published the results of its Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, a joint research project with the Centers for Disease Control.  

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study is one of the largest investigations of the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and diseases in adulthood and other lifelong health and well-being outcomes.

ACEs are a form of toxic stress. They can include situations like neglect, parental addiction, and violence inside or outside the home.  

Creating and sustaining safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments for all children and families can prevent ACEs and help all children reach their full health and life potential. 

Mental Health is important for parents/caregivers.  To be the best caregiver you can be, you need to ensure that you have good mental health. Find time for healthy activities that you enjoy. Spend quality time with friends and loved ones. Be kind to yourself – no one is perfect!

If you didn’t have a loving caregiver supporting you when you were a child, you might find that you may experience poor mental health and have difficulty coping with the challenges of parenting. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help! By doing so, you can start to experience positive mental health and can have the ability to support your child in stressful situations. 

• Health Connection
• Health Babies Healthy Children Program
• Transition to Parenting
• Early ON Child and Family Programs
• Community Support (Housing, Childcare, Financial)
• Children with Special Needs
• Mental Health and Wellbeing for Schools
• Mental Health and Wellness in Pregnancy and Parenthood

The definition of resilience is the ability to stay healthy even in circumstances of severe stress and adversity. Anyone can become more resilient at any stage of life, but it’s easiest to build the foundation of resilience in early childhood.  

The single most common factor for children who develop resilience is at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive parent, caregiver, or other adult. You can help your child develop resiliency simply by being there for them and engaging in simple serve and return interactions. 

The Brain Story, was developed by the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative. This free 30-hour course explores the science of brain development and how experiences, shape the brain and impact one’s future learning, and lifelong physical and mental health. 

If your organization would like to receive a presentation from a public health nurse to learn more about The Brain Story and how we can support children and families to develop healthy brains and lifelong mental health, please email us at HGD.york.ca.  

• Register for the free Brain Story certification
• Download the Brain Story Learning Cards