Most parents yearn to give their childrenthat extra edge in life and wait for the kindergarten stage to begininstruction. This is a big mistake because early intervention is imperative to childbrain development and the advantage of a superior brain, once acquired, remainswith the child for life.

 In a report by  Dr. Rima Shore arrives at two importantconclusions: "By the time children reach age three, their brains are twice as active as those of adults.Activity levels drop during adolescence", and "Early interactionsdon't just create a context; they directly affect the way the brain is 'wired'."Dr. Shore, the Adelaide Weismann Chair in Educational Leadership at Bank StreetCollege of Education, prepared the report based on proceedings from a nationalconference. Anyone interested in learning about the process of must know how the human brain develops in the first few yearsafter birth.

Howto boost the development of the child's brain?

• In the pre natal stage, the fetus's brain produces more neurons than it requires. All these neurons are not preserved. Later the axons branch out and again some are lost. At the pre natal stage nothing can be done to save the atrophy (loss) of the axons.

• After the child is born, the brain experiences another spurt in growth because of the sudden increase in the sensory stimuli. The good news is that this time a larger number of the newly formed dendrites can be preserved. The technique to preserve them is to provide the brain with more stimulation. This will ensure that more electrical signals are sent through the axons to the dendrites. If a child can be given the required stimulation, more dendrites will be conserved. These dendrites will ensure that the child grows up to have superior cognitive abilities. This will make the child a better learner when the formal process of learning begins at the kindergarten and school level.

Thus the process of kick starting should begin in the zero-to-three year stage. Of the variousways in which children's brains can be given the required stimulation, teachingthem how to read is the best option. This will ensure that they pick up anessential skill and also get the required stimulation.