What are "Windows of Opportunity"?

Let's take a look:

• Brain development is a combination of genetics and the environment. It is the genes (or what your kid inherited from you) that create the structure of the circuit - but it is the combination of nutrition, the environment, and stimulation that determines how the circuit is “wired” or connected together.

• Brain cell connections (the “wiring” of the brain) are also created when your child forms attachments to parents, family members, and caregivers. That is why predictable and consistent childcare is important to devleopment.

• Your kid is biologically prepared to learn. That’s why a 3 year old’s brain is two and a half times more active than an adult's. It has more synapses (gaps between nerve fibers that make your child more sensitive to learning), and the density of the synapses remain high throughout the first 10 years of life.

• The quality, quantity and consistency of stimulation from your child’s early experiences contribute to the structure of his brain and its capacities. The effect of these experiences lasts for the rest of his life.

• There are “windows of opportunities” in your child’s development where his brain is particularly efficient at specific types of learning. These are critical periods where your child readily absorbs specific skills. These "window of opportunity" occur when the connections of the brain develops at the most rapid rate.

WINDOW FOR	OPTIMAL WINDOW	NEXT BEST OPPORTUNITY	FURTHER REWIRING POSSIBLE
Emotional Intelligence	0 to 24 months	2-5 years	any age
Motor Development	0 to 24 months	2-5 years	decreases with age
Vision	0 to 2 years	2-5 years
Early Sounds	4-8 months	8 months - 5 years	any age
Music	0-36 months	3-10 years	any age
Thinking Skills	0-48 months	4-10 years	any age
Second Language	5-10 years		any age