Three Everyday Practices for Healthy Brain Development
A quick-reference guide for parents, caregivers and practitioners
Children’s brains grow and adapt through repeated everyday experiences While specialized interventions can be helpful, research consistently shows that creating a supportive environment promoting primary relationships, creating intentional routines and supporting skill-building plays a critical role in healthy development
This quick-reference guide highlights three research-informed practices that can be used in homes, classrooms, churches and care settings around the world.
Practice One
Promote
Primary Relationships
Attentive, responsive interaction between primary caregivers and children sets the stage for healthy development.
Children learn and grow best in the context of relationships Human interaction is vital to stimulating the development of brain regions related to attention, communication and emotional regulation. Relationships with primary caregivers are of particular importance and create the filter through which a child will view relationships for the rest of their lives For individuals who have experienced early life difficulties, which can disrupt healthy neurological development, loving and attentive primary caregiver relationships can both create new neural pathways directly related to relationships, and also create a safe environment that supports rewiring in other areas
Eye contact and shared attention
Joining a child’s activity or play
Responding to cues and communication attempts
Active listening
Plentiful quality time together
Putting phones away during interactions
Aim for a rhythm of a short block of focused one-toone connection each day (like 15 minutes after school) and a longer, one-to-one block once every month
Children need both quantity time and quality time.
Practice Two
Create Intentional Routines
Consistent patterns help children know what to expect
Routines can benefit brain development in two primary ways First, daily and weekly routines, such as eating meals together or attending church on Sunday, foster a sense of predictability. Predictability reduces stress and supports regulation, freeing the brain to focus on learning and connection A second type of beneficial routine involves rituals and traditions, such as lighting a candle before a meal or how we celebrate birthdays or holidays. Family rituals and traditions can cultivate a sense of shared meaning and belonging, and holiday celebrations can support a sense of anticipation and future focus, which is a protective factor in the face of early adversity
Consistent daily rhythms (morning, meals, transitions, bedtime)
Visual or written schedules for morning or evening tasks
Intentional routines, from morning hugs to bedtime prayers
Advance notice before changes to normal plans
Repeated traditions, from silly birthday hats to special Christmas treats
Create a written or visual simple daily rhythm using the same steps each day, even if the timing changes
Ensure children can understand the process and take ownership of habits, chores, and responsibilities.
Practice Three
Support Skill-Building
Repeated opportunities to build skills with adult support W
The brain changes through repeated use, and it changes more quickly when the thing we are aiming to do requires effort Children will need to build an immense number of skills across time, from learning to walk, to the ability to regulate their emotions, to conquering algebra Regular practice is more effective than one-time efforts Skillbuilding isn’t easy, and will often require adult support. However, the more skills a child has, the more they will know how to build This is especially important for individuals who have experienced early adversity, when skills are critical to their ability to overcome challenges
Practicing skills during calm moments
Repeating expectations and strategies
Encouraging effort
Celebrating progress and achievement
Tracking skill development, to have a record of how far a child has come
Participating in skill-building activities like sports, music lessons or scouts
Work with your child to create a time-bound goal around a skill he or she would like to grow in Create a plan for how to achieve it, and hold regular, brief check-ins to discuss progress and troubleshoot challenges
Putting It Together
→ Connection creates the conditions for growth
→ Predictability supports development
→ Practice builds capacity
Used together, these everyday practices support healthy brain development over time. For a deeper exploration of the research behind these practices, read Created to Heal: How Neuroplasticity Offers Hope for Children & Their Families from the CAFO Research Center
