Basic Needs

As a Kindermusik educator I am reminded that the first five years of a child's life are when all the little brain connectors (synapses for all you smarty pants out there) develop and flourish. These connectors set up your learning ability for the rest of your life which makes these first five years awfully important. The more connections = the greater potential. So what do we do to encourage the synapses? We introduce things to our child. Each time we introduce something new we create connectors. And repetition solidifies these connections. We introduce music, art, books, languages, different ways of moving. We put our kids in great preschools and mommy and me classes and we play and read and sing with them at home. By doing this we are meeting their needs. But when I think of meeting the needs of children I can't help but to think of how different that concept is to each person. My concern is getting my kids to take a bath, not trying to find clean drinking water. My concern is getting my kids to eat their vegetables, not whether or not my kids will get a meal today. Choosing a preschool, not deciding if my child should walk the six miles to school or stay home and watch the sheep. Getting them to bed on time, not whether or not they will live through the night. I am a blessed person. So what do I do about it? Well first of all it reminds me to give to those less fortunate. Clean water, healthy food, safe home, loving family; these are the basic needs every child should have. Brain connections can not be made without these. Secondly, it reminds me to be grateful and to take advantage of all the wonderful opportunities I have. I have hundreds of books in the house, do I read to my children every day? Thousands of songs on my i-pod, do I play music and sing to them daily? Shame on me if I don't. I am responsible for giving my child the best I can. "To whom much is given, much is expected." I'd love to hear what you do for your child to build their synapses?