Neuro-scientific Approach
The brain is one of the most complex organs in the human body. No part of the brain will change unless it is activated by stimulation from the environment. Training the brain during the first 12 years matters and lasts for a lifetime, which shapes perceptual and cognitive ability, physical and mental ability, behaviour and performance. The development of the brain during this time determines what they become and how they behave in the future. There are similarities between how the brain develops and the mechanisms responsible for altering the connections between nerve cells later on -a process called neuronal plasticity. The early years of a child's life are critical for learning and development.
The best way is to engage a child actively through everyday activities like painting and craft activities. These activities encourage children to think ahead, recognise patterns and make decisions while all wrapped up in a package of fun! Multi-sensory learning is a powerful tool. Engaging multiple senses in the learning process engages multiple areas of the brain. Multisensory stimulation and input will be more effective and should lead to multiple representations, which in theory should strengthen learning. Sensory stimulation, especially touch, is critical for the development of brain structure and function in very young children. The experience that is repetitive, patterned and consistent is represented by strong neural connections. All learning (emotional, social, motor and cognitive) is accelerated by play. Children's natural curiosity, a neurobiological feature, drives exploratory play, which expands children's experience, stimulating neural activity and changes in the neural networks and their sophistication.
A mirror neuron is a neuron that fires both when a person performs an action and when the person observes an action performed by another. Hence, it is asserted that it is through the mirror neuron system that children develop the ability to understand the actions of others, to imitate and to teach others. Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity during the early stage. While learning through play, children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching, investigating and respond to diversity with respect.