Utilising the parent-involved clubs that nurseries provide can be supportive of a healthy and strong child-parent bond, as the bond parents have with their children is both precious and fundamental to the development of a child’s core values. In terms of the significance of parent-child bonding, it is crucial to observe the growth of the human brain from 0-3 years – of which 90% of all brain growth occurs. It’s hard to understate the importance of the care and bonds made with the child during these crucial stages of brain development.
The Psychological Benefits of Proper Parent-Child Bonding
It is well known the amount of love a child receives and the affinity they feel between themselves and their parents result in how the brain physically develops. This has direct implications for a child’s character development, risk of mental illness and ability to retain information. For instance, children who have suffered neglect have been recorded to have a further sensitivity in the limbic system which has been linked directly to anxiety disorders later on in life.
Furthermore, the rapid speed at which the brain grows from infancy to age 3 is indicative in that 700–1000 synapse connections are made per second. To put this into context, a child makes 10 times as many neural connections than adults do, which highlights the vulnerability of a child’s brain. Parent-child bonding happens during these formative stages to ensure the brain develops as it should, as to prevent stunted growth in the hippocampus part of the brain – which can cause learning and memory difficulties later down the line for the child.
Improving Parent-Child Bonding Through Children’s Clubs
There is a lot to be said for the benefits of playing alongside your child in order to improve and maintain a healthy parent-child bond, which as we’ve established, is so essential for brain development. Play provides a space for a parent to fully engage with their child. Children’s clubs also allow parents to be surrounded with other parents and children playing which can be good for morale when a parent is feeling stressed about their parent-child bond or looking for other parents to confide in. The freedom which play provides means that during child-driven play sessions, a parent can perceive the world from their child’s view and adapt the play to the child’s individual needs.
Little Acorns: Facilitating Parent-Child Bonding in Eastleigh & Hedge End
At our nursery, we provide parents with a unique opportunity to attend Saturday morning club which allows parents to play alongside their children and meet our caring, professional team of staff. We understand how crucial the parent-child bond is due to the vulnerability of the child’s brain during this stage of their lives and as a result, we incorporate bonding children’s clubs such as our Saturday morning club to create healthy, strong relationships between parent and child.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us for any queries on how best to bond with your child and how our nursery facilitates that.