How to raise a smarter, happier baby

Join the thousands of parents already raising smarter, happier babies with our online baby classes: The Active Babies Smart Kids series. Click here.

GymbaROO-KindyROO kids are excelling academically, emotionally, in leadership roles and on the sporting field. Find us at: GymbaROO-KindyROO

Dr Jane Williams and Bindy Cummings

The supporting documentation is now vast and undeniable – a baby’s brain grows most rapidly in the first twelve months of life and this is a critical period for learning. What happens in the first year of life affects all later development. The correct stimulation for babies can influence how well they behave, read and learn when they reach school. In addition, they have improved confidence, coordination, communication and socialisation skills.

Parents can have a dramatic influence over their babies’ brain growth and their future learning ability. We believe that every parent has the want give their child the chance to be the best that s/he can be and the ability to easily access information so they can make this happen. This is why we, at GymbaROO-KindyROO, created the Active Babies Smart Kids twelve-part, online video series for parents of babies. Our series is highly recommended by doctors, paediatricians, early childhood experts and the Maternal Child and Family Health Nurses Association. This series is taking the parenting world by storm! The most wonderful part about it all is just how many babies will be getting off to such a great start. The future for these babies is looking very bright.

You can join the thousands of parents already raising happier, smarter babies and play with your little one in the best way for brain and body development, helping to lay those crucial foundations for future learning, simply by clicking here. The earlier in your parenting career that you watch the videos, the better! Our series of online classes is designed for you to be able to do with your little one from birth, in your own home, at a time that suits you both.

Try the first episode FREE: Tummy time + baby fun and development class 1

“I’ve been following the Active Babies Smart Kids videos, doing one every few days. I’ve noticed a huge difference in bubs abilities, especially tummy time. They are such a great reference tool because not only are you provided with the activity but also the ‘why’ which is so important! It’s not only teaching bub, it’s teaching me too! I feel more confident as a new mum. Thank you for this great resource.” Read more from parents here.

Just like our GymbaROO-KindyROO classes, the series is full of information, specialist advice and hundreds of loving activities for parents to join in and to do with their babies to ensure they receive the best start and the correct stimulation to lay down the foundations for later learning. You’ll enjoy fun activities, dance and sing as you learn about tummy time, baby exercises and massage, speech and hearing development, music and nursery rhymes for baby, baby balance and coordination, bonding and so much more.

More and more evidence is being documented confirming the long-term benefits of our programs. GymbaROO-KindyROO kids are excelling academically, in leadership roles and on the sporting field. School teachers are describing those who have been through the GymbaROO-KindyROO program as having higher levels of concentration, better behaviour and being generally happier, more socially mature and physically capable than their peers.

Why the first year is SO important to future learning

Neuro-scientific studies are continuously demonstrating that much of the essential wiring linked to learning is laid down during the earliest years of life. Research into brain development clearly shows a child’s success at school is set in the earliest years of life.

There is an exciting and enormous amount of brain growth that can go on in this earliest year if babies are given the learning opportunities and the opportunity to use their brains. The human brain grows by use and this growth is practically complete by six years of age. This does not mean we cannot learn after this age, it simply means that the quality of learning available to us will depend primarily on the foundations we have acquired in our earliest years.

The biggest difference to the number of neural connections created is made in the first year of life. During the first year, brain cells are busy making millions of connections. The connections peak at about one year and, in a process called ‘pruning’, they are eliminated if they are not used. The connections that babies use regularly are the ones they keep.

As the brain grows, the millions of connections that are made between the message highways – neurons – tell the brain about the body and the environment in which the baby is growing. The number of these connections, how well those messages are transported along the neurons, how strong the connections are and how much information the brain can interpret from the messages will be influenced by several key environmental experiences: movement opportunities, sensory stimulation, emotional security and diet.

A baby’s brain grows through movement and the correct early movement experiences are easy, natural and fun and any parent can do them with their babies. Parents are a child’s first, most important and best teacher. Through our programs – in class and online, we strive to help parents feel confident in their knowledge about their babies’ brain and body development and provide them with developmentally appropriate and loving activities that can be easily accomplished both at GymbaROO-KindyROO and at home.

GymbaROO-KindyROO – Making the world brighter one baby at a time.

Dr Jane Williams (PhD, BMgt, RN(Paeds)) is the Research and Education General Manager for GymbaROO and KindyROO. Dr Williams is one of Australia’s leading experts on baby and child development. More on Dr Williams here.

Bindy Cummings (B.Ed(Human Movement) Hons) has worked as a teacher, child development consultant, early childhood development lecturer, teacher trainer and INPP & iLS consultant. She is the co-creator of GymbaROO’s Active Babies Smart Kids online series, has authored many published articles on child development. She is working on the content and development GymbaROO’s portal and online training programs, and the creation of new online programs for parents and children. More on Bindy Cummings here.

Resources:http://archneur.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1893442 http://news.sciencemag.org/sifter/2014/08/baby-brains-grow-64-in-first-90-days http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/infant-development-9/brain-development http://www.zerotothree.org/child-development/brain-development/

GymbaROO-KindyROO

Thousands of parents, babies and children are presently involved in our programs and creating rising stars. GymbaROO-KindyROO kids are excelling academically, emotionally, in leadership roles and on the sporting field. Come join all the fun and learning! “GymbaROO – The best decision I ever made for my child.” Classes from 6 weeks old – 7 years GymbaROO KindyROO