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Five to Thrive is an approach where early years practitioners use these 5 building blocks to help and empower parents and children:
These building blocks, or interactions, are a series of activities that build healthy brains in young children. They also help maintain healthy brain function throughout life. These blocks may sound simple but they are a bridge between professional understanding of neuroscience and our everyday experience.
The Five to Thrive approach is based on neuroscience which helps to:By enjoying five key daily activities with your child, you’re helping your child’s brain grow. You will also be supporting their healthy development. The Five to Thrive activities are important at all ages and stages of your child’s life, so it’s never too late to start to support healthy brains.
But even though they're becoming more independent, they still need your help. Their brain isn't fully developed yet, so they might have trouble expressing themselves clearly or understanding how others feel. This can make them frustrated when they can't get what they want or need.
So, even though they're growing up fast, your toddler still relies on you for support and understanding.
During adolescence, our brains undergo significant changes and continue to develop until our mid-twenties. Each teenager is unique, and various factors influence their behaviour and emotions during this transitional period between childhood and adulthood. Adolescents may experience improvements in learning, prioritize friendships and social acceptance, seek more independence, contend with intense emotions, engage in impulsive behaviour, and feel fatigue. This fatigue can stem from factors like insufficient sleep, excessive screen time, and stressors such as academic pressures or social challenges.
During sleep, the brain undergoes "pruning," eliminating unnecessary connections to make space for new ones, a process particularly active in teenagers. This pruning, coupled with the incomplete development of the decision-making part of the brain, can make decision-making challenging for teens, especially regarding academic and future-oriented choices.
Support and understanding from caregivers can aid teenagers in strengthening their brain connections and improving skills such as self-regulation, resilience, and empathy. Despite facing challenges, teenagers can learn to navigate them more effectively with assistance, facilitating ongoing growth and development throughout their lives.