Though brain development occurs throughout a person's life, it begins merely three weeks after conception. The brain is most impressionable, or plastic, early in life, making developing new skills and memories easier. Through game playing, exercise and life experience, children's brains are most open to learning and enrichment. They are also, however, more susceptible to developmental problems if exposed to a harmful environment that does not nurture.
Games and activities both entertain and stimulate the brains of young children while providing experiences that help them grow closer to parents. Arts and crafts provide opportunities for children to be creative while helping in the kitchen provides learning opportunities about food and its preparation. Outdoor activities give children a chance to explore and learn about their world while experiencing the freedom of running and playing. Movement and music activities teach children coordination, rhythm and an appreciation of music.
A seemingly endless amount of educational activities for children are available on the Internet. Many parents are using these to help their children learn phonics, reading and math skills. These games, when properly developed and used, engage children in learning necessary skills. Action video games that do not seek to build fundamental skills, however, can alter a child's attention skills if played on a regular basis, according to research performed by Daphne Bavelier, professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Rochester in New York.
Programs such as Stimulating Maturity through Accelerated Readiness Training (SMART), seek to improve brain connection and hand-eye coordination in children through fun stimuli that is steadily increased in frequency, duration and intensity. An example of an activity that would be used is spinning for three minutes every 15 seconds, with eyes open while spinning and closed while resting. This sends fluid into the inner ear, resulting in brain activity that has a calming effect in children. These programs maintain that combining physical and mental activity makes learning fun and puts both sides of the brain to work. Ideally, 10 minutes of an activity such as this would be used to warm students up before any academic study.