Research shows that when parents spent time to play or talk to their babies or kid’s, their brainwaves synchronised! It was even more surprising to see that the highest synchronisation occurs in the prefrontal cortex during the play and chat times, which was thought to be underdeveloped in infants! Prefrontal cortex is an important region for learning, planning, executive function and also for rationality and good behaviour!
While it is challenging to face the pandemic and the recurring MCO, most people would agree that the physical time with our children has now increased, due to the fact that schools are closed and the kids are having their lessons online from home. Despite the struggle, parents should look at this as a good opportunity to ‘steal’ some time to sync your brainwaves with your kid’s. Research shows that when the brain synchronised, the kid’s or infants’ brains are “leading” the adult brain by few seconds, giving some clues for the adult brain to predict the next reaction. The kids’ brains are also responding in this feedback loop to anticipate the adults’ next reaction. For example, when a parent plays a toy with their infant, both brains tracked both eye contact and joint attention to the toy. However, the brain sync will not occur if the parents or kids are stressful. So, it is important to find a suitable time when both parents and kids are happy or in a relaxed mood, and all the basic physiological needs are met before engaging in an activity.
The brain sync provides a dynamic interaction between the parent and kid’s brains, which can strengthen their bonds and understanding for each other. More research needs to be done to explore the effect of the brain synchronization especially on the brain development and how it affects the kids’ behaviour and cognitive functions. One thing for sure, if our brains are well synchronised, we would be able walk on the same path and achieve our goals and dreams together!
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Madihah Rushaidhi
A neuroscientist and a passionate mother who still struggle to find the answers to difficult kid’s equations
