THE way children are parented in their early years has a huge impact on their behaviour, and ultimately the way they perceive and interact with the world as adults.
In fact, 90% of brain development happens by the age of five – before most children even start school.
2
This means that by the time they reach the classroom, neural pathways have been established and repeated behaviour has become ingrained.
Primary school teacher Amanda Burns* says: “I read something recently that was really well explained – if you imagine brains like cement and, in those first five years, you can just mix it around.
“But when those experiences happen, they’re like rocks in there and then the cement hardens and it becomes part of who they are and you can’t really get rid of it then.”
With 30+ new students every year, teachers have first-hand experience of how different types of parenting affect children’s behaviour – and Amanda confirms there’s a strong connection between the two.
If you…
