Most of your child's brain development happens in the first 5 years of their life, by the time they're 5 years old.
From the moment your baby is born, they are learning. And you are their best first teacher. The time you spend connecting with your child is the most important thing you can do to build their brain and body. Children's brains grow when they receive loving, human interaction.
No role is more important than being a parent. It's sometimes challenging, but the positive connections and experiences you give them in the early years will help create lifelong health, wellbeing and learning for the rest of their life.
Learn more about the first 5 years of life with this video from Dr Elisabeth Murphy.
Early experiences change the brain
The first 5 years of a child’s life is a time for rapid brain development. The growing brain responds to the conditions around it – and these moments matter. Stimulating experiences can boost brain development and lay down the foundations for learning.
What happens in the first 5 years of life has been shown to have an impact throughout life. For example, early life experiences can influence:
how a child will learn and perform in school
involvement with the criminal justice system in the adolescent years
drug and alcohol use and antisocial and violent behaviour
likelihood of obesity, elevated blood pressure and depression in 20-40 year olds
likelihood of coronary heart disease and diabetes in 40-60 year olds
likelihood of premature ageing and memory loss in older age groups.
Making a difference in the first 5 years of a child’s life
There are programs and targeted early services to help families receive the support they need during the first 5 years of life.
Programs during pregnancy
A mother’s health and lifestyle in pregnancy has an important impact on her baby’s development. Access to early and regular antenatal care is important for the health of both mum and baby. Programs include:
access to comprehensive antenatal care
socio emotional health checks
smoking cessation programs
continuity of care, including midwifery continuity of care.
Programs for ages 0-3
Infants need to feel safe and loved to thrive. Where possible, breastfeed your baby until they are 12 months old, or beyond if you and baby desire. Health and development checks and immunisations will help your baby’s health and development. Spending quality time with your baby supports their learning and development. It also creates strong attachment, which sets them up with the life skills they need. Programs include:
- breastfeeding programs
teaching parenting skills and parental sensitivity
immunisations
developmental checks
sustained nurse home visiting for targeted populations.
Programs for ages 3-5
Children flourish when they can explore their environments with their parents and carers. Attending quality education in early childhood sets children up to do well at school. This is also a time when mental health concerns may present and support can be accessed. Programs include:
access to affordable, high quality early childhood education and care
mental health programs
parenting services.
Support for NSW families in the first 5 years of life
In NSW, there is a lot that has already been done to build a system of care to support families. Brighter Beginnings builds on this knowledge and existing work by bringing together government agencies and front-line professionals to give children the best start in life. It aims to:
give families information they need, when they need it – this empowers them with clear, reliable, and timely information to make their decisions
improve services that lift the standard of living for all – this allows access to health, education, and family services
target support and services for families that need it most – we are improving existing services and delivering evidence-based supports for families.
Further information and support
There are things you can do in the early years to give your child the best start in life. The Brighter Beginnings Parent and Carer Information Hub has services and resources to support you from pregnancy until your child is 5 years of age.
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