The Neuro-Building Blocks of Learning: Improving School Readiness and Overcoming Learning Difficulties

Every child should be given the benefit of a well designed early childhood education as this prepare them for the formal education they will receive in the following ten to fifteen years. The latest researches of how children learn and how the brain functions are fundamentally changing the educational paradigm and with it the approach to teaching pre-school children. This discusses new insights into the neuro-sensory and motor development of children and its implications for child development, school readiness and effective approaches to minimise the effects of learning difficulties. In order for the brain to cope with the demands of formal education, it needs to be exposed to and learn to deal with a rich variety of sensory and motor experiences, both at home and in early childhood education facilities. The sedentary indoor lifestyle dominated by screen time as experienced by many children today will not provide sufficient brain activation, whilst exposure to storytelling and music, and most notable outdoor play, will provide the growing child and the developing brain with a much more challenging and rewarding sensory and motor experience. Early childhood education plays a key role in facilitating healthy neurological development in pre-school children, which will filter through to increased attainment at primary and secondary school level. This article provides recommendations for effective ECD policies for Turkey, based on increased sensory, motor and outdoor play activities.