Dr Munira Saheb Dattani, Early Childhood Consultant, Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer, Tickle Right

A riveting passion for creating a positive impact in young lives has been the driving force behind the successful journey of Dr Munira Saheb Dattani as the Chief Learning Officer of Tickle Right. She is a certified physical therapist with a specialization in Neuro-pediatrics. Before Tickle Right, she has spent years working with children with neurological and developmental disabilities at the Nair Hospital, Mumbai (Maharashtra), which laid the grounds of her expertise in the cerebral growth of a child.

 

Both sides of the human brain develop at different speeds and require stimulation of a different kind. The left brain is all about logic and language development and processes information sequentially. On the other hand, the right brain processes information in the form of images and works much faster and in a more holistic manner. For a child to develop into a balanced and well-rounded individual, both sides of the brain require to be trained so that he or she can improve their comprehension and cognitive skills.

The right brain develops faster than the left brain and is quite developed by the time the child is 3-4 years of age. From the time of birth to the age of 4 years, children’s brains grow rapidly as he/she absorbs everything that is happening around them. Over 50% of the brain development is over by this stage. Right brainers exhibit a lot of creativity and are usually big picture-oriented. They develop social and emotional skills and are able to process and absorb information quickly. They have a very long and retentive memory and are extremely intuitive. On the other hand, left-brained individuals are strong in logic and language skills. They are very detail-oriented and learn via linear sequential processing.

Maximizing your child’s potential requires holistic development of the brain with activities that activate imagination and innovation, speed reading and photographic memory on one hand and logical left-brain communication and problem solving on the other. The stimulation of the brain using pictures and other visual aids sharpen the child’s photographic memory and helps them to ignite their imagination. This helps children to get the entire picture at once instead of learning in bits and pieces, They are able to link the images using a pattern and weave a story which helps them to retain it better in their minds.

From very early childhood, babies are ready and curious to learn. They are like sponges, ready to absorb everything they see and hear. This learning journey is very exciting for them and parents should take utmost care to be active participants Parents and early educators have an equal role to play in helping children negotiate this exploratory journey.

Both nature and nurture have an equal role to play in this trip of self-discovery. While nature refers to the environment that children spend their time in that may leave a deep impression on their minds for the future, nurture refers to the interaction with parents and educators that helps them understand themselves better. Children receive inputs from all directions and use the left or right side of the brain to process the same. Parents would do well to encourage children to think independently. On this children’s day, the best gift that parents can give their children is the gift of time. Spend more time with your little ones and help them develop all parts of their brain. Let them grow into emotionally well-balanced individuals.

Holistic development of the brain which balances the right with the left hemisphere allows little learners to develop all their faculties equally. This is essential for children to develop independent thinking skills that help them absorb knowledge bytes from every source. This is very important in the early years of the child since the development of the right brain requires some practice and focused efforts.

The right-brainer requires the support of parents and teachers to cope with his/her unique learning abilities. A little bit of encouragement and love will go a long way in building the confidence of the children and help them blossom into confident individuals. That is the best gift you can give your little one.

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