Raising Smarter Kids: What We Learned About Learning In 2014

By Expert Contributor Katie Kovaleski

Image via: ldsliving.com

Starting 2015 off this week begs this question about what we learned during the past year. The Baby Center published a great article breaking down the top 5 things we learned about learning this past year. Two of the points in particular were our favorites and are things we are frequently confronted with during sleep training.

One of our favorite points the article mentions is about the positive effects sleep can have on your child's memory. I am always referring to sleep as brain food and stress to my clients that helping their child become well rested isn't just about saving their own sanity, it's literally about feeding their child's brain.

It's not just about night sleep either; the expert studies sited in this article specifically mention the importance of naps as well. "Fiorenza Giganti and her colleagues found evidence that an afternoon nap helps preschoolers consolidate and remember the new things they learn".

Helping your child lengthen those naps is absolutely key in making sure they are experiencing restorative sleep that will optimize the amount of "brain food" that they are getting.

Our second favorite point in this article was something else we are constantly stressing to our clients the power of a positive attitude! This is an important trait across the board and especially so when it comes to sleep training or embarking on any parenting adventure. We have previously written about the effects your attitude and level of stress can have on your baby and the point in this article reiterates that very idea. "Kids end up better off-emotionally and academically-when their parents adopt a positive, "can do" attitude".

Check out all of the top 5 points in the full article: Raising smarter kids: What we learned about learning in 2014.