At birth, the human brain is remarkably unfinished. A newborn's brain is approximately 25 percent of its adult weight. At birth, the brain has 100 billion brain cells-enough to last a lifetime. At birth, the parts of the brain that handle thinking and remembering, as well as emotional and social behavior, are very underdeveloped.
Brain development is very dramatic in the first three years of life.
By three, a child's brain is more than twice as active as an adults. It remains that way throughout the first decade of life. As these changes in brain structure and activity occur, infants and toddlers rapidly increase their cognitive, emotional, social, and motor capacities. The early years are filled with opportunity. Because brain development is so fast and extensive in the early years, young children are biologically primed for learning.