These experiences actually affect the way children's brains are wired. The brain operates on a use it or lose it principle. As children grow into adults, excess connections are thinned out, creating more efficient, powerful networks. The connections that are repeatedly activated through early experience are reinforced and tend to become permanent. The connections that are not used at all, or often enough, tend to be eliminated.
Children learn in the context of important relationships.
How parents and other caregivers relate and respond to young children directly affects the way that brain cells link up into networks. Studies show that children who receive consistent, warm, and responsive care in the first year of life produce less of the stress hormone cortisol, and when they do become upset, they turn off their stress reaction more quickly. This suggests that they are better equipped to handle life's challenges. Securely attached children also tend to be more successful in school and better able to get along with other children. Children can also benefit from warm, responsive relationships with child care providers.