Henderson said physical things happen to the brain as babies form associations and learn. While the most important stages of brain development occur between birth and age 3, Henderson said the earliest signs of it appear soon after conception. In-utero, fetuses are already aware of light and sounds, and studies have even shown children can recognize stories that were read to them while they were in their mother's womb. Babies enter the world with approximately 100 billion nerve cells in their brain, Henderson said, and their total number of cells never exceeds what they have in the first year of their lives. The growth of these connections results in the rapid acquisition of skills experienced by babies, such as responding to human voices, using hands together to grasp objects, sitting up and crawling.
Experience literally provides the organizing framework for the child's brain.
Repetition of activities is needed to strengthen neural networks. Organization of these cells takes place using information gleaned from when the child moves about his or her world. Restricting activity inhibits the formation of connections. The publication urges churches to provide Sunday school departments that teach biblical truths to babies, not just a baby-sitting service for parents. It suggests offering rooms that allow babies to explore and discover God's world in a safe and loving environment, and training teachers of babies in the use of Sunday school curriculum.