Our brains are so marvelous, that 73 countries around the world are celebrating “Brain Awareness Week” starting today.  Neuroscience has given us so many new insights into our brains and why we are who we are and do what we do.  This new brain science is at the heart of the No parenting strategies.  Children learn self-discipline by using their brains and we have learned that the brain’s growth spurts during childhood and adolescence are key times to help kids learn the character traits they need for success. 

We now know that the brain neurons (brain cells) that fire together, wire together.  Children’s brains are literally wired mainly as a result of the experiences they have during the formative years of their lives.  If we do not balance the More, Easy, Fast, Fun experiences that our media-driven world gives to children with lessons of self-discipline, our kids will not have the tools they need to succeed.

We here at the National Institute on Media and the Family will celebrate Brain Awareness Week this week by putting the finishing touches on our soon to be released Brain Power video.  I was very excited to work on this video with the help of our friends at Pixel Farm Interactive because I give an inside tour of a developing child’s brain, complete with neurons firing and wiring together.  Together we explore the newest information from neuroscience on the development of children’s brains right up through adolescence.  Watch our website and soon you’ll get directed to a release of the video on You Tube, as well as info on where to find it in our Store.

If you’d like to learn more about Brain Awareness Week see http://brainweek.dana.org/, including links to Brainy Kids at http://www.dana.org/resources/brainykids/ and Neuroscience for Kids at http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html.