Scientists and psychologists are warning that failure to properly stimulate toddlers’ brains during nursery years could set them back for decades, as figures show that almost 130,000 children a year are falling behind before they even reach school. Thirteen key figures in child development and neuroscience are urging the government to make play-time ‘brain-time’ under the guidance of a qualified early years teacher after identifying these years as a ‘lightbulb moment’ for children.

In ‘Lighting Up Young Brains’, a new scientific briefing from Save the Children and the Institute of Child Health at University College London, neuroscientists point to how toddlers’ brains form connections at double the rate of adults’. Hence the briefing emphasizes that children’s pre-school years form a critical opportunity for the brain to develop key skills like speech and language.

Failure to develop adequate language skills can leave children struggling to learn in the classroom and unable to catch up. Last year almost 130,000 children in England – 6 children in every reception class – struggled with their early language skills, equivalent to every 5 year old pupil in London, Manchester, Sheffield, Liverpool and Newcastle combined.

Professor Torsten Baldeweg, Professor of Neuroscience and Child Health, from University College London’s Institute of Child health, said:

“Why is it important to stimulate children before they go to school? It is precisely this period where we have explosive brain growth, where most of the connections in the brain are formed. We need input to maintain them for the rest of our lives. And we know that if these connections are not formed they, to variable degrees, will suffer longer term consequences to their physical, cognitive but also emotional development. That’s perhaps one of the most important lessons we’ve learned from these studies – that these early years are absolutely critical. Much more must be done to boost children’s early learning.”

Despite powerful scientific evidence, new polling shows that parents do not realise the importance of the pre-school years on brain development. The poll, commissioned by Save the Children, a leading member of the Read On. Get On. coalition campaign, found that:

• 61% of parents, and 68% of dads, said school was the most important learning period for children;

• Almost half of all parents (47%) have low expectations for their child’s early learning and only hope for children to know 100 words by their third birthday – half as many as the government recommends;

• More than half of parents (56%) and two thirds of dads (65%) said they didn’t get enough help and advice to understand their child’s early learning.

Through a combination of talking, word games and singing, evidence shows that play-time can be made ‘brain-time’. This can stimulate children’s early language and communication skills, ensuring they have the building blocks for learning by the time they reach school. But, without enough support at home or in nursery, children can fall behind. Save the Children is calling for a new focus on toddlers, urging the government to ensure every nursery has a qualified early years teacher to support children and their parents with early learning. Half a million children are spending up to 15 hours a week in private nurseries deprived of the benefits of a qualified early years teacher.

Gareth Jenkins, Director of UK Poverty for Save the Children, said:

“Toddler’s brains are like sponges, absorbing knowledge and making new connections faster than any other time in life. We’ve got to challenge the misconception that learning can wait for school, as, if a child starts their first day at school behind, they tend to stay behind.

“To tackle the nation’s education gap, we need a new national focus on early learning to give children the best start – not just increasing free childcare hours, but boosting nursery quality to help support children and parents with early learning.”

Parents and carers are often juggling work and childcare so ‘Top Tips’ for quick and easy brain stimulation have been developed.