Fun Pinellas program supports early education, as 80% of brain growth happens from ages 0-3

In honor of the annual Week of the Young Child, a nationwide initiative supporting early childhood education, we’re highlighting the work done this week and all year round by a local stalwart: Turbo Babies, fueled by the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County, which encourages and supports educational growth for children ages 0-3 years old.

Turbo Babies has announced an interactive campaign and some big-time giveaways as they participate in The Week of the Young Child, which runs through Friday, April 11. Each day this week, parents, families, caregivers and childcare providers are encouraged to have educational moments and share them through photo or video with Turbo Babies each day, with the chance to win several fantastic giveaways as part of the fun.

Win fun giveaways through Turbo Babies

Encouraging “learning through everyday moments,” each day of the week presents a new opportunity to take normal moments and turn them into opportunities to teach children something new by including them in what you’re doing. Whether it’s having a sing-along, talking about your meal, or just doing some good old coloring, there’s a new theme each day that makes it easy to incorporate learning into otherwise mundane activities.

And the cherry on top of the educational sundae: Turbo Babies will be giving away prizes in a drawing among participants. One lucky family will win a full Lovevery Play Kit, tailored to the age and interests of the child. Meanwhile, one lucky childcare provider will win family passes to Great Explorations Children’s Museum for every single member of their class!

While the activities surrounding Week of the Young Child are fun ways to teach children, Turbo Babies points out how vitally important it is to incorporate moments like this into the lives of young children every day. According to recent research, 80% of brain growth for children happens in the first three years of life, making those formative years crucial to a child’s future.

Elicia Hinson, Senior Marketing Associate for the Juvenile Welfare Board, said parents and caregivers are always shocked by that statistic, which makes the work of JWB and Turbo Babies all the more important.

“It’s so much to be happening in the first three years of life,” she said, “but I think it’s also a motivating statistic. It makes people ask, ‘What should I be doing during this time?’ ‘How can I make the most of this time?’ And it’s never too late. There are opportunities every day.”

Make everyday moments educational opportunities

Hinson and Turbo Babies work to help parents and educators find easy and natural ways to have those teachable moments with kids. And the key, Hinson said, isn’t that you need to make a separate time for teaching. It’s far easier to just turn everyday moments in educational opportunities – even something as simple as including your child verbally and visually as you do laundry, prepare a meal, or read a story.

The 4-point mantra at Turbo Babies is: Tune in. Talk and repeat. Take turns. Take time.

“Every day there are so many chances for teachable moments, and they should be fun,” Hinson said. “It’s about the moments that are already happening – when you’re in the car, when you’re at the grocery store, when you’re doing laundry. Incorporate your baby and allow them to be a part of that. Those are teachable, everyday moments.”

Through these activities and campaigns, Turbo Babies hopes to show caregivers that education doesn’t have to be boring, difficult, or straight from a textbook. It can be easy and fun for children to learn, and it starts from birth. Even just hearing new words helps their brain grow: at age one, children recognize about 50 words, and by age three they can recognize nearly 1,000 words.

Learn more about Turbo Babies, fueled by the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County, at turbobabies.com. To join in on the fun for Week of the Young Child and enter the giveaway, check out this breakdown from Turbo Babies.

Read the article as originally published at https://ilovetheburg.com/turbo-babies-week-of-young-child/