We recently watched an incredible Ted Talk presented by 7-year-old Molly Wright entitled “How Every Child can Thrive by Five.” Molly begins her talk by asking: “What if I told you that a simple game of peek-a-boo could change the world?” While this may seem like a bold claim, Molly skillfully demonstrates how this idea holds true with the assistance of a toddler and his father interacting in the next room. The first five years of life are crucial for brain development, surpassing any other stage. Peek-a-boo is an example of using the “serve and return” concept.
Serve and return means to connect, talk and play with your kids. High-quality interactions with adults in children’s lives play a pivotal role in fostering optimal brain health and overall well-being. Serve and return refers to the back-and-forth interaction between a child and a responsive adult, where the adult responds to the child’s cues, actions, or communication attempts. Picture a parent responding with joyful sounds and animated facial expressions when their baby babbles or a caregiver holding a child and naming what a child sees as they look through a picture book. Now, picture the opposite – a parent engrossed in their phone while their young child tries, unsuccessfully, to engage while fussing and growing distressed. A child’s brain requires regular attention and engagement from the adults in their lives to thrive.
Serve and return interactions create a nurturing environment and help establish strong neural connections in the brain, supporting the growth of critical skills and abilities. Through serve and return, children learn to regulate emotions, develop language skills, and build secure relationships with caregivers.
At RRDC, our teachers engage in serve and return interactions with our students from infancy.
Here are some of the ways we use this concept:
- We show genuine interest in your child’s cues and communication attempts, pay attention to their signals and respond promptly.
- We respond with sensitivity by validating their feelings and providing comfort when required.
- We encourage turn-taking. We take turns during interactions to establish a back-and-forth exchange.
- We make it fun! We incorporate playfulness into our interactions. Utilizing games, songs, and imaginative play creates an engaging, enjoyable experience for children.
By incorporating serve and return into daily interactions at home, you foster healthy development and lay a strong foundation for lifelong learning in your child!
