Essie Explains
I'm Essie the Echidna, and I love noticing the little things that other creatures sometimes miss.
I ask thoughtful questions, enjoy quiet moments, and believe that some of the most important answers can be found by listening carefully to our hearts.
I know that being sensitive can sometimes feel overwhelming, but I've discovered that awareness is a gift. It helps us understand ourselves, connect more deeply with others, and recognise the unconditional love and wisdom that live within us all.
Here in Essie Explains, we'll explore fascinating topics about our brilliant bodies, growing brains, and the many ways children learn about themselves and the world around them.
BRAINWAVES
Why children are so open to learning
Have you ever wondered why young children can spend hours talking to imaginary friends, turning cardboard boxes into castles, or believing that the moon follows them home?
Or perhaps you've noticed how quickly they absorb the language, values, fears, and beliefs of the people around them.
Children are often described as "little sponges," and neuroscience helps us understand why.
As children's brains develop, they move through different patterns of electrical activity called brainwaves. These brainwaves influence how they learn, process information, and experience the world around them.
During the first two years of life, children's brains spend much of their time in delta brainwaves, which are associated with deep sleep, restoration, and rapid physical growth.
Between approximately two and seven years of age, children spend much more time in theta brainwaves. Theta is linked with imagination, creativity, storytelling, and a heightened ability to absorb information from the environment.
In many ways, young children are learning directly from experience. They don't yet have the ability to critically evaluate everything they hear or see.
Instead, they are gathering information about important questions such as:
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Am I safe?
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Do I belong?
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Is it okay to make mistakes?
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Can I ask for help?
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Am I lovable just as I am?
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Who am I becoming?
They learn the answers not only through words, but through relationships, eye contact, play, moments of delight, being comforted when they are upset. Through the ways the adults around them speak to themselves and others.
This is one reason why early experiences can have such a profound impact on how children see themselves and the world.
The good news is that children do not need perfect parents.
They need parents and caregivers who are present enough. Adults who repair after conflict. Adults who apologise when they make mistakes. Adults who provide far more experiences of safety and connection than fear and disconnection.
As children grow, their brains gradually shift into alpha brainwaves, which support calmer focus and learning, and eventually into beta brainwaves, which are associated with critical thinking, problem-solving, and logical reasoning. Importantly, the brain remains capable of change throughout life.
The early years matter, but they are not destiny. Children are wonderfully adaptable, and so are adults.
As the Fab Five, we believe our Brilliant Bodies were designed this way on purpose. We are built to learn, to connect, to adapt, and to heal. And perhaps that is the greatest gift we can offer the children in our lives: Not perfection. But presence.
Because children don't just hear our words. They experience our presence.
Being open to learning is one of the many ways our Brilliant Bodies help us grow. The love, safety, and connection we experience in childhood become part of the story we tell ourselves about who we are. And because our brains can continue to change throughout life, that story is never finished.
Love, Essie
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