'Layer cake’ model of brain development

• Learn how babies’ brains develop and how parents can help.
• Understand the role and critical importance of the first early attachment relationship.
• Understand the different parts of the brain and what their function is.

Have copies available of the neurosequential model of brain development diagram below, or draw a large one on the whiteboard or on chart paper.

The first diagram relates brain structure and function. The second diagram relates brain structure with the needs of a child.

Explain how the brain develops in sequence from the bottom to the top – like a layer cake – from the survival functions of the brain stem to the higher order thinking of the cerebral cortex.

Optimum development comes when each area matures before the next, laying the groundwork for the next level to develop in a healthy way.

Neurons are some of the most important cells in the brain. We have nearly all of our neurons at birth, but they need to be connected with other neurons for them to function fully.

Every sensory experience a baby has – what they see, touch, taste, hear and smell – stimulates connections between neurons, which results in linked neuron networks. When experiences are repeated, the connections between the neurons become stronger.

At birth, what can a baby already do?

Ask this question and write up the answers for everyone to see.

Talk about how the neurons in the brain stem are the few that are already connected at birth. The brain stem is pre-wired for survival, controlling functions such as body temperature, breathing, swallowing and heart rate.

Talk about baby’s need to feel secure and safe before they can be curious and start exploring. Baby’s intellectual development therefore depends on emotional health, which is greatly affected by the type of early relationships they experience.

In pairs and using the handout as a guide, use different coloured playdough to build a ‘layer cake’ (neurosequential) model of the brain. Start from the bottom up. Use sticky notes to label each part and what it does.

• Printed copies of the neurosequential model of brain development diagram
• Whiteboard or chart paper
• Pens
• Playdough