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Health and Well-Being: Promoting well-being

Birth to Threes A Unique Child Child Development
The quality of adult-child interactions are critical to the well-being and brain development of a baby and young child. When an adult responds to a baby’s babbling, gestures or cries with sensitive eye-contact, words or a hug, this builds and strengthens the neural connections in a baby’s brain. Such interactions are referred to as ‘serve and return’.

Serve and return

The quality of adult-child interactions are critical to the well-being and brain development of a baby and young child. When an adult responds to a baby’s babbling, gestures or cries with sensitive eye-contact, words or a hug, this builds and strengthens the neural connections in a baby’s brain. Such interactions are referred to as ‘serve and return’.

Notice the ‘serve’

What is the child’s focus of attention? Are they making a sound or facial expression or looking or pointing at something? That’s a serve.

Return the serve by supporting and encouraging

Acknowledge the serve with a sound, facial expression or by picking up any object the child is pointing to and saying ‘I see!’ or smiling and nodding to let the child know you’re noticing the same thing.

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