Building your child’s brain for lifelong health: The Oxford Brain Story
Brain architecture
Children’s brains are built over time, from the bottom up. Just as a house needs a solid base to support the walls and roof, a brain needs a strong foundation to support all future learning, behaviour and health.
Brain architecture develops most rapidly during the first three years of life, with a second period of rapid growth during adolescence.
Genes play a role, but the experiences and relationships children have, especially early in life, shape the physical structure of their developing brain. We can help by acting as ‘scaffolding’ around the house, providing just enough support for a child to take the next step forward.
Brain architecture in practice
Scaffolding can take many forms. For example, setting up consistent daily routines helps children develop their independence. As their routine becomes familiar, encourage your child to take the next step themselves, perhaps by using a visual checklist or gentle prompts to remind them what comes next.
Building strong brains through serve and return
We can also build brains through serve and return interactions. Imagine a tennis game between two people; instead of hitting a ball back and forth, different forms of communication are exchanged, like words, eye contact, touch or sharing a smile. This is called serve and return. The aim is to keep the ball in play (rather than winning the point). This means you have to play at the same pace as your partner, watching where they are sending the ball and trying to return it to them.
A story for everyone
The legacy of our early experiences lasts into adulthood, after all, we were all children once. The Brain Story is for everyone: parents, professionals, and community members. It helps us understand how early experiences shape the developing brain and how we can all play a part in building stronger, healthier futures.
This expert blog was written by The Oxford Brain Story
Explore more at www.oxfordbrainstory.org
You’ll find free, engaging tools, animations and resources explaining the science, and practical ideas for how we can work together to build stronger brains and healthier communities.
Join Professors Elizabeth Rapa and Louise Dalton from the University of Oxford on 12th March 2026, 12:30 — 1:30pm, for a free Parentkind webinar, Building your child’s brain for lifelong health: The Oxford Brain Story.
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