WiseJourney
SuperHonestlyContact Us
Back to WiseTips
Social & Emotional Development
Developing Trust & Emotional Security
WiseTip: SE-TRU-M0009-I01D

When interacting with your child, take turns and wait. Keep the interaction going back and forth.

0-9 months
Interaction with child
WHY IT MATTERS

Research by the Harvard Center on the Developing Child shows that "

serve and return

Serve and Return Interactions - Serve and return interactions shape brain architecture. When an infant or young child babbles, gestures, or cries, and an adult responds appropriately with eye contact, words, or a hug, neural connections are built and strengthened in the child’s brain that support the development of communication and social skills.1

1. Harvard University. (2020, January 27). Serve and Return. Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. Retrieved December 29, 2020, from https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/serve-and-return/

" interactions shape brain architecture.

When an infant or young child babbles, gestures, or cries, and an adult responds appropriately with eye contact, words, or a hug, neural connections are built and strengthened in the child’s brain that supports the development of communication and social skills.

The persistent absence of "serve and return" interaction acts as a “double whammy” for healthy development. Not only does the brain not receive the positive stimulation it needs, but the body’s stress response is activated, flooding the developing brain with potentially harmful stress hormones.