The first window of opportunity is from birth to about six. Never again will there be such a clear opportunity to create the stimulating environment that ensures maximum brain development.

Scientists now believe that 50% of a child’s brain capacity is built in the first five years of life.

Although every child is born with billions of brain cells, those individual brain cells only turn into usable intelligence when they are connected up to each other. These brain connections are the pathways on which all future learning will be based.

The number and richness of these brain connections depends on whether parents provide the child with a stimulating, thought-provoking environment in the pre-school years. The building blocks for success are formed very early.

So it is now that you can help create the foundation for ‘rounded’ future abilities, including early reading, writing and maths skills. It is now that researchers find that ‘early learning can boost IQ by 30 points’.

Give your child a flying start.