Module 3
Age-by-Age Brain Stimulation Activity Cards
Targeted activities for each developmental stage
0-3 Months
| Activity | Duration | Brain Area | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-contrast card viewing | 2-5 min | Visual cortex | Newborns see best at 8-12 inches in black/white |
| Skin-to-skin holding | 20+ min | Limbic system | Regulates stress hormones, builds attachment circuits |
| Gentle tracking (move face side to side) | 1-2 min | Oculomotor pathways | Strengthens eye muscles and visual tracking |
| Talk through diaper changes | 3-5 min | Auditory cortex | Every word builds phoneme recognition |
| Varied music (classical, folk, nature sounds) | 10-15 min | Temporal lobe | Develops auditory discrimination early |
3-6 Months
| Activity | Duration | Brain Area | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tummy time with toys | 5-15 min | Motor cortex | Builds head/neck control, core strength for crawling |
| Texture exploration (fabrics, safe objects) | 5-10 min | Somatosensory cortex | Different textures wire tactile discrimination |
| Mirror play | 3-5 min | Fusiform face area | Develops self-recognition and social brain |
| Reaching games (dangle toys) | 5-10 min | Parietal lobe | Builds hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness |
| Peek-a-boo | 3-5 min | Prefrontal cortex | Teaches object permanence, builds prediction circuits |
6-12 Months
| Activity | Duration | Brain Area | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stacking and knocking down blocks | 10-15 min | Motor cortex, cerebellum | Cause-and-effect learning, fine motor control |
| Crawling obstacle courses (pillows, tunnels) | 10-20 min | Motor cortex, vestibular system | Cross-lateral movement wires both hemispheres |
| Board books with pointing/naming | 5-10 min | Language areas | Builds receptive vocabulary before speech |
| Container play (put in, dump out) | 10 min | Prefrontal cortex | Develops spatial reasoning and early problem-solving |
| Clapping songs and fingerplays | 5 min | Motor + auditory integration | Rhythm processing linked to later reading ability |
1-2 Years
| Activity | Duration | Brain Area | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sorting objects by color/shape | 10-15 min | Parietal lobe | Builds categorization, a foundation for abstract thinking |
| Outdoor nature walks (narrate what you see) | 15-30 min | Language areas + hippocampus | Novel environments enhance memory and vocabulary |
| Simple puzzles (2-4 pieces) | 5-10 min | Visuospatial cortex | Spatial reasoning predicts later math ability |
| Dance to music | 5-10 min | Cerebellum, basal ganglia | Rhythm and movement integration, vestibular input |
2-3 Years
| Activity | Duration | Brain Area | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pretend play (kitchen, doctor, store) | 15-30 min | Prefrontal cortex | Develops theory of mind and executive function |
| Drawing and scribbling | 10-15 min | Motor cortex, visual cortex | Pre-writing skills, hand-eye coordination |
| Simple board games (matching, memory) | 10-15 min | Prefrontal cortex | Turn-taking, working memory, impulse control |
| Building with blocks/Duplos | 15-20 min | Parietal + prefrontal | Spatial reasoning, planning, fine motor control |
| Read-aloud with questions | 10-15 min | Language areas + PFC | Dialogic reading builds comprehension 6x faster than passive |
3-5 Years
| Activity | Duration | Brain Area | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhyming and word games | 10 min | Left temporal lobe | Phonological awareness predicts reading success |
| Obstacle courses / Simon Says | 15-20 min | Prefrontal + motor cortex | Combines inhibitory control with physical coordination |
| Cooking together (measuring, pouring) | 15-20 min | Prefrontal, parietal | Math concepts, sequencing, fine motor all at once |
| Music lessons or rhythm instruments | 15-20 min | Auditory cortex, cerebellum | Structured music training increases IQ by 2-3 points |
| Free outdoor play with peers | 30+ min | Prefrontal cortex, limbic system | Negotiation, conflict resolution, emotional regulation |
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