How Every Child Can Thrive by Five | Molly Wright | TED — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00Transcriber: Ivana Korom Reviewer:
2. 0:14[Baby cooing]
3. 0:32What if I was to tell you
4. 0:34that a game of peekaboo could change the world?
5. 0:41Sounds impossible, right?
6. 0:43Well, I’m here today to prove it’s not.
7. 0:48Hi, I’m Molly and I’m seven.
8. 0:50And this is my little friend, Ari.
9. 0:52Say “Hi,” Ari.
10. 0:55Hi.
11. 0:57Oh, and this is my neighbor, Amarjot.
12. 1:00He has to take Ari away now to get ready for our experiment.
13. 1:05But don't worry, they'll be back.
14. 1:08My talk today is about some powerful things you grownups can do.
15. 1:12that shape us as children and the adults we become.
16. 1:16How do I know?
17. 1:18Because my parents and people around me did them early and often.
18. 1:23I know not all kids are as lucky.
19. 1:25Some of my friends, some kids at my school and many around the world.
20. 1:30And I would really like to help change that.
21. 1:34Thanks to scientists,
22. 1:35we now know just how important the first five years are
23. 1:39for our health and development,
24. 1:41especially our brains.
25. 1:43Ari started learning long before he was even born,
26. 1:46from inside his mommy’s tummy.
27. 1:48When Ari was born,
28. 1:50he was tiny and he cried all the time.
29. 1:55He was always hungry and he pooped a lot.
30. 1:59[Laughter]
31. 2:01Now he laughs and giggles and makes funny noises.
32. 2:05But those are just the changes we hear and see.
33. 2:08That’s way more going on inside.
34. 2:12So, let’s talk more about our brains.
35. 2:16The blue bag is a rough size and weight of a healthy baby’s brain at birth.
36. 2:22The red one is a baby’s brain after the first year.
37. 2:26It almost doubles in volume.
38. 2:30And by my age, it's almost 90 percent the volume of an adult brain.
39. 2:38Our brains develop faster in our early years
40. 2:41than at any other time in our lives.
41. 2:45It can create up to one million neural connections every second.
42. 2:51But we need your help.
43. 2:54Our healthy development depends on these top five things,
44. 2:58One, connecting; two, talking;
45. 3:02three, playing; four, a healthy home,
46. 3:05five; community.
47. 3:08All of this helps our brains and us reach our full potential.
48. 3:12So what’s something you can do that can really make a difference?
49. 3:17Scientists call it serve and return.
50. 3:20That’s just a grown-up way of saying connect, talk and play with us.
51. 3:26And here’s the really big news.
52. 3:29Amarjot, Ari, you ready?
53. 3:31(Audio) Amajat: Ready?
54. 3:33Molly Wright: Copycat games build imagination and empathy.
55. 3:37(Amarjot and Ari laughing)
56. 3:41Naming games build vocabulary and attention.
57. 3:45Amarjot: Daddy. Ari. Daddy. Ari.
58. 3:50MW: And games like peekabo -- yep, peekaboo --
59. 3:53actually build memory and trust.
60. 3:56Amarjot: Peekaboo!
61. 3:58MW: Each time you talk to us, play with us, make us laugh,
62. 4:03it not only builds and strengthens our relationships and mental health,
63. 4:08it actually teaches us some of the most important life skills,
64. 4:12from making friends to taking the test,
65. 4:15to getting a job,
66. 4:16to one day maybe even starting a family of our own.
67. 4:21Interactions early and often matter.
68. 4:24Take it from me,
69. 4:25the seven-year-old up here talking about brain science.
70. 4:29(Laughter)
71. 4:30OK, now let’s see what happens when the connection is taken away.
72. 4:37So now he’s trying to get his dad’s attention again.
73. 4:40He’s reaching out like, “That was fun, why have you stopped?”
74. 4:46(Ari cries)
75. 4:48I know it’s important for adults to use their devices sometimes,
76. 4:53but kids are hardwired to seek out meaningful connections,
77. 4:58not receiving them causes confusion and stress.
78. 5:02OK, Amarjot, please re-engage.
79. 5:06Amarjot: Ah, there’s Ari.
80. 5:08(Ari laughs)
81. 5:13MW: Now what if our whole childhood was like that last 30 seconds?
82. 5:19How hard it would be for a child to feel calm.
83. 5:23To feel safe.
84. 5:26To learn to trust anyone.
85. 5:28And the lifelong impact that would have.
86. 5:32That makes me feel sad.
87. 5:38Ari only reacted the way he did and recovered so quickly
88. 5:43because the connection between him and his dad is usually so strong.
89. 5:48The positive relationships with the grown-ups in our lives
90. 5:51gives kids the confidence we need
91. 5:54to try new things, to explore and be a kid.
92. 6:01So please,
93. 6:04try to remember the most special period for our development is
94. 6:09the first five years.
95. 6:12Starting from inside mommy’s tummy.
96. 6:15What’s something really impactful you can do?
97. 6:18Serve and return.
98. 6:21And when?
99. 6:23Early and often.
100. 6:26Please give it up for a Amarjot and Ari.
101. 6:29(Applause)
102. 6:37Every moment together is an opportunity
103. 6:41to connect, talk and play.
104. 6:45Imagine the difference we could make if everyone everywhere did this.
105. 6:53To us, the children,
106. 6:56it’s so much more than just a game.
107. 7:04It's our future.
108. 7:06Thank you.
109. 7:07(Applause)
110. 7:08See? Peekaboo really can change the world.
111. 7:11(Applause)