“The most important influence on early brain development is the real-life serve and return interaction with caring adults.” Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child.
The award-winning Gooru Mirror is the world’s first purpose-built, universally attachable mirror explicitly designed for use on any stroller.
For the good of children everywhere, Gooru Mirror makes Serve and Return possible during stroller time.
Read below for further information.
In the first few years of life, more than 1 million new neural connections are formed every second.
- The interactive influences of genes and experience shape the developing brain.
Scientists now know a major ingredient in this developmental process is the “serve and return” relationship between children and their parents and other caregivers in the family or community. Young children naturally reach out for interaction through babbling, facial expressions, and gestures, and adults respond with the same kind of vocalizing and gesturing back at them.
Citation: Center on the Developing Child (2007). The Science of Early Childhood Development (InBrief). Retrieved from www.developingchild.harvard.edu.
How to SERVE and RETURN with your child in the stroller
Gooru Mirror enables Serve and return in a forward-facing stroller. It is easy to do, fun, and can make a huge difference in your child’s brain development.
Follow these THREE STEPS to start enjoying stroller time more using Serve and Return.
- Where is your child focusing or giving attention? That’s a serve.
They may point, make a facial expression, or attempt to communicate in some other way. Good baby.
- When you acknowledge babies serve, that’s a return!
Returning your baby’s serve can be as simple as saying, “I see!”, smiling, nodding, or winking, so the child knows you’re giving attention. Serves and Returns are not always verbal!
- Name the world around you!
If a child points to a tree, point too and say “Yes, that is a tree!”
Congratulations! You have just completed a round of Serve and Return. Good parent! Your baby is likely giving you a big smile.
Some friendly advice:
- Be confident that every time you complete a Serve and Return, you’ve just done something amazing for your child.
- After you complete a serve and return interaction, wait for your child to initiate another one.
- You don’t have to force the interaction.
- Serve and Return interactions can be made throughout a long or short stroller walk.
- It may be fun to track how many you and your child can make in a row – that’s a rally! What’s your record on a single walk?
- You’ll know when your child has had enough.
“Serve and Return is a strong foundation for a child’s lifelong learning, behavior, and health—and their skills for facing life’s challenges. ”
For more information, please visit: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/serve-and-return