Giving Children Vacations Instead of Toys Can Lead to Advanced Brain Development, Experts Suggest
If you’re one of the many parents struggling to stem the flow of unwanted toys into your home, here’s some good news. Several experts suggest that gifting children vacations and experiences instead of toys can boost their brain development.
In an article for the Telegraph, child psychotherapist Dr. Margot Sunderland postulated that vacations are an investment in your child’s brain development. She wrote, “This is because on a family holiday you are exercising two genetically ingrained systems deep in the brain’s limbic area, which can all too easily be “unexercised” in the home. These are the PLAY system and the SEEKING system.”
Sunderland cited the work of Professor Jaak Panksepp, a world-leading neuroscientist at Washington State University. Panksepp discovered the PLAY and SEEKING systems.
According to Sunderland, “The brain’s PLAY system is exercised every time you bury your child’s feet in the sand, tickle them on the pool lounger, or take them for a ride on your back. The brain’s SEEKING system is exercised each time you go exploring together: the forest, the beach, a hidden gem of a village.”
Exercising your child’s PLAY and SEEKING systems leads to growth in the frontal lobe. This part of the brain deals with cognitive functioning, problem-solving, emotional expression, memory, language, and judgment. And the more you use these systems, the stronger they become.
When you take your child on a vacation, they have the opportunity to explore a new place. This activates the SEEKING system. And removing your family from your daily, possibly stress-filled routines encourages you to play together.