Mother Up Baby’s Best Brain: Rethinking Milestones & Fostering Early Development Through Movement with Heather Mrak
Kacie and Gianna are joined by mom of four with a passion for helping kids learn and grow to their fullest potential, Heather Mrak. Heather shares the importance of movement for your baby's brain development and understanding how our primitive reflexes contribute to the process of maturing the brain. She has over ten years of experience using cutting-edge brain training techniques for children and is trained in Neurodevelopmental Movement Foundations (based on Dr. Mastagova and Dr.Harold Blomerg's work), Dr. Melillo's Brain Balance techniques, and Brain Gym® 101. She helps parents learn strategies and exercises that boost their baby's brain development in order to grow the strongest foundation possible for all learning.
Topics discussed in this episode:
The seven intelligences
The pivotal role that tummy time and crawling play in the early development
Her personal journey through homeschooling and how movement-based interventions like Brain Gym supported her son's reading and writing skills
Prenatal education: where to start before giving birth
Essential connections between movement, attachment, and development,
The impact of environments like playpens versus restrictive containers on infant movement
The importance of play: including risky play and integrating it as part of stimulative development
The significance of recognizing and nurturing children's love languages
Allowing children to face struggles to build self-esteem
Connect with Heather:
www.instagram.com/babysbestbrain
www.tiktok.com/@babysbestbrain101
Connect with Kacie & Gianna:
https://www.motheruppod.com
https://www.instagram.com/motheruppod
https://www.youtube.com/@motheruppod
View full show notes at www.motheruppod.com