ABSTRACT
Like the rest of the body, the brain needs fuel, exercise of a kind and also rest. Play, exploration and conversation exercise the young brain and sleep gives it the rest it needs.
As indicated in the last chapter hearing speech is a basic human need without which a child’s mind at a sensitive time of life can be starved and damaged. He may be dumb for life if he is not spoken to by the age of about 10 or at least may be very. retarded in .speech. It thus seems that there is an optimum time in the early years of life for the developing brain to master the skill of talking. Other aspects of language —reading and spelling-are considered in chapters 8 and 10.
