Plentyn Corff Cymru

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-We're all different.

-We all live a life

-that's unique to us.

-From our first breath...

-..throughout our life...

-..we learn and change...

-..we learn and change...

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-..as we adapt to our surroundings.

-I'm Dr Anwen Jones,

-a Physiology lecturer...

-..at Cardiff Metropolitan

-University.

-I'm Dr Katie Hemer, a Bioarchaeology

-specialist at Sheffield University.

-We'll look at the key developmental

-steps for body and brain...

-..as we grow, mature and welcome

-new members to our midst.

-In each programme, we focus

-on a specific stage of our life.

-This is our journey through life.

-Child

-Childhood is an exciting time.

-We start

-to examine the world around us.

-Our personality emerges...

-..as we play, use our imagination...

-..and make friends.

-We learn skills which will steer us

-on our adventure through life.

-More importantly,

-we have fun as we do it.

-During the series, we follow three

-generations of the Smith family.

-They'll help us discover

-how the body develops and matures...

-..during our lifetime.

-How strong is your self-control?

-How strong was it

-when you were a child?

-I want to eat it.

-I want to eat it.

-We asked five-year-old Tian

-and four-year-old Nia...

-..to participate

-in a famous experiment...

-..which tests our self-control.

-All they have to do is sit

-in an empty room for ten minutes...

-..without eating the tasty

-marshmallow in front of them.

-If the marshmallow is still there

-when the ten minutes are up...

-..they can have another marshmallow.

-Is the promise

-of two marshmallows...

-..enough to stop them

-eating the first one?

-They both struggle

-to stop looking at the marshmallow.

-They use different strategies...

-..to take their minds

-off the marshmallow.

-This delayed gratification test...

-..demands a huge amount

-of self-control.

-The test

-is based on research...

-..which claims children who resist

-temptation for immediate reward...

-..and wait for later a reward...

-..do better at school

-and in life...

-..than those who give in to

-temptation and eat the marshmallow.

-Time's up

-and they both resisted temptation...

-..so they're given

-a second marshmallow.

-Well done, Tian and Nia!

-Childhood obesity levels

-are higher than ever.

-A quarter of four and five years

-olds in Wales are overweight...

-..and one in ten are obese.

-Healthy diets, exercise

-and obesity are familiar subjects...

-..but what explains

-the increase in obesity...

-..and how does being overweight

-affect a child's development?

-Dietician, Sioned Quirke

-invited me to join her...

-..as she prepared a family meal.

-Sioned, how important is it to eat

-a healthy diet from an early age?

-It's crucial.

-From the age of six months...

-..we start to establish

-what food we do and don't like.

-It's really important to give a baby

-a wide range of healthy food.

-It shapes what we eat as adults.

-How big a problem

-is childhood obesity?

-It's a serious problem in Wales...

-..and we know the numbers

-are increasing year on year.

-This problem isn't going away.

-What's the reason for this?

-The diet we feed children

-has changed.

-We give them sugary, fatty food

-and we do less home cooking.

-The portion sizes most families

-give their children is too big.

-Children sit in front of computers

-and TVs or look at their phones...

-..so they spend far less time

-playing outdoors than in the past.

-Will this impact our health

-when we reach adulthood?

-The numbers of people with diabetes

-at a young age are growing.

-Research suggests that,

-if we're obese as children...

-..we're more likely

-to be obese as adults.

-The longer we are obese...

-..the higher the risk we run of

-being affected by related diseases.

-It's important to educate children

-and parents to eat a healthy diet.

-It's also important for children to

-do more exercise at a young age...

-..so they follow that pattern

-as they grow.

-Yes, and if we see our parents

-eat healthy, home-cooked food...

-..eating moderate portions

-and exercising...

-..we learn that

-this is the right thing to do.

-Numerous studies

-suggest that children and adults...

-..should try foods up to 15 times

-before they actually like them.

-After that time, if they still

-don't like them, that won't change.

-Keep trying is the message.

-Yes - keep trying.

-I'm sure Erin will enjoy this salad.

-I'm sure Erin will enjoy this salad.

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-Yes, and I hope so, and so will I!

-Play is an important part

-of childhood.

-We have fun when we play...

-..but how important is it

-to our development?

-What is its purpose and do boys

-and girls play in different ways?

-We'll glimpse inside

-a child's world with help from...

-..Mathew Jones from University

-Of Wales Trinity Saint David.

-We attached cameras

-to Tian and Dewi, her friend.

-We follow them around the room

-as they play with blocks...

-..and in free play.

-Free play allows them

-to choose their activity or toys.

-What does the footage tell us

-about the way children play?

-I asked Mathew and child development

-expert, Carys Richards...

-..to watch and discuss what Tian

-and Dewi did during the activities.

-What we saw was that the boys

-needed more space, in general terms.

-The kinds of things they created

-with Lego were movable...

-..and things they could

-compare with their friends' models.

-The girls tended to create

-static models.

-Things like buildings and castles.

-Children have a vivid imagination.

-Is creative play important for them?

-Yes, and when we watch children

-fully focused as they play...

-..we see they're very creative.

-They use their brain to think,

-to analyze and to solve problems.

-Playing

-is a child's job, essentially.

-I made a really cool spaceship

-and now it's broken.

-When they had free play...

-..the boys went straight

-to search for creatures.

-They were going to be pirates

-and stories came from that.

-We need treasure.

-We need treasure.

-

-A person to find the treasure.

-From my research, as I observed

-the boys in the role-play area...

-..Spider-Man was preparing

-beans on toast for the whole family.

-There was nothing

-out of the ordinary there.

-That shows that reality and fantasy

-are interwoven.

-Play develops in specific steps.

-When we're very young,

-we play in isolation.

-Next, we watch what adults and other

-children do and try to copy it.

-At the age of five or six,

-we develop to play more socially.

-We play roles or give each other

-characters to play.

-Communication becomes increasingly

-important when we play as a group.

-How important is play

-in the development of children?

-Look at any species of animal...

-..and you'll see them play.

-Kittens and puppies

-wrestle and play together...

-..adopting

-the behaviour of their parents.

-That's how a child learns too.

-By copying experiences

-and experimenting with them...

-..and then seeing how adults

-react to their behaviour...

-..that's how they learn and develop.

-Boys and girls played

-with the blocks in different ways.

-There were even bigger differences

-during the free play.

-The boys went straight to the

-toy box and played a fantasy game.

-Thank you, Stingray.

-Tian and her friend were happy

-to sit quietly to draw and read.

-Is there a biological reason

-for this difference?

-Some say we're different from birth.

-Others say culture and upbringing

-is more influential.

-I'd say

-it's a combination of both things.

-Recent research suggests...

-..that the physical activity level

-of a child...

-..is linked to chemicals released

-by the fetus before birth.

-These chemicals

-develop to be some sort of map...

-..which determines how physically

-active they'll be as they grow.

-But the way children are raised...

-..plus the cultural and

-social influences they encounter...

-..also have an impact

-on their physical activity levels.

-After the break,

-we ponder and contemplate...

-..as we look at other important

-childhood developmental steps.

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-Reading is one of

-the most complex tasks...

-..undertaken by the brain

-in everyday life.

-Unlike language, which is picked up

-naturally when we're young...

-..we must learn to read.

-The way

-the brain does this is incredible.

-At the School Of Psychology,

-Bangor University...

-..Dr Manon Jones will run a test

-to show me how we learn to read.

-Put your head here, with your

-forehead resting on the bar.

-Read the paragraph and press

-the Enter key when you're done.

-First, I must read

-a normal paragraph.

-I'll then read a paragraph...

-..where words' internal letters

-are jumbled up...

-..while the first and last letters

-remain unaltered.

-Manon will know how this affects

-my ability to read...

-..because this machine

-records my eye movement.

-Your eye movement tells us what the

-brain's processing at that time.

-When we read, we assume our eyes

-travel across the screen smoothly...

-..but they actually pause to absorb

-information and register meaning...

-..then they move on

-to the next word.

-I sometimes go back too.

-Yes, when you need more information,

-your eyes go back.

-It often happens on long words.

-In this version,

-the letters have been jumbled up.

-As you can see, your eyes process

-the information totally normally.

-You read it slightly slower

-than the first one...

-..but it wasn't a problem

-and you read it quite normally.

-Your brain is so used to reading the

-same words over and over again...

-..it doesn't need the correct input

-in order to read fluently.

-Even when there are typographical

-errors in written text...

-..your brain ignores them

-and reads normally regardless.

-This is a totally automatic process.

-We read constantly

-during our daily lives.

-You read things online

-or you read books.

-Your brain strives to make sense

-of text, even when it's incorrect.

-It converts it into correct text.

-The foundation of our ability

-to read is laid at a young age.

-Young children, aged four or five,

-start to read simple words.

-This is usually linked to the

-pattern or shape of words on a page.

-The crucial step

-in our development...

-..happens when we're

-between six and eight years old...

-..when we start

-to break words into sounds.

-This skill develops over time,

-through practice...

-..and it allows us to read

-longer, harder, unfamiliar words...

-..as we master the art of reading.

-It's a miracle

-that we learn to read at all.

-Our brains aren't wired to read.

-We create new connections between

-areas which already have a function.

-The left cerebral hemisphere

-is dominant in language.

-Information received

-through the eyes...

-..is processed

-in the primary visual cortex.

-A network develops

-between it and the angular gyrus.

-Its main role

-is in spatial cognition...

-..and forming connections

-between objects and phonetic items.

-That's how I know this is a table

-and those are books, and so on.

-The angular gyrus then forms a

-connection with the frontal lobe...

-..which is responsible for speech.

-That's how a three-year-old child

-absorbs language.

-We develop this network

-- it isn't naturally present.

-The brain

-is more plastic when we're young...

-..and networks

-are created easily and effectively.

-Why is our childhood so long,

-compared to other animals?

-Our closest relative,

-the chimpanzee...

-..can crawl at one month old.

-We're born prematurely and we have

-a lot of developing to do.

-It was thought that

-the fact we walk on two legs...

-..meant a woman

-wouldn't be able to walk...

-..if her pelvis and hips

-grew too big.

-A narrower pelvis means the baby

-must be smaller in order to get out.

-New research claims it's

-down to metabolism, not pelvis size.

-A mother's body can only burn

-a certain amount of calories.

-After nine months of pregnancy...

-..the woman is close

-to her metabolic ceiling...

-..and the baby must come out.

-Once we're born, we develop slowly.

-A chimpanzee reaches adult weight

-when it's 12 years old.

-Metabolism plays a part again.

-As our complex brain develops,

-it forms connections...

-..and this process

-uses up a huge amount of energy.

-Our growth is at its slowest...

-..during the time when the brain

-forms most connections...

-..and that's between the ages

-of four and five.

-During this time, our brains

-use over 40% of all our energy.

-We grow faster to give our bodies

-and brains time to develop.

-Our developing cognitive skills

-aren't as obvious...

-..as the physical changes

-which take place during childhood.

-Do children think like adults...

-..or do they see the world

-in a different way?

-If so, how can we prove it?

-Educational Psychologist,

-Dr Rosanna Stenner...

-..has prepared a few tests

-for Ysgol Y Lawnt pupils.

-We hope to demonstrate

-how these cognitive skills develop.

-Are there the same number of sweets

-in each line?

-Do reasoning skills differ between

-a young child and an older child?

-Younger children tend to

-deal with visible, concrete things.

-As they get older, children

-can think more in the abstract...

-..and move things around in their

-mind, not just in front of them.

-First, the children are asked

-which glass holds more water.

-They're the same.

-They're the same? Great.

-These tests measure ability

-to deal with conservation of size.

-Both glasses

-contain the same amount of water.

-The water's shape changes

-when it's poured into a tall glass.

-Is there the same amount of water in

-these glasses or a different amount?

-We started with five-year-olds.

-We started with five-year-olds.

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-Different.

-In what way?

-In what way?

-

-There's more in this one.

-There's less in that one.

-The five-year-olds thought there was

-more water in the tall glass.

-That one's tall. That one's short.

-Next, the six-year-olds.

-Is there more water in this glass

-or is there more in this glass?

-The same amount.

-The same amount.

-

-Well done.

-Most six-year-olds said the glasses

-contained the same amount of water.

-The same.

-The younger children thought there

-was more water in the tall glass.

-They couldn't differentiate

-between shape and volume.

-Older children

-knew the volume was the same.

-The second task tests the child's

-conservation of number skills.

-The same.

-The same number? OK.

-There are an equal number of sweets

-in each line.

-One line is longer than the other.

-Will that influence

-the five-year-olds' choice?

-The same number of sweets

-or a different number?

-A different number.

-A different number.

-

-In what way?

-This one's that long,

-now you've moved this out.

-It's the six-year-olds' turn.

-Is there the same number of sweets

-in the lines or are they different?

-The same.

-The tests showed consistent results.

-The five-year-olds tended to select

-the biggest shape...

-..even though they'd seen

-that the volume of water...

-..and number of sweets

-hadn't changed.

-Most six-year-olds understood that

-volume and number stayed the same...

-..even though the shape changed.

-Do we know why reasoning skills

-improve in older children?

-Older children have experimented

-more with their environment...

-..and learned to conserve

-through that.

-They learn that a shape can change

-while the elements stay the same.

-Older children also develop skills

-to think about things in our world.

-They don't need real objects

-to demonstrate that.

-I wouldn't expect a young child

-to learn to count...

-..without using objects like blocks.

-An older child

-can do some mental arithmetic...

-..and that involves

-memory skills and language skills.

-They all develop simultaneously.

-Younger children haven't yet

-developed those complex skills.

-It's important to stress that this

-isn't an intelligence test.

-It's believed we all pass through

-these developmental stages...

-..and we mature at different rates.

-These tests indicate that children

-think differently from adults...

-..and develop

-in specific cognitive steps.

-At around five or six,

-our thought process changes...

-..and we can cope with

-complex ideas.

-The next big cognitive step happens

-when we're around 11 years old.

-Our long childhood

-gives us time to grow and learn.

-Cognitive skills

-and thought processes change...

-..thus changing the way

-we see the world.

-We play in order to learn

-about the real world...

-..and lose ourselves

-in our imagination.

-When we start junior school...

-..we interact with children and

-practice complex social skills...

-..ready for the huge, confusing

-changes which lie ahead of us.

-In the next programme,

-we compare faces...

-..and take risks,

-as we look at the teenage years.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

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