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The science behind the songs, stories, and structure your child loves
If you’re a parent, you’ve likely experienced the Groundhog Day of early childhood: the same song on repeat, the same questions again and again, the same bedtime routine every night. But here’s the thing! there’s a powerful reason children need this kind of repetition and rhythm. It’s not just for comfort; it’s how their brains are built.
Repetition Builds the Brain... Literally!
A baby’s brain is born with around 100 billion neurons more than most adults. But it’s the connections between them (called synapses) that determine how a child thinks, learns, speaks, and regulates emotions. These connections are formed through experience, and every time an experience is repeated, that connection is reinforced.
Think of it like walking a path through a forest: the first time is hard work, but walk the same path again and again and it becomes smoother, clearer, and easier to follow. Repetition helps your child’s brain hardwire learning into long-term memory and helps them perform skills automatically over time from speech to movement to emotional control.
The Role of Myelination
As your child repeats an action, their brain also strengthens the connection through a process called myelination. Myelin is a fatty substance that coats nerve fibres, allowing messages in the brain to travel faster and more efficiently. The more a child practises a skill whether clapping, saying a word, or solving a puzzle the stronger and quicker that neural pathway becomes.
So when your toddler insists on reading the same book for the 500th time? Their brain is literally speeding up its own wiring.
Routine Creates Safety and Releases Calming Chemicals
Children are wired to seek safety. When they experience a consistent routine knowing what to expect and when their brain releases oxytocin, often called the “love hormone.” This hormone is responsible for feelings of attachment, trust, and calm. Oxytocin helps regulate cortisol, the body’s stress hormone, and allows children to feel safe enough to learn and explore.
This isn’t just emotional it’s biological. A secure, predictable routine helps a child’s nervous system regulate, meaning they’re less likely to become overwhelmed or overstimulated. That’s why children often behave better when they feel safe, connected, and know what’s coming next.
The Behavioural Impact: Confidence, Curiosity and Calm
With a brain full of strong connections, myelinated pathways, and a body bathed in oxytocin rather than cortisol, children feel emotionally secure. This security forms the foundation for:
✅ Increased confidence: Children are more likely to try new things when the base environment feels safe.
✅ Improved focus and engagement: They can direct more mental energy to learning instead of scanning for uncertainty or danger.
✅ Better emotional regulation: A child who knows the rhythm of their day is less likely to spiral when faced with something unexpected.
It’s why at Tot Time, our sessions follow a consistent structure, not because we can’t think of new things to do, but because we understand that repetition unlocks learning.
What This Looks Like at Tot Time
At first glance, Tot Time sessions may look like playful fun and they are! But they’re also carefully crafted with brain development in mind. Each week includes:
✅Familiar welcome songs to cue the brain for learning
✅Repeated actions to build motor memory
✅Structured play to develop emotional security
✅Repetition of language to strengthen speech pathways
We build on what’s familiar each time, so children can move from understanding to mastery, all while having fun and feeling completely at ease.
Final Thoughts: Familiarity Builds Brilliance
Repetition and routine may seem simple, but they are powerful tools. They’re not about making life predictable for the sake of ease they’re about building brains that are ready for anything. When your child feels safe, loved, and knows what to expect, their brain opens up to learn, grow, and shine.
At Tot Time, we don’t just repeat for the sake of it we repeat with purpose
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