The Wellcome Trust wants to hear your views on your child's learning and brain development. Please take part to be entered into a prize draw for a £50 Amazon voucher. NOW CLOSED

[TheOtherHelenMumsnet]

The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to enabling top researchers to achieve extraordinary improvements in human and animal health. Some of the Trust's current projects include exploring how the latest developments in neuroscience (the science of how our brains work) can help improve how children learn, at home or in the classroom. You can read more about this work on the Wellcome Trust's blog.

The Trust would love to incorporate Mumsnetters' views and experiences into this research.

They want you, please, to post on this thread about any activities/products/techniques you may have come across that are aimed at boosting your child's learning - anything from games designed to affect how the brain learns to products/techniques you might use to make changes to your child's diet or lifestyle. You may have come across these things in use at your child's school or you may be using them yourself at home.

When you post, please think about the following questions...

• Which activities or products (if any) have you come across which are designed to boost your child's learning? And how effective (or otherwise) have you found them?
  

• Have you tried anything yourself to improve or enhance your child's learning? If so, what have you tried? And what influenced your decision to try that activity/product? How effective (or otherwise) do you think it has been?
  

• What aspect of your child's school experience (if any) do you think could most be improved by neuroscience? You might want to consider, for example, how the teacher talks to the children, the activities the children take part in, or the materials they study...
  

You're also very welcome (no pun intended!) to post any other relevant comments on this thread. And everyone who does so will be in with a chance of winning a £50 Amazon voucher as a thank you for sharing your thoughts and opinions.

If you are happy to provide further responses on this topic, the Wellcome Trust have more detailed surveys for parents, teachers and students on their website.

As ever with our sponsored threads, Mumsnet does not have a particular view on this research, we're simply providing the forum for discussion.

Thanks
MNHQ

[dahville]

Thanks very much!

[pussinwellyboots]

• Which activities or products (if any) have you come across which are designed to boost your child's learning? And how effective (or otherwise) have you found them?
  

Mainly by having lots of books and a wide variety of toys in the house. Also lots of the Orchard Toys games eg Dotty Dionosaurs has been good for helping learn shapes and colours.

• Have you tried anything yourself to improve or enhance your child's learning? If so, what have you tried? And what influenced your decision to try that activity/product? How effective (or otherwise) do you think it has been?
  

Various activity classes (tumble tots/swimming lessons/toddler French singing) - mainly just going to a wide variety of places and participating in a variety of activities.

• What aspect of your child's school experience (if any) do you think could most be improved by neuroscience? You might want to consider, for example, how the teacher talks to the children, the activities the children take part in, or the materials they study...
  

I'm sure that there is a lot of research that if applied would improve the quality of education on offer. DS1 (4) has been benefitting from activities used at school to improve his motor skills.