Multimedia, Video

Serve & Return Interaction Shapes Brain Circuitry

Content in This Guide

Part 1: What is "Serve and Return”?

Part 2: How Do I "Serve and Return”?

One of the most essential experiences in shaping the architecture of the developing brain is “serve and return” interaction between children and significant adults in their lives. Young children naturally reach out for interaction through babbling, facial expressions, and gestures, and adults respond with the same kind of vocalizing and gesturing back at them. This back-and-forth process is fundamental to the wiring of the brain, especially in the earliest years.

This video is from Three Core Concepts in Early Development, a three-part video series from the Center and the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child.

  Subscribe to our mailing list   Request permission to republish this resource   Request permission to use this resource

Explore Related Resources