Children under 12 months of age learn much better after taking a nap, according to a study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The key to learning and remembering toddlers lies in the nap, especially if it is long, according to a published study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
This study was performed on 216 babies under one year old, and the results indicate that they were unable to remember new tasks if they had not napped long enough after the learning phase.
To arrive at these results, scientists at the University of Sheffield taught these infants aged 6 to 12 months three new actions. Half of them slept within four hours of the learning session. The other half slept less than 30 minutes, or not at all.
The next day, the scientists encouraged the babies to repeat what they had been taught. Results: On average, a task and a half could be repeated by babies who napped long enough, while babies who had not slept long enough could not repeat any actions.
“Those who had slept after learning memorized well, those who did not sleep learned nothing at all,” says Dr Jane Herbert, of the Department of Psychology at the University of Sheffield.
The University of Sheffield team suggests the best time to learn might be before sleeping. She also emphasizes the importance of reading just before falling asleep. Experts believe that sleep may be more important during the first years than afterwards.
.
