My husband and I will never forget the time our son Jordan, then 3, was happily scooping laundry detergent into a neat pile on the floor. When the entire box was empty, he traced an intricate design in the powder, then proudly raced to find us.

“What is he thinking?” my husband cried, seeing only a mess.

But Jordan’s project had a purpose, at least in his mind. “Dumping interests a toddler,” explains Valley author Jill Stamm in her 2007 book Bright from the Start. “Endless hours of what-causes-what-to-happen-experimenting—pushing, pulling, turning, twisting and touching things—helps a child to figure out how and why things work.”

Stamm has devoted her career to helping parents understand how a young child’s brain is wired. An associate clinical professor of psychology at Arizona State University, she founded the non-profit New Directions Institute for Infant Brain Development (NDI) in 1998 to translate current research in how the brain works into ways that caregivers could interact with children to increase their ability to pay attention, enhance bonding and lay strong foundations for language and literacy.

Stamm would hear questions like, “Why should I read to kids who are too young to read for themselves?” Parents wanted to understand the specific benefits to their child.

Even highly engaged, attentive parents didn’t always understand how to work with simple, readily available resources—like board books—to tap into key aspects of brain development during the critical early years. (By the age of 3, 75 to 90 percent of a child’s brain growth is complete.)

Stamm decided to create activity kits describing specific age-appropriate activities individualized for each stage: infant, baby, toddler and preschool. The kits, called Brain Boxes, contain activity cards and materials for activities that help develop a healthy brain. Each activity card includes research-based information, specific directions and a list of additional materials needed. It also explains how the activities develop skills for later school success.

For example, one activity card instructs parents to point to pictures in the book while reading to a child. The purpose is to give the child a focus point—a simple task that will help the child focus on schoolwork later on.

In 2002, Stamm began distributing Brain Boxes to childcare centers around the state. Originally, she targeted providers at low-income centers that could not afford to send staff to training workshops.

“It was very effective on-the-job training,” says Stamm. The following year, a study showed that people who were taught about brain development and how to use Brain Boxes read more and participated in more interactive play with their young children. Then Stamm introduced Brain Boxes to Nadine Mathis Basha, a longtime Valley advocate for children and chairperson of First Things First, the state board responsible for administering tobacco tax funds targeted for childcare and early childhood education.

“Nadine loved Brain Boxes,” says Stamm. “She immediately said, ‘Let’s put them in the library!’”

In 2008, Stamm joined forces with the Arizona State Library, Archives, and Public Records. Forty-two sets of Brain Boxes were placed in libraries in every county of the state. Each set includes two kits for infants, two for babies, two for toddlers and six for preschoolers.

“Many librarians use Brain Boxes as part of their storytime programs,” says Holly Henley, state library development consultant. “We train librarians how to train parents.” As parents follow the activities to interact with their kids, librarians check on them and answer questions. Some libraries offer Brain Boxes for checkout so they can be used at home.

“One of the benefits of Brain Boxes is that they work for all families,” Henley says.  “Even high-income parents become so busy that they may not realize the importance of spending time with their children themselves.”

Marianne Cracchiolo, a Phoenix mother of two, might just be Stamm’s biggest proponent. She received an entire set of Brain Boxes as a gift from a family member when her first child was born. 

“At first, I thought Brain Boxes were just for raising ‘brainiacs,’” she admitted. “But they helped me understand the capability of children.” Cracchiolo was a typical first-time mom, overwhelmed and unaware of a baby’s amazing ability to learn. She knew that she should read to her children daily, but didn’t fully understand why it was so important.

“Who knew that an 18-month-old could understand an I Spy book?” she says. “Jill Stamm knows that preschoolers can put sounds together and read.”

Cracchiolo pulled out the Brain Boxes about once a week for her daughter Lila, who taught herself to read at age 4 and will enter kindergarten this fall. Cracchiolo’s second daughter, Ginger, is hooked on Brain Boxes too.

But Cracchiolo has discovered other benefits. “It’s all about reinforcing the parent-child relationship,” she says. Hugs, kisses and attention are all part of the program. “Learning and reading are associated with feeling safe and secure.”

Learn more: 602-371-1366 or newdirectionsinstitute.org.

How to get Brain Boxes

• A single Baby Brain Box, which includes a puppet, rattle, mirror, cloth book, CD of classical music selections, two board books and a spiral-bound “how to” guide for parents costs $79.95 plus shipping.

• A complete set of Brain Boxes can be purchased for $1,799, or $949 for a half set. English and Spanish activity cards with test questions are included.

• The gift shop at the Children’s Museum of Phoenix offers individal Brain Box items in “Brain Bags” that range in price from $14.95 to $49.95.

• If your local library does not have a set of Brain Boxes to check out and use, ask for them.

Brain time

• The Children’s Museum of Phoenix is co-hosting one-hour Brain Time sessions with staff from New Directions Institute on March 2 & 16 (1pm),  April 2 (noon), April 13 (1pm) and May 18 (10:30am). Register at childrensmuseumofphoenix.org.

• Foothills Branch Library in Glendale is hosting Preschool Brain Time for ages 3-5 (with an adult) at 10am March 1, 8 & 15. Sessions feature one-to-one interaction around books and learning toys based on the Brain Box system. 623-930-3837 or glendaleaz.com/library.

• Evening and weekend sessions are offered at New Directions Institute for parents and caregivers interested in learning more about brain development. newdirectionsinstitute.org.

Watch this story on 12 News.