Three Things I Learned While Working with Building Brains Together

By Drayke Allred, Grade 12 student, BBT Summer Staff

I started working with Building Brains Together(BBT) four years ago the summer before I went into high school. I was somewhat familiar with the program since as a young child, I had participated in the BBT research testing at the University of Lethbridge. I was familiar with the basics of the curriculum because the good practices taught by BBT were used parenting me as a child. That being said, there are plenty of things I have learned while working for BBT.  

The first and most important think I learned is play! Mindfully engaging in play with your child not only benefits your child but it benefits you as well. Engaging in play with children and adolescents has been a sort of personal therapy as it drastically improves my mood (reduces stress and releases brain chemicals associated with the feelings of bliss and reward) and it has an even greater effect on children. Making it a priority to play with your children is essential for their brain development. Playing games and doing certain activities can improve a child’s fine motor skills, emotional control, and teach them flexible thinking. 

The second thing I learned about is the resources in our area. Lethbridge and Southern Alberta have a plethora of available resources for the public. It astounds me the number of unknown or unused resources I have come across in my years of working. One amazing non-profit that we have worked with over the years is Family Centre.  Family Centre has two locations in Lethbridge that provide free indoor play spaces for families and they offer advice and programs on child rearing and development to parents.  

The third thing I learned is the importance of relationships. I have had the pleasure of developing relationships with families over the years and watching children grow not only physically and cognitively but as citizens as well. Building healthy relationships with people can improve the mental wellbeing of you and them. It is important to note it doesn’t take years to build a lasting relationship with someone; a simple game or lesson can make an impact on people, especially children and adolescents.