Brain Builders Amplifier Pack
– to help you play your part in promoting the understanding of early brain development
About this page
This page is designed to make it as easy as possible for anyone to share core messages about early brain development. Please feel free to use and share the words and resources below via your channels.
This work supports Queensland Kids Partnership’s strategy to support families, caregivers, workforces and communities to apply science-based knowledge, skills and tools for building healthy brains and bodies so that children, young people, their families and communities thrive.
Note that this information was originally compiled for Brain Awareness Week March 2026, but has been adapted to ensure the information is suitable for sharing all year round.
The following information and resources have been developed with – and shared from – many different organisations, including our direct partners at Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) at The University of Queensland, Yiliyapinya Indigenous Corporation, Emerging Minds, Palix Foundation/Alberta Family Wellness Initiative.
Key overarching messages about early brain development
- Brains are built over time – Brain architecture begins before birth and develops rapidly in early childhood, laying the foundations for learning, behaviour, health and wellbeing.
- There’s no health without brain health – Healthy brain development underpins physical health, mental health and wellbeing across the life course.
- What surrounds children shapes how their brains develop – Children’s development is shaped by the environments and experiences around them – including their homes, communities and services.
- Relationships and serve and return interactions build brain architecture – Responsive, back-and-forth “serve and return” interactions between children and adults build and strengthen the neural connections that support development.
- Stress can disrupt development – support can protect it – Ongoing stress can disrupt brain development, while supportive relationships help buffer stress and build resilience.
- Early development shapes lifelong outcomes – Early brain development sets the foundation for learning, health and wellbeing throughout life.
- This is about all of us – Families, communities, services and governments all play a role in creating the conditions that support children’s development.
- Early action creates stronger futures for everyone – Investing early and supporting families according to their needs creates healthier, more connected and more equitable communities.
In particular, brain development can be told through the Brain Story (see related tile at the bottom of this page).
This is the collection of metaphors created by the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child and the Frameworks Institute and has been embedded across sectors in North America, Australia and the UK:
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The first metaphor in the Brain Story is Brain Architecture. Much like a house, brains are built over time, and they require a sturdy foundation to support everything that is developed later.
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The process of building the brain is done through a Serve and Return dynamic between a child and a caregiver.
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A significant factor that undermines the brain’s foundation is Toxic Stress, which includes experiences like abuse and neglect. Toxic Stress makes the foundation of the house less sturdy, less stable, or the child more vulnerable.
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Air Traffic Control is the child’s ability to regulate their mental airspace by planning, organizing, paying attention, and prioritizing their activities to avoid a crash – these skills are known as executive function and self-regulation.
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The brain also has a Reward Dial, which regulates our motivation to seek out rewarding and pleasurable experiences and our responses to such experiences.
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The Resilience Scale brings together all the topics of the Brain Story to explain how resilience works. Resilience is our ability to adapt and remain healthy in the face of adversity. Rather than being an innate characteristic, resilience is an ability that can be strengthened or weakened over time in response to our experiences.
Newsletter article
Please feel free to use and adapt this article for use in your own newsletter or as a general social media post:
We are all brain builders – and it starts with what surrounds children
One of the most powerful insights from neuroscience is simple: children’s brains are shaped by what surrounds them.
From pregnancy onwards, development is built through everyday experiences and relationships – especially the back-and-forth ‘serve and return’ interactions that help grow language, learning and emotional skills.
Creating the right conditions for children to thrive is something we all contribute to. The environments we design, the relationships we build, and the support we provide all help shape children’s development.
We already know what helps: warm, responsive relationships, opportunities for play, safe and predictable environments, and strong connections across families, services and communities. These everyday supports help build the foundations for lifelong wellbeing, learning and resilience.
As part of a strategy to see all children in Queensland thrive, Queensland Kids Partnership are bringing people and organisations together and sharing this important knowledge to support collective action.
Want to be part of this work?
This blog is a great place to learn more and explore practical ways to support children’s brain development:
👉 https://tqkp.org.au/how-we-can-all-shape-the-environments-that-shape-childrens-brains/
To build your team’s knowledge and practical skills, sign up for the free Early Childhood Australia (ECA) learning modules:
👉 https://learninghub.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/
You can also connect with Queensland Kids Partnership to learn more or be part of the growing movement of brain builders across Queensland by emailing qkp@aracy.org.au.
Resources that are useful for sharing
Brain Building Blog which provides an excellent overview of many of the concepts and resources on this page
https://tqkp.org.au/how-we-can-all-shape-the-environments-that-shape-childrens-brains/
Free ECA “Understanding Brain Development” Module A practical and accessible introduction to early brain development.
Access the module: Understanding Brain Development — Early Childhood Australia Learning Hub
(Emerging Minds also offers free, high‑quality learning on child development and brain architecture.)
Enabling Workforces Toolkit – Queensland Kids Partnership
A practical toolkit that helps organisations embed brain‑building approaches in everyday work. https://tqkp.org.au/enabling-workforces-toolkit/
Dictionary of Brain Building Words – Queensland Brain Institute
https://tqkp.org.au/resources/the-dictionary-of-brain-building-words/
Brain Building – Logan Together – A community‑driven initiative promoting the everyday actions that help children’s brains grow strong, supported and resilient. Includes practical resources, short videos, and simple guidance for parents, caregivers, practitioners and community organisations. https://www.logantogether.org.au/brainbuilding
Short social-media friendly videos:
Sharable posts from QKP LinkedIn
To share or see posts, visit the Queensland Kids Partnership LinkedIn page.
Examples of posts during Brain Awareness Week 2026:
Shareable social media tiles
Right-click to download images.
Tiles to share the Enabling Workforces Toolkit. You can find introductory words and the full Toolkit here.
