The Science

10 life-changing pictures

Finding Thabo is a fun, interactive play-based game for young children aged 3-6.

Scientists have discovered that it takes approximately 400 repetitions to create a new synapse in the brain - unless it is done through play. Then it takes only 10-20 repetitions.

Thabo’s Secret Power: Building Executive Function 

Executive function is like the air traffic control system of the brain, coordinating thoughts, emotions, and behaviours.   

Harvard University identifies three key components of executive function: 

Working Memory: The ability to retain and manipulate information over short periods of time.
Self-Control: The capacity to resist impulses and prioritise tasks.
Mental Flexibility: The ability to adapt to changing situations, think creatively, and solve problems.

These skills are vital for young children as they form the foundation for helping them to focus, follow instructions, practise better impulse control and persevere through challenges.

There are many opportunities to exercise a child’s executive function skills throughout the Finding Thabo picture series. It helps our little superheroes develop emotional intelligence! 

We’re on a mission to ensure that every South African child has the necessary building blocks to thrive by.

By age five, 90% of a child’s neural pathways are fully developed. It’s important to understand how critical these early years are. It’s a make or break time. If these neural pathways aren’t developed and regularly used, by the age of 6 they will be naturally removed via a process called ‘pruning’.  That’s why it’s essential that young children are exposed to high-quality stimulation before pruning happens.

By spending just ten minutes a day playing Finding Thabo, we can grow a child’s potential by leaps and bounds.

The Golden Window

Pathways that have been stimulated grow thicker and process information faster. Those that have not will die away. 

Without strong cognitive foundations, children struggle to master more complex skills later in their academic journey. Cognitive stimulation through play (the best way for children to learn) lays the foundation for effective future learning. 

It is also a high predictor of success later in life.

The Hard Truth

In South Africa, our children are struggling: 

The latest 2021 data shows 81% of Grade 4s can’t read for meaning.
More than half of Grade 2 children don’t know the full alphabet.
Only 35% of children are meeting their development milestones by age 5.