Serenity in a baby occurs when she has no need to focus on her nagging innards. She is then free to perceive the outside world, explore it and begin to make those important neural brain connections. But along with responding to physical needs to create a serene environment, a parent must aim to build self-confidence for this is the basic mechanism with which all achievements are constructed. Accomplishing such independent feats as feeding herself, drinking from a cup, gripping a crayon and moving it across a piece of paper (occurring at whatever stage these do) leads her to feel competent towards attempting the next thing on the agenda. She will look forward to that next thing, approaching it from a position of strength with an expectation that she will manage it. With parental calm and encouragement she will sense that she is going in the right direction even when she doesn’t manage quite so well. From an environment that welcomes her participation, perceptions will form, sharpen, expand and mature. Serenity, perception, self-confidence, From this starting point will evolve the intelligent, creative child. Smart Starts in the Arts