Many parents are recognising a disturbing truth revealed by the COVID-19 crisis: school is often regimented and boring, and it doesn’t fit the way that their children learn naturally. Peering through the window of home education, parents see that schools’ approaches often provide poor ways for their children to learn. Moms and dads are spending […] More
Play is an emotional toolbox Think back to some of your favorite childhood memories of play. These reminiscences probably bring a smile to your face. In fact, most people think of play as a joyful state of mind and body that includes being fully in the moment, with a special combination of confidence and excitement. […] More
In a study in Nepal, children whose parents reported loving each other attained higher levels of education and married later, on average. In fact, the happier the parents were with their relationship, the later their children were likely to marry. The strong correlations were found for both boys and girls, for families of all ethnicities […] More
People in Australia who experience the divorce or separation of their parents during childhood accumulate 46% less net wealth, on average, than do people whose parents do not separate when they are children. Wealth is defined as the net difference of all assets and debts. Assets include real estate, business assets, financial assets, savings, life […] More
With individualism so highly prized in Western countries, parents have become increasingly concerned about raising children’s self-esteem. And although self-esteem is important, parents’ ideas about how to instill it may be misguided. In particular, well-intentioned parents may overdo it with lavish praise, which can inflate a child’s narcissism: a sense of one’s importance and entitlement. […] More
We should pay extra attention to the home schooling and care of disadvantaged children during the Covid-19 crisis. Their potential loss of learning could require that some students repeat an entire grade. However, play with families, as well as government help with computer access, can help mitigate the damage. These students are at particular risk […] More
Child Development Research, Insights and Science Briefs to Your Inbox > This research on gay fathers contradicts beliefs that fathers have less innate caring ability than mothers and challenges the historical emphasis on mothers. Researchers at Cambridge University in the UK have found […] More
Children construct knowledge about death. They actively ask questions, they observe events and behaviors around them, they read books and watch films. By the age of six, most children seem to have a fairly sophisticated understanding of death, according to a recent review of the research. This is earlier than once thought: the famous early researcher Jean Piaget (1896-1980) proposed […] More
