The digital landscape of American childhood is in flux, according to surveys: Most children under the age of 8 now have access to mobile devices in their homes. In the last five years, children have spent less time watching television, but more time tapping on tablets and smartphones. […]
Watching a child learn to read can feel miraculous. And for good reason: reading is an incredibly complex process that requires children to recognize shapes (letters), match these shapes with their corresponding sounds, combine these sounds into words, and then mentally pair these word with their definitions. Emerging […]
If you put a group of preschoolers in a room and read them a story, do they all hear the same thing? In a recent study, researchers attached brain scanners to children and then watched what happened as they listened to recorded stories. Separately, they asked the kids’ […]
Pop quiz: You walk into the living room and see toys and pillows strewn about. Which request is more likely to motivate a four-year-old child to put things back in order? A: “Please help clean up this room.” B: “Please be a helper and clean up this room.” […]
Originally published on Mindshift, an NPR blog that explores the future of learning. When it comes to kids, growth mindset is a hot topic in education.Studies indicate that children who view intelligence as pliable and responsive to effort show greater persistence when encountering new or difficult tasks. In contrast, […]
Originally published on MindShift on June 23, 2015. The teenage years are marked by paradoxes. Even as teens’ cognitive and problem-solving capacities are expanding, many adolescents experience declines in academic performance, coupled with an increase in behavioral and mental health concerns. Research shows that parental involvement helps stave off […]
Originally published at MindShift on June 10, 2015 as “Preschoolers and Praise: What Kinds of Messages Help Kids Grow.” A three-year-old dressed in a superhero cape collapses in a corner and yells, “I can’t put on my shoes! I can’t!” A four-year-old proudly sets the table “all by […]
Originally published in MindShift, an NPR blog that explores the future of learning. By Gayle Allen and Deborah Farmer Kris When searching for toys for their kids at chain toy stores, parents typically encounter the following scenario: toy aisles are color-coded pink and blue. They shouldn’t bother looking […]
