Recent highlights
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Is your child afraid of the dark? What research tells us about the signs and causes…and how to help kids to overcome their fears. -
Observational fear learning is what happens when we use social cues to identify something as threatening. Can kids learn in this way? Yes! -
Counting is a good start, but it isn't enough. These evidence-based preschool number activities can help kids develop "number sense." -
Do violent video games have any negative effects on kids? Parenting Science takes a critical look at the research. -
Colicky babies respond differently to stimulation. Could it be that their nervous systems are different? Research suggests this is possible. -
Night terrors in children are surprisingly common, though not as prevalent as nightmares. How to tell them apart -- and help kids cope.
Praise for Parenting Science
“[A] welcome antidote to the opinion dressed up as science that parents are constantly fed. Tear up your parenting books and get yourselves over there…”
– Charles Fernyhough, Ph.D., developmental psychologist and author of A Thousand Days of Wonder: A Scientist’s Chronicle of his Daughter’s Developing Mind
“…[O]ne of the most awesome websites I’ve seen in a long time…In addition to being helpful to academic parents, I see this site being useful in anthropology courses on human sexuality, life history, parenting, evolutionary medicine, evolutionary psychology, etc. Please check it out!”
– Julienne Rutherford, Ph.D., University of Illinois biological anthropologist and founder of the Biological Anthropology Developing Investigators Troop (BANDIT)
“I came across a great website run by Gwen Dewar, one I wish it had been available to me when my children were young. I hope everyone interested in math and kids will look at In search of the smart preschool board game and other pages on this site.”
– Bill Marsh, Ph.D., in mathematics and author of MathInking, a blog about teaching math