© 2021 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved These social skills activities can help kids forge positive relationships — and better understand what other people are feeling and thinking. How can we help children develop social competence — the ability to read emotions, cooperate, make friends, and negotiate conflicts? Kids learn when we act as good Read More »
© 2021 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Yes, newborns spend most of their time sleeping and eating. But babies are more than mere survival machines. At birth, they are primed and ready for social input, and our loving care has profound effects on their development. Generations ago, learning theorists tended to underestimate newborns. They Read More »
© 2021 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Some teens study lots of math. Others avoid it. Does it make a difference? Yes, and not only to career prospects. New research suggests it might also affect brain chemistry, and the way that students learn. How many years of math should you take in high school? Read More »
© 2008 – 2021 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved A preschool science experiment is an opportunity to introduce children to the concepts of observation, prediction, and testing (Gelman and Brenneman 2004). Exciting? Yes. But it’s also tricky. On the one hand, research suggests that young children don’t think as creatively or as critically when Read More »
© 2009 – 2021 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved What are the effects of television on language learning? Studies report a link between TV and language development in young children. The more time kids spend watching television, the more slowly they learn to talk. What’s going on? Some people conclude that the effects of Read More »
© 2021 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Experts recommend that kids get at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise each day. Why? Such activities are crucial for cardiovascular health. But exercise for children is important for other reasons too. It appears to stimulate brain growth. It helps kids focus, and stick to a plan. Read More »
© 2021 Gwen Dewar, all rights reserved Why do we fall for fallacies? Why do we get duped by lies? It isn’t because we lack brain power, and it isn’t because we are helpless to overcome our own biases. Instead, what’s really crucial is whether we take the time to pause and reflect — to consciously Read More »
© 2020 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved What is the “spaced learning” effect? If your child needs to learn something — and you want that learning to stick — the best approach is to space learning sessions apart in time. A single, long lesson is usually less helpful than multiple, short lessons. A break Read More »
© 2020 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved The most helpful books for beginning readers keep fancy details to a minimum, and this applies to imagery as well as to text. “Busy” illustrations can be distracting, and interfere with a young child’s reading comprehension. Books designed for new and emerging readers are sometimes very exciting Read More »
© 2020 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Children notice stereotypes about race, gender, and wealth. And their awareness of these stereotypes is distracting — so much so that it can actually interfere with learning and academic performance. But we can help kids overcome the threat. Here’s what every parent needs to know. The everyday Read More »
© 2020 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Spatial skills are crucial for success in STEM and the visual arts. So what should we do to improve spatial reasoning? Studies suggest that kids can hone their skills through a combination of physical exploration, spatial talk, hands-on activities, and explicit instruction. Can your child rotate an Read More »
© 2020 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Music lessons can benefit a child’s general academic skills, but so too can art lessons. So does music training deliver any special cognitive benefits? Kids hone auditory skills that can help them decipher speech. And new research hints that certain kinds of music training may boost math Read More »
