They are walking and talking…but still developing many crucial skills, including the ability to manage emotions and regulate their own behavior.
What does research tell us about development during these years? How can we help kids navigate conflicts, build social relationships, and learn about the world? Here you will find evidence-based articles about socio-emotional development, cognitive development, preschool science and mathematics, and 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 … Continue reading
© 2021 Gwen Dewar, all rights reserved In Western countries like the United States, many children begin toilet training sometime between 24 and 36 months. But from an historical and cross-cultural standpoint, this timing is very late, and it comes with a downside. So what’s the right potty training age? It depends on your child, … Continue reading
Peer pressure and social conformity starts long before adolescence. When faced with a choice between telling the truth and backing a popular falsehood, even 4-year-old children will buckle. Yet kids also possess the ability to question — and even reject — majority opinion. What can we do to encourage children to think for themselves? You … Continue reading
What social skills are important to preschoolers? How do we nurture these abilities? Evidence-based tips for fostering preschool social skills.
“Fast track” toilet training techniques can be effective, but they aren’t right for everyone. Children shouldn’t begin unless they are healthy, motivated, and developmentally ready. And caregivers must be prepared to coach their children through hours of intensive, focused training.
Some schools assign homework to children as young as 5 or 6. But there isn’t any compelling research that homework for young children is helpful.
Correcting behavior? Studies suggest the best approach is positive and constructive. When kids make mistakes, we should ask them to think about solutions.
© 2008 – 2019 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved In his review of the research, Stephen Norris notes that critical thinking in children is uncommon: “Most students do not score well on tests that measure ability to recognize assumptions, evaluate arguments, and appraise inferences” (Norris 1985). Why is critical thinking so difficult? Some argue … Continue reading
Kids make strange errors, but not because they’re clueless. Studies of cognitive development suggest we’re partly to blame. We’re testing them the wrong way.
These sources are cited in my article about preschool social skills. Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, Van IJzendoorn MH, Pijlman FT, Mesman J, Juffer F. 2008. Experimental evidence for differential susceptibility: dopamine D4 receptor polymorphism (DRD4 VNTR) moderates intervention effects on toddlers’ externalizing behavior in a randomized controlled trial. Dev Psychol. 44(1):293-300. Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, van Ijzendoorn MH. 2011. … Continue reading
© 2017 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved The musical diaper alarm Considering all the claims and hype, there haven’t been many good experimental tests of potty training techniques. But Alexandra Vermandel and her colleagues are trying to change that. They’ve wondered if they could speed up potty training by using a diaper alarm–a device … Continue reading
A developmental guide to preschool math lessons for the science-minded parent.