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Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin How can we help kids adapt to an earlier schedule? Morning sunlight, exercise, and other environmental cues can help reset a child’s internal clock. But to make sure kids feel physiologically drowsy at bedtime, we need to use additional strategies. Understanding the big picture: How circadian rhythms, daytime naps, and … Continue reading
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedinWhite parents need to talk with their children about race, but mistaken beliefs often get in the way. Here’s what parents need to know to become better agents of change. For years, researchers have documented the phenomenon: Many white parents avoid talking with their children about race. Why? One explanation — … Continue reading
“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.
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin© 2020 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Babies expect adults to share resources equally. They prefer people who behave with fairness. But babies are also learning about selfishness and favoritism. Can we become the role models our children deserve? Everyone should get a fair share. It’s the organizing principle of … Continue reading
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin© 2020 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved How do you teach kids to be helpful? To be generous and kind? Studies suggest we should avoid heavy-handed tactics and bribes. Instead, we need to respect — and nurture — our children’s natural inclinations to do good. Helpful? Generous? Caring? Psychologists call … Continue reading
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin Bullying in children is linked with long-term problems, and it isn’t only the victims who are affected. Kids who bully are more likely to develop symptoms of “antisocial personality disorder” — a condition colloquially known as “sociopathy” or “psychopathy.” You’ve probably heard that bullying can cause lasting harm. For example, … Continue reading
Making the transition to educating your child at home? Here’s how to get started if you find yourself suddenly homeschooling — even if you haven’t yet worked out your ultimate plan.
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedinAre you coping with infant crying, fussing, or colic? Babies everywhere cry, especially during the first 3 months after birth. Even chimpanzees follow this pattern (Bard 2004). Like it or not, crying is a universal mode of communication for our species. But that doesn’t mean we’re helpless to improve the situation. Parents … Continue reading
Supportive student-teacher relationships improve motivation, inspire achievement, and protect children from toxic stress. But many kids don’t get the chance to form such bonds.
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedinPsychologists call them “externalizing” behaviors — acts of disruption, aggression, defiance, or anti-social intent. Just about every parent has to cope with them at some point, particularly during the toddler years. Young children are still developing the ability to regulate their emotions and impulses; they need to learn what is expected … Continue reading
What causes colic? Review the possibilities — included the latest theories about gut bacteria and migraine.
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.