The answer to last week’s question: At what age can most infants sit unsupported? 

Is 6 months old! 

This week’s trivia question is: 

At what age do infants typically say their first word? 

1. 4-6 months  
2. 6-8 months 
3. 10-18 months
4. 18-24 months 

There are no two children that are alike and from the moment they’re born, children show unique ways of reacting to the world. Some are more easygoing, and others are more intense or cautious. These early differences are what psychologists call temperamentand understanding it can make a world of difference in raising children. 

Temperament refers to the natural tendencies in how a child feels and behaves, which are displayed during infancy. Some children are naturally adventurous and outgoing, while others prefer routine and take longer to warm up. Research shows that temperament is influenced by both genes and their environment. While certain traits may run in families, the way parents respond and support their child can greatly shape how these traits develop over time. 

Temperament plays a key role in how children handle emotions, form friendships, and even face challenges in school. Studies have found that children who easily experience frustration or fear (high negative emotionality) may be more prone to anxiety or depression later in life. Those with low impulse control or difficulty focusing may be more likely to show signs of ADHD or other behavioral issues. Children who are naturally shy or inhibited can thrive when parents help them build confidence in social settings. Temperament can create certain risk factors or strengths depending on how it interacts with life experiences. 

An important idea from this research is the concept of goodness of fit. This means that a child’s well-being often depends on how well their temperament matches their environment and their parents’ style. By understanding a child’s natural style, their home environment can be adjusted to better suit their growth into resilient adults. When parents meet children where they are, rather than where parents wish they were, both the children and parents will thrive. 

If you want to read more, click here! 

Angelina Stofka 

UConn KIDS, Research Assistant 

Parents are often encouraged to read to their children, but the conversation is usually centered around toddlers and preschool-aged children. However, research suggests that reading aloud to infants in the first year of life has a measurable and meaningful benefit long before language is outwardly visible. 

Infants starting at 2 weeks old in this study were provided books and followed throughout their first year. Families who read at least seven books per week demonstrated significantly higher expressive and receptive language scores by 9 months of age, with even greater difference by 12 months. 

Research from this study has shown that language development begins far earlier than expressive speech. Infants are actively building the neurological foundations for vocabulary, comprehension, and communication from birth. Reading aloud provides rich language exposure, prosody, rhythm, repetition, and shared joint attention which contribute to early neural wiring for future literacy and academic success. 

Importantly, the study also showed that simply giving parents clear directions to read daily increased the number of books they read early in infancy. Establishing reading expectations and routine matters. Early reading does not require long sessions or perfect attention. Infants benefit from short, frequent, positive experiences with books, even if they are moving, feeding, or only tolerating a few pages at a time. Repetition is beneficial along with familiarity, presence, and interaction. One short book per day is a realistic and powerful target. 

If you want to read more, click here! 

Angelina Stofka 

UConn KIDS, Research Assistant 

 

A toddler’s relationship with a stuffed animal or blanket is actually a part of early development: attachment to inanimate objects. While it might look like simple affection, new research suggests this behavior may be a deeper coping strategy tied to early childcare experiences and even genetics. 

Researchers have explored this phenomenon using data from over 1,100 pairs of three-year-old twins.  The researchers found that these “security objects” often serve as a way for kids to cope with separation and daily stress, especially when they spend time away from parents during the day. 

As more children spend their days in childcare, early separation from caregivers has become part of modern family life. The study suggests that some kids cope with this separation by forming attachments to “security objects”. Examples are soft toys, blankets, or other items that provide comfort and continuity. 

The study also found that both genes and environment play an equal role in whether a child develops an attachment to an object. Some kids may simply be more likely to seek comfort in familiar, cozy items. 

Researchers found that comfort objects are a normal and healthy part of child development. They help children handle big emotions, sleep more easily, and feel secure when parents aren’t around. Over time, most kids naturally grow out of needing them as they become more independent, but when they’re in their young childhood, it’s something that provides needed comfort for them. 

If you want to read more, click here! 

Angelina Stofka 

UConn KIDS, Research Assistant 

The answer to last week’s question: About how many hours do newborns sleep per day? 

Is 16-17 hours! 

This week’s trivia question is: 

At what age do autobiographical memories become reliably accurate?

1. 1 year old  
2. 2 years old 
3. 3 years old  
4. 4 years old  

Tune in next week to find out the answer to this week’s question! 

The answer to last week’s question: Which sense is not fully developed at birth? 

Is vision!

This week’s trivia question is: 

About how many hours do newborns sleep per day?

1. 9-10 hours
2. 13-14 hours
3. 16-17 hours
4. 19-20 hours

Tune in next week to find out the answer to this week’s question! 

The answer to last week’s question: At what age do most children begin to use two-word sentences? 

Is 2 years old! 

This week’s trivia question is: 

Which sense is not fully developed at birth? 

1. Vision
2. Hearing 
3. Taste 
4. Smell 

Tune in next week to find out the answer to this week’s question! 

Loose parts play is a free form play where children are given open-ended materials, that can be very beneficial for their cognitive development. Loose parts play involves various toys and materials that children can use in combination or isolation like cardboard, sticks, sand, and beads. These items are typically not intended for play, but children figure out different ways they can use them in their play, which is how loose parts inhibit their creativity and cognitive development. Play provides opportunities for intrinsic motivation which is important for long-term academic and personal success. Structured learning is usually dependent on external rewards, whereas play allows children to be driven by their own curiosity and interests.  

 

Researchers have found that it has helped with children’s problem-solving, creativity, academic skills (reading and math), and both convergent and divergent thinking. One study found that children who played with more natural and creative materials performed better in evaluated problem-solving and language skills. Another study determined that divergent play materials led to originality and fluency in problem-solving, whereas convergent materials led to strategic and task-focused problem-solving. These findings are only some of the many discoveries that researchers have made about the positive influences that loose parts have on cognitive development. 

 

If you want to read more, click here! 

Angelina Stofka 

UConn KIDS, Research Assistant 

 

As many of you may know, Bluey is a television program that is very popular amongst children, especially of the preschool age, but is also popular amongst parents because of the messages that the show promotes. A prevalent theme of the show is resilience which is the ability to confront, overcome, and become stronger by life’s challenges. Resilience is very important for children to acquire to help with their regulation of emotions and well-being.  

 

150 episodes of Bluey were analyzed, with resilience being featured across both as primary and secondary themes in a total of 73 out of 150 episodes. The topics of the show pertain to situations that preschoolers are often faced with, which is how children are able to relate to the characters of the show. Researchers have found that Bluey was consistent with containing resilience messages like emotional regulation, persistence, and problem-solving through their main character. With resilience being such a common theme of the episodes, it might encourage children to model the behavior that they are witnessing. It has been reported that repeated exposure to consistent themes can help children with comprehension and retention of the themes. Watching Bluey with children and using on-screen moments as conversation starters can help establish key messages about resilience in real life for children. Not only is Bluey entertaining for children, but it’s also teaching them about important life skills like resilience; something everyone can benefit from! 

 

If you want to read more, click here! 

Angelina Stofka 

UConn KIDS, Research Assistant 

The answer to last week’s question, “By age 3, about how many words are children able to understand?”  

Is 20,000 words! 

This week’s trivia question is:  

An infant’s brain is 25% of its adult weight at birth, how much of its adult weight is the brain by age 3? 

1. 60% 
2. 70% 
3. 80% 
4. 90% 

Tune in next week to find out the answer to this week’s question!