Regardless of what age you are, sleep is detrimental to our health! It allows for our bodies to regenerate and recharge while also acting as an important factor in child development. This is why it is so important to maintain a proper sleep schedule.

This current study found that it is not only vital for your child to maintain good sleeping habits, but parents and educators as well. Parent’s help shape the sleeping habits of their children. By educating parents on healthy sleeping habits, it can work wonders for your child’s sleep. Educating and working with early childcare professionals on proper sleep habits can also elevate daily nap times for your little ones.

 

To read more on sleep, click here!

 

Mikayla Clemens

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

A major part of development is play! Play helps support development across multiple domains, especially outdoor activity. It allows children to gain skills in motor development while also expanding upon cognitive, language, and social-emotional development. Unfortunately, especially in New England, the weather is not always sunny and warm. This can lead to a change in play habits, especially given the location a child is in.

 

Today’s article expands upon play and how location and even the seasons can impact physical activity for children. In this study conducted in New Zealand, they found how play can vary based on location (i.e. city, suburbs, and rural areas) and have other factors impact activities such as safety concerns. It is interesting to read and learn how outdoor play differs from location to location and allows you to think back to your own prior experiences as a child!

 

To read today’s article, click here!

 

Mikayla Clemens

Research assistant, UConn KIDS

Video games are often observed in a negative light; a lot of research examines the negative effects of video games on youth… but what are some of the positives effects?

The articleThe Link Between Playing Video Games and Positive Youth Outcomes examines what are some of the positive effects behind video games. The study finds that there are numerous positive impacts such as promoting problem solving skills, social skills, and even physical activity! These findings give truly a new perspective on how video games support child development while also supporting the idea that future research is needed. 

 

To read more, click here!

 

Mikayla Clemens 

Research Assistant UConn KIDS 

Humans, by nature are prosocial. From previous studies, we are seen to support helpful behaviors as early as infancy… but what can classrooms do to continue prosocial behavior? Is this something worth focusing on in the classroom?

 

Research conducted at Yale concludes that not only is social-emotional learning important, but it also comes with multiple positive outcomes. The study observed 250 social-emotional learning programs in over 50 different countries and discovered that it can lead to an overall increase in well-being, academic success, and safety within the classroom. However, this is just the surface of understanding social-emotional learning. Further research calls for understanding of social-emotional development and what we can do to create educational equity when providing support in this learning area.

 

To read more, click here!

Mikayla Clemens

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

Looking back to our early days in school, we all remember the little art projects we did. From an early age, schools engage student’s creativity with art and allow them to create and express. Within our art projects, researchers can gain a deeper understanding on the effectiveness of art education and examining other aspects of child development.

The paper “Arts-based educational research in the early years” dives into ABER (arts-based educational research) and how it is examined within early childhood settings. It is described to allow children to conduct research with the researchers and not just examining a child’s behavior. It is interesting to recognize how art can play such an important role in research and how engaging to can be not only for children, but the researchers involved too!

 

To read more, click here!

Mikayla Clemens

Research assistant, UConn KIDS

Infants are fascinated by the world around us. Throughout their earliest months, infants are gathering a ton of new information and experiences. Previous studies have indicated that infants prefer to look at more complex patterns rather than solid shapes, but what about perception and continuity?

This study examines the ability of 4 month olds to recognize object continuity and perception through shapes and colors. Previous studies conducted in the past examine object continuity through the relationship between colors and shapes, however, it has been found to be recognizable and discriminatory at this age. When thinking about this study, it is interesting to see how development progresses so quickly within a short period of time!

 

To read about this study, click here!

Mikayla Clemens

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

For us animal lovers, pets always feel like an extension of our families. They bring so many fun memories to the table like family walks with the dogs or the first time your family met your baby kitten… but what does this do for development?

In the research article, Children’s and Adolescents’ Pet Attachment, Empathy, and Compassionate Responding to Self and Others, it examines various aspects pets contribute to child development. The main findings of this article discovers that pets allow children to develop mindful thinking strategies along with compassion towards others. The article also finds that the compassion and empathy child already possess impacts their attachment with their pet.

 

To read more about this study, click here!

 

Mikayla Clemens

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

Emily Jackson is a doctoral candidate and research assistant in Dr. Bernard Grela’s Child Language Lab in the Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences department. She is an OSEP scholar in the Early Childhood Intervention Doctoral Consortium (ECiDC) and is interested in early childhood language development, parent perspectives and experiences, and IDEA Part C Early Intervention services. Emily is collecting data for her dissertation study titled, Cultural variation in parental ethnotheories on early childhood language development and disorders: Exploring Hispanic and non-Hispanic parents’ perspectives (BRANY IRB #23-281-910). The purpose of this research study is to improve speech language pathologists’ understanding of cultural variation in Hispanic and non-Hispanic, white parental beliefs and practices related to young children’s language development.

The is a one-time commitment of about 2 hours total. The study can be conducted in person or online based on participant’s preference. Parent volunteers will have their child’s language evaluated by a licensed speech language pathologist using a standardized language assessment (about 20-30 minutes). Parents will answer questions to assess the language skills of children under 36 months. Children 3-5 years old will be asked to participate in a language assessment by answering questions about pictures. Parents will then participate in an audio-recorded interview about their beliefs and practices related to their children’s language development (about 1 hour). The study will conclude with parents completing a series of online surveys (about 20 minutes).

 

Emily’s research has focused on culturally responsive practices in speech language pathology. Emily also works as an early intervention SLP conducting evaluations and providing home visiting services to parents of children under 3 years old who have developmental delays or disabilities. This clinical work has inspired her research as she aims to better understand cultural variation in parents’ experiences to shape recommendations for SLPs and related service providers.

 

In her free time, Emily enjoys playing ice hockey in the winter and going to the beach in the summer.

Most people have their one favorite stuffed animal from their childhood… some of us even still have them! Stuffed animals are known to bring people joy and are filled with fond memories from being a part of a play routine to even having it as a cuddle buddy! What does this do for child development?

In the article, The stuffed animal sleepover: enhancement of reading and the duration of the effect, dives into research examining the stuffed animal sleepover program. This program is designed to help children’s reading habits by having their stuffed animals move throughout a library at night. Library staff would take pictures of the children’s toys engaging in activities throughout the library to insight joy within the art of reading. The article investigates how effective this program is at promoting reading for young children and other benefits associated with it. By taking the strategies used in this program, you can do this at home with your little ones!

 

To read more, click here!

Mikayla Clemens

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

 

Schools today are constantly busy; students are constantly learning whether it is through play in preschool or cracking open a textbook in high school. All of this can be tiring on students, leading us to ask the question on what can be done to help students?

Studies have shown that taking breaks throughout the day helps students stay engaged throughout the day while also reducing daily stressors, working on social skills, and even increasing brain functioning. Through incorporating simple strategies in the classroom, teachers can witness the positive impacts breaks bring to their environment. Using these strategies at home may even benefit your learners when they are outside of class completing assignments. It is important to think about what a short break can do for your child’s overall functioning; something so little can do wonders for your child’s mental health!

To read more, click here!

Mikayla Clemens

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS