The “clean plate club” is a common phenomenon among American households which encourages children to finish the entirety of their meals and to ensure proper nutrition.  However, can this idea of having to always eat everything on your plate be harmful when trying to build healthy habits in children?  Perhaps a better approach to building healthy eating habits in children is to practice something known as intuitive eating.  This approach to diet and nutrition emphasizes trusting your body in its hunger and fullness cues to determine when, what, and how much to eat.  Every individual starts off practicing intuitive eating when suckling from their mother or receiving formula, but once children reach the age of two, respecting natural hunger and fullness cues is heavily influenced by the environment the child lives in. 

 

Children will mould their eating habits based on what they are subjected to whether it be observing someone else’s eating habits, TV commercials, boredom, or coping.  It is crucial during childhood years for children to develop a positive relationship with food and practicing intuitive eating can kickstart the route to independence by getting to have control over food choices.  

 

Parents are encouraged to promote and assist children to eat intuitively by keeping nutritious food in the home, but allowing the child to pick which of those nutritious foods they would like to eat.  Intuitive eating relies on listening to the body’s hunger cues so make sure to allow the child to say when they are full rather than forcing them to finish the entire plate and letting them eat more than you may have expected at times.  Parents can be a great role model when it comes to intuitive eating by sharing meals often with their children and practicing what you are preaching-listening to hunger cues and enjoying sharing the meal with them.

 

As parents you can make yourself feel empowered by setting your child up for success in their relationship with food through intuitive eating while empowering your child at the same time when it comes to making food choices that are appropriate for them.

 

Read the full article here

Marissa Robarge

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Well, for some of us it is.  While most people look forward to the holidays as a time for catching up with family, and lavish meals, and creating and continuing traditions, for some the holidays can be a time of high stress and anxiety.  Typically, when thinking about those who experience difficulties during the holidays, we consider adults to be those most affected.  However, despite presents and the holiday spirit, children are also prone to feeling the chaos of the holidays.  

 

The holidays are known to cause stress in children due to unfamiliar environments when it comes to holiday parties, lots of people they may not know, gift giving and receiving, and sometimes traveling long distances.  Children thrive on routine and if there’s anything that tends to disrupt these routines it is the holidays.  So how can we prevent children from feeling the pressure of the holidays?

 

Experts suggest that the first step in reducing your child’s negative emotions about the holidays is by first managing your own stress as children can sense and follow the way that their caretakers are feeling.  The second most important step in keeping kids calm during the holidays is by trying to keep their routine as similar as possible to what i normally is throughout the year–getting plenty of sleep and eating enough.  Another great way to help kids cope with the stress of the holidays is setting expectations daily about what the routine is for the day and keeping them active to burn off that extra energy.

 

Let’s keep the spirit alive this holiday season both in ourselves and in our children!

 

Read the full article here

 

Marissa Robarge 

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

Most people can remember a time where their parents lectured them about the importance of not slouching or seeing videos advertising new workout equipment to build your abdominal muscles.  As silly or annoying those instances may be, they were definitely onto something!  In fact, strengthening our core muscles and maintaining proper posture is central to just about  every activity that humans do.  Encouraging your child to move and sit in ways that build that group of abdominal muscles can promote their success in and out of the classroom.

When examining children who have poor core posture, they typically have difficulty keeping their head, wrists, and shoulders positioned properly.  This can lead to difficulties when executing fine and gross motor activities like crawling and handwriting.  The deficits in fine motor skill seen as a result of poor posture can cause children to fall behind with their learning because they are unable to execute writing/drawing tasks, often need frequent breaks from fatigue of holding themselves up, and tend to move around in their seat a lot, altering their focus.  Children may also experience delays in their social-emotional development due to the inability to take part in some kinds of play such as using playground equipment during recess because they cannot support their bodies as well as not being able to support themselves during forms of rough play.

If you are worried about your child’s core strength, it is important to observe their behavior especially when seated.  If your child tends to utilize their non-dominant hand to support their head, prop themselves up against the table, slouch, or have difficulty getting up, then it may be a good idea to help them build their core strength.  

Helping your child’s core strength doesn’t mean they need to do hours of abdominal exercises everyday, in fact, you can incorporate certain activities into their playtime.  Having your child walking on all fours pretending to be different animals or even holding your child’s feet while they walk on their hands are excellent ways to help develop their abdominal muscles.

Read the full article here

 

Marissa Robarge

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

Many parents decide to create something known as a “baby box” to store things that are important to their child’s lives.  For example, some baby boxes have old photos, their first outfits, the newspaper from the day they were born, and baby blankets.  While these mementos make a great keepsake and serve as a reminder for those early years, they can also serve as a representation of the stages of child development.

A recent study examined the behavior of children in relation to their attachment objects which include those infamous baby blankets and other soft toys like stuffed animals.  This study found that the role these objects take on in a child’s life differs across the lifespan and can influence children’s preferences when it comes to an attachment object.  In general, attachment objects are used to reduce the presence of a stress response and help the child regulate their emotions.  In order to continue this though, the role of the attachment objects must change just as the child grows and changes.  

Researchers discovered that children one year old and younger are more likely to choose soft clothes as their comfort object.  Children at this age use the comfort object to replace the role of a mother’s soothing by satisfying the need for tactile touch and comfort and thus can reduce their cry response.  Children this age often satisfy these needs by using their mouth or skin on the blankets.  However, as children shift into ages two and older, the preference in attachment objects changes and the role of the attachment object is also altered.  As children age, they begin to prefer soft toys such as stuffed animals to be their attachment object.  This is believed to be because as a child ages, their language also develops allowing them to engage in pretend play.  Children have a desire to engage and talk about new experiences going on in the world around them and by personifying a stuffed animal, they find a source of companionship in which to share these new experiences. 

So, while it is nostalgic to thumb through the memories in those baby boxes, make sure to save the blankets and the toys to remind yourself of not only the good times but how much you have changed!

Read the full article here

 

Marissa Robarge

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

One of the biggest challenges of traditional learning is the sedentary lifestyle that children are required to adapt to.  Oftentimes in the classroom, students are supposed to remain seated at their desks and give their full attention to the assignment or instruction provided to them.  Most primary schools provide recess and there are specials, but could more breaks from direct instruction prove beneficial to academic performance?

A recent study examined the effects of in-classroom physical activity breaks on student’s health, academic ability, and cognitive function.  The study involved over 1000 primary school children where instruction was paused, and children participated in a physically-demanding activity throughout the day.  Researchers believe that physical breaks in the classroom setting are a great idea because it is already an environment associated with learning and the teacher can grab everyone’s attention easily.  Not to mention, physical activity is known as an indicator for academic performance.

After this study was completed, the data from this study revealed that there was a positive correlation between student’s overall physical activity levels and breaks promoted other healthy behaviors.  In regards to academic performance, students performed better on spelling tasks as well as had an easier time learning foreign languages.  They also found that there was a positive effect of physical breaks on cognitive functions such as inhibition, or blocking out other stimuli in the environment.  This can prove beneficial to the learning process as children are able to sustain their focus on the task at hand.

More studies need to be conducted on the effects of physical activity on reading and mathematical performance.  However, there are numerous effects that physical activity can have as long as the breaks are cognitively demanding.  Physical activity breaks have the potential to be a useful classroom tool.

 

Read more about breaks here

 

Marissa Robarge

Research Assistant UConn KIDS

It is typical for families to make a memory box filled with medals, favorite stuffed animals, and even all of your old art projects from your school years.  While those simple crafts and messy paintings might seem like just a memento, they might actually be a key in helping children develop.

Painting is an activity that is highly engaging for most kids as when finger painting they get to experience the sensory input of dipping their fingers in the paint and the way it feels when they drag them along the page or even just getting to see all of the colors as they push a brush around.  This art form is a powerful avenue in which children can convey their ideas, sharpen their senses, express emotion, and even get a better understanding of cause and effect relationships.  Children get an experience to directly manipulate and try out different techniques for spreading paint and even what happens when mixing colors together.  It is also a great opportunity to help children develop their language and social skills.  Children are put in a situation where they must communicate what materials they need and learn to ask for assistance when they need help with something.  Language can also be supported farther by the caregiver asking the artist prompting questions such as “what color is this?” and “what shapes are those?”

When it comes to painting with children it is important to use non-toxic materials and provide them with large paper and various brushes to allow for exploration.  Nonetheless, painting truly is a powerful tool so go grab the smocks! 

 

Read the full article: https://extension.psu.edu/programs/betterkidcare/early-care/tip-pages/all/painting-with-young-children

 

Marissa Robarge 

Research Assistant UConn KIDS 

Some of the fondest memories from childhood are from the outlandish and exciting things that we used to think about.  Usually we can all remember a game that we made up, pretending to be our favorite animal, or even playing with an imaginary friend.  Pretend play is any play that mixes reality with one’s imagination.  While play is simply that, play, it can also be an important tool in guiding your child’s development.

When children are engaging in pretend play the child is participating freely as they get to set the narrative and they gain independence by self-guiding their play.  Dramatic play can involve pretending an object is something other than what it actually is or just simply the child themselves taking on a new role.  This type of play is beneficial due to the engagement it requires and children become totally absorbed in what they are doing.  Children are also given the opportunity to practice representational thought in changing these identities as well as developing problem solving skillsl.  These problem solving skills can be further developed when engaging in pretend play with others as they must learn to navigate conflicts and societal rules in these made up scenarios.

Engagement in pretend play has been found to be linked to pre-literacy skills as children practice their storytelling abilities as well as develop language for doing so.  

Read the full article: 

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233491368_The_Importance_of_Pretend_Play_in_Child_Development_An_Occupational_Therapy_Perspective/link/552b32f20cf29b22c9c1a5ef/download

Marissa Robarge

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

One of the earliest science lessons you learn is about the five senses; sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell.  We often take our senses for granted such that we are so accustomed to them being a part of our everyday lives and does not require much thought, but what if you were able to help your child advance their learning by taking advantage of these five senses?

Sensory play is exactly how it sounds, it is play that involves any of our five senses.  Sensory play can be as simple as zipping a coat or as complex as riding a bike.  Some of the most common types of sensory play used with children includes finger painting, sand boxes, and even playing with dry pasta.  

Sensory play can shape your child’s learning because it physically helps build nerve connections within the brain’s pathways which can later help when completing various tasks.  This type of play can result in profound growth in language development such that children are forced to expand their vocabulary when trying to describe what they are doing and how it feels as well as learning new ways to communicate their emotions and needs when engaging in this play with others.  Growth can also be seen in fine motor development as the small muscle groups of the hand are strengthened by touching and physically manipulating the object they are playing with.  Cognitive growth has been seen as children are allowed to express curiosity and experiment with the experiences they are provided.  Often when presented with types of sensory play, they are able to participate in trial and error to figure out how things work and ask questions about their experiences.  

Sensory play can have profound effects on child development in various aspects.  For more information and how to incorporate sensory play into your child’s routine read the whole article:

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/benefits-of-sensory-play-ideas/

 

Marissa Robarge

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

The teenage years are a prevalent theme in society with emphasis on them being “the best years of your life” and a time of true growth.  But how, as parents and those in the community, can we ensure that teens are able to reach their full potential?  Recent studies have shown that altering our perception of teenagers can be the right step in helping adolescents blossom into adulthood.

All teenagers have an internal drive to prove themselves as an individual as well as express their ability to be independent.  However, society’s current stereotypes regarding teenagers can cause this drive to foster itself in different, less productive ways.  Today’s culture often highlights teenagers to be phone-crazy, irresponsible, and lazy which has been shown to drive teenagers to change their behavior such that they resemble these stereotypes.  

Current research has shown that by shifting our beliefs about teenagers to be more positive can help teenagers to be more successful in their contributions and independence.  One study exposed teenagers to a passage stating positive views about teenagers and countered the negative beliefs about them and then researchers observed their behavior after reading the passage.  They found that in the days following the reading of the passage that participants showed higher engagement in the classroom as well as involvement in household tasks.  

Teenagers have a drive to become a member of the “real world” and seek responsibility in order to prove that they are.  The key to supporting teenagers in their development can be sharing positive and optimistic thoughts about them.

Read the full article: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/natured-nurture/202210/recipe-responsible-teenagers

Marissa Robarge

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

Perhaps one of the things that people miss most about childhood is play.  Who doesn’t miss getting to create your own story and your biggest choice was deciding which dress to put on which Barbie.  While play may seem like a simple task, the benefits of play in your child’s learning and development continue to come to light.  

In a recent study researchers explored the effect of guided play on children’s development and their ability to learn in different subject areas.  Guided play is a type of learning that is play-based in which an adult must provide guidance such that a learning goal is achieved, children are still able to make choices and lead the play-time, and the adult has multiple methods in how they guide the child.  Adults can guide play by prompting children with open-ended questions relevant to the type of play, hints, and modeling how to play during an activity.  

Guided play is thought to be beneficial particularly for learning because of the engagement it provokes from children.  Children enjoy playing and have the ability to make their own choices which may be limited throughout the everyday.  During guided play children get to be hands-on in their participation and can reflect on what their play means in a broader context.  This benefits a child’s learning because the adult is able to teach them how to play a new activity, content may be learned that a child is able to discover on their own, and adults can assist in activities that a child alone may not be able to do just yet.  This type of play is also beneficial in that there is a meaningful connection between an enjoyable experience and what is being learned which can increase memory retention which is important for learning.  

Researchers found that guided play had a greater impact on early math skills, executive function, and shape knowledge than direct instruction.  Guided play also had a better influence than free play on spatial vocabulary.  

Guided play can be a useful tool in extending your child’s knowledge and confidence by providing them with new opportunities and support.

 

Read the full article: https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cdev.13730

Marissa Robarge

UConn KIDS Research Assistant