Good afternoon and happy Trivia Tuesday! Today’s trivia question may be easier for those who examined your child’s critical thinking skills and watched as they gained a better understanding of how the world around them functions physically!

When it comes to understanding conservation, around what age do children start to understand this? **bonus: which stage in Piaget’s stages in sensorimotor development does this occur?**

1. 12 years old or older
2. around 7 to 12 years old
3. from birth
4. 2 to 5 years old

As promised, the answer to the last question on which of the five senses is developed first, the correct choice is touch! In the womb, fetuses develop touch as their first sense with hearing then developing after about 4 months in the womb.  Tune in next week to discover what the answer is for this week’s question and to learn more on child development!

Mikayla Clemens

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

Babies are naturally curious. They love to look around and examine what is going on in the environment that they are in, but did you know that infants look at what you look at most of the time? This process is called joint attention; infants will often look at you and take note what you are glancing at, and then will shift their gaze to that direction to match you! Infants and younger children tend to learn an enormous amount through mimicking behaviors that are displayed around them, so this is no surprise that infants engage in behavior like this. Recognizing and tuning into this aspect of social development can help you understand why your child may look to you when meeting a new person or look at you after looking at an object themselves. This can help build unspoken connections with your child and foster growth in this domain.

In the research article Infant responding to joint attention, executive processes, and self-regulation in preschool and children, it covers various aspects on joint attention and dives deeper into what really happens when an infant is engaging in joint attention. The result of the study demonstrates that there is a connection between self-regulation and regulation of execute attention with joint attention. The study also mentions that there needs to be a better understanding of this process as it might lead to a better understanding of social cognition. This article was written in 2011, so we do know more about how this process plays into social cognition and development, however more studies still need to be done examining various cultural aspects and developmental delays. That being said, the research article adds the ability to gain a clearer understanding on what exactly joint attention is, how it works, and how children engage in it within other areas of development.

This innate developmental tool is so important. It allows your child to engage and connect with you in such a simple, unspoken manor while also providing learning experiences that help your child socially, emotionally, and even linguistically. Next time you are with your little one, pay attention to how they exhibit their own forms of joint attention. You might catch them gazing at what you are looking at every once in a while!

Read the full article here!

Mikayla Clemens

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

Hello, hola, bonjour! Knowing more than one language comes with many benefits and opportunities for individuals. In this article, researchers discuss the topic of bilingualism and its impact on child development. Common myths about bilingualism are debunked and scientific facts are addressed. 

 

The article points out how research has shown that exposing children to a second language promotes cognitive development in the same ways early musical training does. The topic of the critical period for language acquisition is also mentioned: A time where children must be exposed to a language in order to develop that language. Researchers agree that earlier exposure is always better considering how significant the first few years of life are for children, and that learning a second language becomes much more difficult as we age. 

 

Overall, the article provides an insightful view of facts and misconceptions for parents to be aware of as they navigate through raising their little ones. Much research remains to be done about the topic of bilingualism and whether or not it provides children with other advantages throughout their course of development.

Read the full article here! 

Nolyette Verastegui

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

We all know that there’s no single way to parent a child. Different parenting styles cater to different kids. Many parents worry that their kids will not be successful if they don’t closely monitor their every move. Julie Lythcott-Haims, an academic author, believes that hovering too closely over children can lead them to live a “checklist childhood.” These childhoods cross off all the basics: ensuring children are in the right schools, getting good grades, helping them win awards, and involving them in extracurricular activities. Many parents believe that raising kids this way will help them achieve perfection. However, if every child is raised this way, how can we expect our children to thrive and stand out? 

Lythcott-Haims emphasizes the importance of teaching children to build self-efficacy. Teaching self-efficacy helps kids see that their actions can also have meaningful outcomes, not their parents’ actions but their own. It’s essential to broaden the idea of success that we teach children. Being successful is more than getting good grades. Being successful comes from happiness, love, confidence, and passion. Living with this definition of success can help children become the exceptional individuals they truly are.

Watch the full Ted Talk here.

Emma Dineen

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

We all have experiences doing art projects when we were younger. From paintings to chalk drawings, we all have some memory whether it was in school or at home; but how did this improve your development? Art is not just some elective that you’re required to take, it fosters development in multiple domains that you might not even realize!

The article “An introduction to the visual arts in early childhood education” dives deeper and breaks down what activities in the visual arts really does to help your child develop. Various main aspects of development that are promoted are mediated thinking, facilitated communication, imagination and creativity, appreciation of diversity and cultural knowledge, critical literacy and understanding in art, and even emotional support. Different activities can tune into different themes of development, but by integrating various activities that include arts whether that be by examining historical pieces or creating art of your own, all these positive aspects of development can be touched upon.

Now, when you think back to your own experiences in your art classes, you can see how important each lesson was. Not only was it fun and engaging, but it taught you a lot! Next time your child comes home with a new art project, think about all that was learned in that lesson. It is cool what art can do!

Read the full article here!

Mikayla Clemens

Research assistant, UConn KIDS

All children love to play. Having children who don’t get enough attention or enough play time can really effect the child’s development. It has been found that benefits that come from children being played still aren’t enough for some people as the free time for children to play has gone down tremendously in recent years.

Not only does play have a positive effect on the children but it also effects the parents and gives them an opportunity to spend positive time with their child. This study looks at the positive effects of play on both children and their parents and found very interesting pieces. It was found that play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity and their physical, cognitive, and emotional strength.

As we strive to make children’s lives the best we can, it is important for parents, school systems, and other organizations to allow children to get an adamant amount of play time.

Read the full article Here!

Ben Solomon,

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

 

 

Getting your child up in the mornings is one of the most difficult tasks parents must endure every day. There could be multiple factors effecting your child’s everyday morning routine; not knowing what to wear to school, having a slow start to the morning, waking up late… the list is endless! However, reason why most of this happens is due to the underlying factor that children are not getting enough sleep. Teenagers, even middle schoolers, constantly are asked to complete multiple hours of work each night along with participating in extra curriculars. This can lead to a major loss of sleep, leading for kids to not get enough sleep every night.

In the article, Later High School Start Times May Benefit Teens’ Mental Health, a study was done at a high school in Rhode Island where they pushed back their school start time from 8:00 am to 8:30 am. 69% of the students reported initially that they did not ever or rarely ever receive enough sleep each night and 37% reported they were never satisfied with the amount of sleep they got each night. With even the small 30 minute change change, the number of students who did not get enough sleep dropped to 34% and those who were never satisfied dropped to 9%. Students were able to get enough sleep to feel well rested and ready to learn the next day even with just 30 minutes of extra time each day.

Sadly, the article reports that 31% of students in high school across the US receive a proper 8 hours of sleep each night. This scary statistic is something worth noticing. Sleep acts as a physical and mental reset each night, allowing your body to rest and prepare for the next day’s activities. Not having this can lead to mental exhaustion and even some other mental health issues. Sleep is important in all ages, especially when developing and preparing for life’s next step!

Read the full article here!

Mikayla Clemens

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

Homework. Something all kids dread growing up. Do kids get homework for a reason or is it just to make their lives more miserable (what they probably think is the reason). In a new study it was found that elementary school children were assigned THREE times the recommended homework. It was also found in this study that homework for middle school and high school students is associated with higher scores on tests although there is no correlation for elementary school students.

A new study found in Romania found some benefits for a small amount of writing homework (20 minutes) but not math homework for elementary school students.

Why would schools give out so much homework to children just figuring out really how to live? In my opinion schools should give less written homework to elementary school students and more life lesson skills for them to work on. As a parent there are many things to do to make sure your child doesn’t get overwhelmed during their homework and there are some suggestions in this article as well.

Ben Solomon,

Research Assistant – UConn KIDS

 

Children develop rapidly in their first few years of life. So much growth and new skills happen every day. Helping your child develop and strengthen their communication skills can seem daunting. Sign Language can be a great tool to help caregivers both develop and support early communication skills.

Teaching children sign language can help them communicate their wants and needs, making it easier for them to communicate and for you to understand them. Regardless of whether your child is hearing or hard of hearing, sign language or gestures can be a great way for them to build social skills. These skills even play a positive role in the bond between a caregiver and child, as effective sign gestures can make caregivers more responsive to their children.

Due to infants’ dexterity and cognitive development, teaching sign language can begin around 6 to 9 months. Promoting communication between babies and caregivers allows young children to express their needs and thoughts effectively. 

Sign language can be a lifelong beneficial skill taught from an early age. Developing communication skills as early as possible can help advance children’s social skills in numerous ways. On top of this, teaching more children sign language can bridge the communication gap between the hard of hearing and hearing.

Read the full article here

Emma Dineen

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS