Expert offers tips for easing back-to-school transition for children

There’s more to back-to-school season than snagging the latest notebooks, bookbags, and trendy jackets and jeans. A new routine, new teachers, and new schools signal a big adjustment period for some students. “Anxiety can be associated with the unknown, such as what will the teacher this year be like, what friends will be in my class, where will my classroom be, and likely other worries can pop into children’s minds,” said Cindy Smith, director of the Children’s Emotions Lab at Virginia Tech and an expert in child emotional development, parent-child interaction, and parenting behaviors.

Let Them Eat Cake?: Study Reveals Grandparents Spoil Grandchildren with Sugar-Loaded Foods and Drinks

According to new research published in the February issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA), more than two thirds (72%) of mothers indicated that grandparents give their young children sugary foods and beverages. Mothers typically described that grandparents fed large amounts of cariogenic, or cavity-causing, foods and beverages (for example, candy, baked goods, juice, and soda) or did not limit their grandchildren’s consumption of cariogenic foods and beverages.

Family matters: Study shows family support, awareness benefit Latino college students

Research from the Arizona State University Department of Psychology has shown that positive communication among family members contributes to less depressive symptoms and alcohol use in Latino students during their transition to college. The study also found that parent awareness of their child’s daily lives predicted less alcohol use.

Online parenting skills program shields children from adverse effects of divorce

A randomized controlled trial conducted by scientists in the Arizona State University Department of Psychology has shown that an online parenting program for divorcing or separating parents reduces interparental conflict, improves quality of parenting, and decreases children’s anxiety and depression symptoms. The reduction in interparental conflict quality was stronger the outcome of in-person versions of the same program that are based on decades of research. The findings, published in Family Court Review, were based on parent and child reports.

Study: COVID Tech Took a Toll on Work-from-Home Moms

Research by UNLV communications expert Natalie Pennington finds that texts, video calls burdened the mental health of working moms during pandemic.

How to Play with Your Children in Age-appropriate and Creative Ways When Schools Are Still Closed and Everyone Is Still Stuck at Home

The COVID-19 situation may have restricted people’s space, but not their imagination. A Chula lecturer has given recommendations to parents who need to spend more time at home on select social activities to enhance children’s development in a safe and age-appropriate way.

Innovative Parenting Programs Address Inequality in Young Children’s Development

Parent education programs and interventions that begin shortly after the birth of a child have shown to significantly impact parenting behaviors that support social and academic engagement for children growing up in poverty.

Studies highlight ‘unprecedented and unique dangers’ for children during COVID-19

Two new studies investigating child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic reveal “concerning results” that confirm warning signs seen early in the pandemic, according to researchers at UAB and the University of Michigan.

Study shows conflict between divorced parents can lead to mental health problems in children

A study from Arizona State University’s REACH Institute has found that when children are exposed to conflict between their divorced or separated parents, they experience fear of abandonment. This worry about being abandoned in response to interparental conflict was associated with future mental health problems in children, especially for children who had strong relationships with their fathers.

A Force of Influence: Children as YouTube Stars

Benjamin Burroughs, an assistant professor of journalism and media studies at UNLV, examines the emergent digital media landscape where children are cultivated as child “influencers” and explores the ethical considerations of child-created content on social media sites like YouTube.

U team offers daily tips for parenting, schooling and e-learning in a pandemic

The Behavior Response Support Team (BRST, pronounced “burst), a joint project of the University of Utah’s Department of Educational Psychology and the Granite School District, provides daily tips and teaches skills for managing kids’ behavior amid remote learning, in-person learning and general pandemic conditions. The animated videos, featuring avatars representing diverse children and families, are provided in seven languages and on five social media platforms.

People Who Experienced Parental Divorce as Children Have Lower ‘Love Hormone’ Levels than Those Who Did Not

People who were children when their parents were divorced showed lower levels of oxytocin — the so-called “love hormone” — when they were adults than those whose parents remained married, according to a study led by Baylor University. That lower level may play a role in having trouble forming attachments when they are grown.

Parents: Tips to reduce anxiety for kids returning to school

This fall presents a challenge for parents as their kids adjust to a school year unlike any other. Matthew McConn, chair of the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Educational Leadership at Binghamton University, State University of New York, has advice…

Tips for discussing racism with your children

As protests pushing for police reform and racial justice spread across the U.S., parents may find themselves needing to discuss difficult topics with their children. Parents should think of it as an ongoing conversation, says Laura Bronstein, dean of the…

Pediatric sleep psychologist from @MottChildren on helping your kids overcome stress-related sleep disruption

Credentials: https://www.mottchildren.org/profile/1702/dawn-jeanette-dore-stites-phd Dr. Dore-Stites’ insight in this blog story: http://michmed.org/2GlmJ (text below) — While kids are watching their parents worry about the current pandemic and ongoing protests, many haven’t played outside with their friends yet even though school’s out, and they’re…