To Boost a Preschooler’s Language Skills, Consider Reminiscing

Book sharing is a popular way parents engage young children in conversation. Not all parents are comfortable with book sharing and not all children like having books read to them. Research provides an alternative. To boost the quality of a preschooler’s language experience and skills, consider reminiscing with them. Findings show reminiscing is very good at eliciting high quality speech from parents, and in many ways, is just as good as book sharing (wordless picture books).

Monkey see, monkey do: how sideline sports behaviours affect kids

For children’s sports, there’s no doubt that parents are essential – they’re the free ferry service, the half-time orange supplier, and the local cheer squad. But when it comes to sideline behaviour, some parents can behave badly, and when this happens it’s often a case of ‘monkey see, monkey do’.

Becoming Sober – A ‘Voice’ for Mothers Navigating the Child Welfare System

Stigmatized and ignored, pregnant women and mothers with substance use disorders often are voiceless. Researchers used documentary photography as platform to enable mothers in recovery to be heard. Results reveal a shared perception. For mothers with a substance use disorder involved with the child welfare system it is easy to fail and hard to succeed. The emotional jeopardy of child welfare system interactions was described by the mothers to result in feelings of defeat and an increased vulnerability to reoccurrence of substance use.

Parents’ mental health was worse during pandemic, study finds

While having a child attend a private school or school with above-average instructional quality was associated with better mental health of parents during the COVID-19 pandemic, hybrid school was associated with worse parental mental health, as was working from home, finds a new study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Kids’ sleep: check in before you switch off

The struggle to get your child to go to sleep and stay asleep is something most parents can relate to. Once the bedtime battle is over and the kids have finally nodded off, many parents tune out as well.

But University of South Australia researcher Professor Kurt Lushington is calling for parents to check on their small snoozers before switching off.

COVID-19 Turned Parents into Proxy Educators; New Research Examines the Stress It Caused

When the emerging COVID-19 pandemic caused most U.S. schools to close and transition to distance learning last spring, many parents were forced into new roles as proxy educators for their children. A study published today in Educational Researcher, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Educational Research Association, finds that roughly 51 percent of all parents surveyed in March and April had at least one child struggling with distance learning and were themselves experiencing significantly higher levels of stress.

Chicago Parents More Worried Than U.S. Adults Overall About COVID-19

More than three in five Chicago parents (64 percent) were very concerned about COVID-19 affecting their family’s health, according to new survey results released by Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Chicago parents were surveyed May – July, 2020. Their responses are in sharp contrast to the results from a national poll in July, which found that only 49 percent of U.S. adults were very worried about COVID-19 infecting them or someone in their family.

Trick-or-treat for Halloween? Here’s What You Need to Know

Terry Adirim, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., in FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine, provides answers to some of the most frequently asked questions and offers helpful tips regarding COVID-19 and “trick-or-treating” during the pandemic.

Cartoon Network and Cyberbullying Research Center Release First-Ever National Research Findings on Cyberbullying Among Tweens

A survey of 1,034 tweens found that one in five (21%) tweens have experienced cyberbullying in some way: either by witnessing cyberbullying (15%), having been cyberbullied themselves (15%), or by cyberbullying others (3%). The survey also found that during the coronavirus pandemic, 90% of all 9- to 12-year-olds are using social apps, such as connected games and video-sharing sites in which they interact with others online.

Survey: Job Satisfaction, Productivity Rise for Working Parents During COVID-19

A Rutgers University survey reveals that working parents are happier with their job, and they are getting more done, than people without children. Researchers attribute the surprising results to a sharp increase in the number of men helping with childcare and housework during the pandemic.

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…

DURING KIDS EAT RIGHT MONTH™, ACADEMY ENCOURAGES HEALTHFUL SNACKING

With kids spending more time at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, snacking on empty calories could develop into unhealthful eating habits in the long run. August is Kids Eat Right Month™, when the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and its Foundation focus on the importance of healthful eating and active lifestyles for children and their families.

Back to School?

Dr. Terry Adirim provides answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding COVID-19 and return to school for school-age children. Adirim is a physician executive with senior leadership and executive experience in academic medicine and the federal government. Her expertise includes pandemic planning and response, health care quality improvement and patient safety, and health policy and management.

Another Unintended Consequence of COVID-19: Cyberbullying Could Increase

School districts nationwide are now providing K-12 education online. Stuck at home all day, students will be using apps even more than they already do, which could cause an increase in cyberbullying among youth. Many cyberbullying targets will hesitate to get help from their parents and will suffer silently because they can’t readily stop by the guidance counselor’s office or chat with a teacher after class. A cyberbullying expert provides important tips and advice for teachers and parents.

Kids need calm not chaos amid Covid-19

Elbow bumps in lieu of high-fives, segregated lunchtimes and hyper hand hygiene ¬– they’re are all a part of our children’s new reality in response to Covid-19. But while kids are seemingly adapting well to the changes, University of South Australia child development experts say adults need to be increasingly mindful of their own reactions to the pandemic and take care when explaining the situation to children.

Understanding How COVID-19 Affects Children Vital to Slowing Pandemic, Doctors Say

Though COVID-19 so far appears to be largely sparing children, researchers are cautioning that it is critical to understand how the virus affects kids to model the pandemic accurately, limit the disease’s spread and ensure the youngest patients get the care they need.

Parents Should Do More to Address Bullying, Say Chicago Parents

When asked who should do more to address bullying, 83 percent of Chicago parents who considered it a big problem for youth responded “parents,” according to the latest survey results released by Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH). Teachers and school administrators were next on the list, each selected by 45 percent of parents in response to the question.

Trial Suggests Babies in Intensive Care Can be Better Protected From Parental Bacteria

For sick or prematurely born babies spending their first days of life in a hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), the soothing voice and gentle touch of a loving parent can have a tremendous impact toward a positive outcome — that is, unless mom or dad’s visit leaves the infant with something extra: a dangerous bacterial infection.

Teaching Preschool Caregivers about Healthy Behaviors May Promote Healthier Lifestyle in Some High-Risk Groups

Study Shows Vascular Ultrasounds and Adhering to Interventional Education in Underserved Communities can Improve Health among Parents and School Staff

To Learn English, Bilingual Children Need Robust Vocabulary from Parents and Caregivers

A study examining parents’ vocabulary and grammar as an influence on children’s acquisition of English, shows that the quality of child-directed speech depends on the speaker’s language proficiency. Children who hear a rich vocabulary acquire a rich vocabulary and children who hear a rich vocabulary in full sentences acquire the ability to put their words together in full sentences. Findings have broad implications for immigrant parents’ language choices at home and for staffing practices in early care and education centers.

Fathers May Protect Their LGB Kids from Health Effects of Discrimination

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals who report being discriminated against but who feel close to their fathers have lower levels of C-reactive protein —a measure of inflammation and cardiovascular risk—than those without support from their fathers, finds a new study from researchers at NYU College of Global Public Health.