Playing through the greenery and litter of a mini forest’s undergrowth for just one month may be enough to change a child’s immune system, according to an experiment in Finland. When daycare workers rolled out a lawn, planted forest undergrowth…
Nature-based preschools are becoming increasingly popular. But what are they, and are they effective? When I picked up my son from preschool on a recent summer afternoon, his dirty fingers were stained pink from the raspberries he and his classmates…
The approach, stress and rigidity that often accompanies modern lesson plans may cause young children to feel frustrated or disengaged.
The U.S. can learn a big lesson from Finland’s education system: Instead of stress and standardized testing, schools should focus on well-being and joy. Wall Street Journal
At this point it seems the evidence is overwhelming—new studies seem to arrive on our desks each week that suggest simply spending time in green spaces can improve our health, both mentally and physically. As avid outdoors people, we instinctively…
“Girl-boy friendships matter. They give kids a chance to explore themselves outside of constrictive gender scripts, and, ideally, question stereotypes,” observes writer Elisa Strauss on CNN. “Girl-boy friendships can help undo some of these socialized gender constraints. When parents and teachers…
Children should be encouraged to spend time outdoors to reduce their risk of becoming shortsighted, experts have said. Shortsightedness is rising around the world, with the condition said to have reached epidemic proportions in east Asia: estimates suggest about 90%…
It is easy to accept that a one-year-old baby is not yet able to dress herself unassisted, or to put on socks and shoes without help. Even people who do not spend their days working and playing with very young…
Angela Hanscom is a pediatric occupational therapist who has written important (and popular) posts on this blog about child development and the unfortunate way that many schools fail to meet the needs of young children. Her first, in 2014, was…
Rewards and punishments are conditional, but our love and positive regard for our kids should be unconditional. Here’s how to change the conversation and the behavior. “I feel a sense of dread as bedtime rolls around. Here we go again.”…