A similar situation may exist in other countries (Editor) Tying funding to disability categories is putting pressure on schools and parents. www.shutterstock.com In Australia, children with disabilities only receive additional government funding if they fall into a recognised disability category. As a result, schools and parents often come under pressure […]
It’s not always a bad thing to lie to your kids. from www.shutterstock.com It’s that time of the year again when parents deliberate over whether to lie – or continue the lie – to their kids about Santa Claus. Many parents don’t feel comfortable “lying” to their child just to […]
It’s time to pick up that favourite book and get reading. from shutterstock.com The books we remember strongly as adults are often the ones we read as children. Not only do we remember particular books, but the emotions we experienced. Children’s books are reread and remembered over a lifetime, and […]
Credit: pio3 | Shutterstock.com Scientists, it’s time to lend your ears (and your knowledge) to this year’s big science competition: Explaining the science of sound to 11-year-olds. The winning answer will help not only children across the world understand sound, but also the contest’s founder, actor Alan Alda. Alda is […]
Parents can help their children learn new words by reading their favourite books aloud. www.shutterstock.com As parents know all too well, children love to re-read their favourite books over and over again. While this may feel painfully repetitive to adults, there is something in the text that is bringing children […]
Young children enter care as a result of neglect or abuse, which has a big impact on their ability to engage in school. www.shutterstock.com A report out today has found that children in care are less likely to achieve the national minimum standards in literacy and numeracy, with the gap […]
Why Mother Nature motivates our children to play in emotionally exciting ways. In play, children practice many skills that are crucial for healthy development. They practice physical and manual skills, intellectual skills, and social skills. I have written about all of this in previous posts. They also practice emotional skills. In play, […]
For good biological reasons, children want & need to move beyond their parents. Published on July 20, 2013 by Peter Gray in Freedom to Learn I’m all for natural parenting. The basic premise of such parenting, at least as I view it, is that you trust your children’s instincts and judgments. For example, you […]
By Peter Gray The monsters under the bed are real. Infants and young children in our culture regularly protest going to bed. They make all sorts of excuses. They say they are not tired, when in fact they obviously are tired. They say they are hungry, or thirsty, or need to […]
Kindergarten and preschool teachers everywhere are struggling to preserve play. by Peter Gray The war against childhood continues. Children are no longer generally free to roam, play, and explore on their own, as they were in the past and are designed by nature to do (here). Parents who allow such play are being arrested (here andhere(link is external)). […]