In the last 2 weeks, information about the two crucial school readiness domains of receptive and expressive language was provided as a way for parents to feel empowered as well as to support them in digging deeper as to why the advice of “talk, sing and read to your baby” is so important. This week, […]
Last week, information about the first crucial school readiness domain, receptive language, or language understanding, was provided as a way for parents to feel empowered and to think more deeply about “why” the advice of “talk, sing and read to your baby” is so important. This week, the focus is on expressive language, or language […]
The advice to “talk, sing and read” to babies and toddlers is universal and ever-present. The advice is given in countless blogs and articles, on countless websites and by countless pediatricians, home visitors and other professionals. Less often read or heard, however, are the details regarding why we should talk, sing and read to children […]
There are many products and toys available to parents and caregivers these days that are aimed to get babies and toddlers ready for school. They vary in cost, ease of use, and accessibility. Some parents and caregivers feel compelled, and are able, to buy “fancy” toys that light up and sing. Some purchase expensive learning […]
According to The Urban Child Institute, a baby’s brain at birth “already has about all of the neurons it will ever have,” “doubles in size in the first year, and by age three it has reached 80 percent of its adult volume.” The period from birth to age 3 represents the single most crucial period […]
We’ve heard frequently in the child development news and on social media that back-and-forth communication with the zero to three crowd is extremely important for brain development and for school readiness. We used to think that the number of words we used with babies and toddlers mattered most to their brain and language development, but […]
Young Children Are Diagnosed With ADHD-type Symptoms, When Behaviors Are Actually Typical KJ Dell’Antonia’s May 16 post for Motherlode, the NY Times parenting blog, revealed the fact that “about 15,000 American toddlers 2 or 3 years old, many on Medicaid, are being medicated for attention deficit disorder, according to data presented by an official at […]
Trying to Close a Word Gap, Word by Word The NY Times article, written by Motoko Rich on March 25, 2014, spotlights, once again, the importance of talking to babies and toddlers. By way of the LENA device, a tiny recording device worn by a child that distinguishes between words overheard from TV or other […]
U.S. Babies, Toddlers Need Food for Healthy Brain Development Sam, my now 4-year old whom I have blogged about so many times in the past year, announced assuredly just now “It’s a lovely day outside!” as he ate his nutritious breakfast of bacon, strawberries, and toast paired with a glass of milk. His use of […]
Dropout Indicators Found for 1st Graders Sarah Sparks wrote yesterday, in the blog for Education Week, about the extensive tracking of student success taking place in Maryland. The tracking recently revealed that the early warning signs of a student at risk of dropping out may become visible at the very start of a child’s school career. According […]
Baby and Toddler Land 