Parenting Playbook

The body’s messages . . .

Before we inhabit a world of words, we live in a world of sensations. These physical sensations provide important clues about what is meaningful for us. Bodily sensations are really the foundation for the brain’s process of making decisions “rationally.” Therefore,...

Video games and kids . . .

Researchers are divided about the effects of violent video games on children. One view holds that a connection exists between children’s exposure to violence in the media and aggressive, violent behavior in youths. The advocates of this view believe that although...

The importance of symbolic expression . . .

Your child’s transition to pretend play (“Let’s pretend . . .”) and spoken language is a significant developmental milestone. As your toddler relaxes his reliance on the physical, tangible world and begins to imagine things in his mind, he can connect and replay...

Child care . . .

Child care comes in many forms. Sometimes a relative provides care for a child, and sometimes it is a person outside of the family. A child might receive individual care or be part of a group, and the setting might be in a home—the child’s, a relative’s, or a day-care...

Father’s warmth . . .

Cross-cultural research indicates that a father’s warmth plays an important part in a child’s long-term healthy development. Expressions of love and nurturance—such as verbal expressions of love, hugging, cuddling, comforting, praising, and playing—predicted healthy...

Reflecting on beliefs . . .

Beliefs are our ideas about how the world works, and beliefs are at the center of how we get to know ourselves and others. What we believe is cultivated by repeated experiences, which become the basis of generalizations in our minds—generalizations about how the world...

Make time for breakfast . . .

Breakfast is an important, foundational meal that fuels your brain and body for the day ahead. When you make time for breakfast, you will be better able to think clearly, remember important information, feel energized, and regulate your emotions. Several cognitive...

Gender and the brain . . .

Though boys and girls are different, most psychological gender differences are malleable. Knowing how sex differences emerge is important if you want to reduce stereotyping and cross-train the minds of children to allow them to develop all of their abilities. One...

Problem solving . . .

A lot happens during the first half of your baby’s second year of life. You may have already received your baby’s first kisses and hugs or noticed your (now) toddler’s attempts to speak in full phrases. Another developmental accomplishment is also in the making: your...

Protoconversations . . .

Imagine a mother holding and gazing at her baby, perhaps pursing her lips to make a kissing motion. At that, her baby’s lips move inward. Mother then widens her mouth and lips into a slight smile, to which baby responds by relaxing his or her lips, hinting at a grin....

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