News by Subject

Goggle box

(BBC 02/06/2009)

New research suggests having the TV on may impair young children's development by reducing the amount of conversation between infant and adult. So how bad is the box for young minds? A US team recorded more than 300 children aged between two months and four years on several days every month over two years. They found that when the TV was audible - either on in the background or being watched - the number of words spoken and sounds made by either adult or child reduced considerably.

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Older fathers link to child brain

(BBC 10/03/2009)

Children of older fathers perform less well in a range of brainpower tests during infancy and early childhood, a study found. In contrast, children with older mothers did well on the tests, which assessed abilities such as memory, learning and concentration. The Queensland team analysed data on 33,437 children born between 1959 and 1965 in the US.

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Throw your hands in the air - kids learn more quickly with gestures

(BBC 13/02/2009)

Toddlers who use gestures more often have better vocabularies on reaching school age, US researchers say. They say those who convey more meanings with gestures at 14 months have larger vocabularies at four-and-a-half years and are better prepared for school. Parents and teachers could help children learn to speak by encouraging the use of gestures.

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About face! How babies in their buggies benefit from eye contact.

(BBC 21/11/2008)

2,722 parent-child pairs were observed in various High Streets. Dr Zeedyk then studied 20 babies wheeled in prams with 1/2 the journey in an away-facing buggy and the other 1/2 facing their mothers. 1 baby laughed on the away facing trip - half laughed on the face-to-face journey. She said: "Our data suggests for many babies, life in a buggy is emotionally impoverished and possibly stressful'.

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Babies have a strong sense of rhythm from birth, say scientists

(Daily Mail 23/09/2008)

It will be months before they talk, walk or even sit up. But at just a day old, babies have a strong sense of rhythm, say researchers. Newborns are also sensitive to pitch and melody, they found. Experts said that introducing a child to music at an early age could enhance these innate musical abilities and also help them learn to talk.

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