© 2021 Gwen Dewar, all rights reserved What’s the connection between video games and attention? Do video games cause attention problems? Or do they help children focus? It seems that both are true. Certain “action” video games can enhance a variety of visual attention skills, and they may even help...
Let’s be honest, shall we? Studying the Bible as a family can seem intimidating. As the developer of an at-home Bible survey curriculum for families, Bible Road Trip™, I get emails from parents who find reading the Bible with kids to be daunting. A lot of emails. Most of the...
It’s clearly a new day when it comes to planning out our kids’ summer. My memory may fail me, but I can’t remember one time when I overheard my parents discussing which camps their three kids were going to attend, coordinating dates to ensure we had friends with us, and...
© 2008 – 2021 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved A preschool science experiment is an opportunity to introduce children to the concepts of observation, prediction, and testing (Gelman and Brenneman 2004). Exciting? Yes. But it’s also tricky. On the one hand, research suggests that young children don’t think as...
© 2018 – 2021 GWEN DEWAR, PH.D., ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Kids get killed or injured by firearms all over the world, but the United States has a special problem with gun violence. And the problem hasn’t improved during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the contrary, in a recent study published in...
© 2021 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Far from being social oafs, many bullies are confident, popular, and socially-savvy. So what’s missing? Empathy, moral engagement, and a sense of responsibility towards others. According to an old stereotype, people bully others because they have poor self-esteem and lack basic social...
© 2021 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Studies link religion with health benefits, but that doesn’t mean that being religious makes us healthy. What’s more likely is that religion is one of many ways that people can find social and emotional support, and discover a sense of meaning and purpose. For...
© 2021 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved What is colic? The quick facts are these: “Infantile colic” is the term that doctors use for excessive crying and fussing that has no obvious cause. To make a diagnosis, many use the “rule of three,” which identifies a baby as colicky if he or she...
© 2009 – 2021 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved What are the effects of television on language learning? Studies report a link between TV and language development in young children. The more time kids spend watching television, the more slowly they learn to talk. What’s going on? Some people...
© 2017 – 2021 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved The infant feeding schedule reconsidered In the past, Western “baby experts” often instructed parents to feed their babies at regularly-spaced intervals of 3- or 4-hours. Today, official medical recommendations have shifted in favor of letting babies decide. Why the change? There...
© 2010 – 2021 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Myths about bedwetting? There are several, and they aren’t helpful. Ever heard the claim that kids wet the bed out of laziness? Or that kids require counseling — talking therapy — in order to break the “habit?” Or how about...
© 2021 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved The difficulty of identifying ADHD in children Diagnosing ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is intrinsically problematic. The symptoms—distractibility, impulsivity, and hyperactivity—are consistent with the normal behavior of young children. So when kids are diagnosed, the implication is that they are more distractible,...
© 2018 – 2021 GWEN DEWAR, PH.D., ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Is childhood rebellion inevitable? Not really. Most kids are ready to be cooperative. But they recognize limits to our power: They resist when they perceive us as trying to control their personal lives. So what’s the solution? Be fair-minded. Listen...
Arden’s Day is a type I diabetes care giver blog written by author Scott Benner. Scott has been a stay-at-home dad since 2000, he is the author of the award winning parenting memoir, ‘Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal‘. Arden’s Day is an honest and transparent look at life with diabetes...
© 2021 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Does the composition of breast milk change over the course of the 24-hour day? Yes. The “drowsy” hormone, melatonin, reaches peak concentrations in breast milk at night. Cortisol — a stress hormone that promotes alertness — is typically at its highest in the morning....
© 2021 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Egalitarian, cooperative, and fiercely-protective of their personal freedoms, hunter-gatherers are also very practical. They know that parents can’t afford to raise kids without help. So everybody pitches in — and society thrives. Family subsidies. Childcare help. Support for parents struggling to make...
© 2009 – 2021, Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved The smart consumption of iron rich foods If your child has been diagnosed with an iron deficiency, it makes sense to examine his or her diet. But boosting iron levels isn’t just a matter of eating iron-rich foods. Some foods...
© 2021 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Experts recommend that kids get at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise each day. Why? Such activities are crucial for cardiovascular health. But exercise for children is important for other reasons too. It appears to stimulate brain growth. It helps kids focus,...
© 2021 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Studies suggest that most babies begin to “sleep through the night” (at least 5-6 hours without parental intervention) by 3-6 months of age. But some infants take longer, and the road to progress can be bumpy. Even after babies experience their first,...
© 2021 Gwen Dewar, all rights reserved In Western countries like the United States, many children begin toilet training sometime between 24 and 36 months. But from an historical and cross-cultural standpoint, this timing is very late, and it comes with a downside. So what’s the right potty training age?...
