Mabel Segun: Nigerian children’s writer, poet and broadcaster: Mabel Dorothy Okanima Segun, who passed away on 6 March 2025, at 95, was a prominent figure in Nigerian literature. Her life was an extraordinary mix of broadcasting, children’s storytelling, poetry, playwriting, and sport. She captured human experience through the eyes of the young, as seen in …
Dyspraxia affects children’s wellbeing – here’s how parents and caregivers can help: Vietnam Stock Images/Shutterstock It’s likely at least one child in every classroom has movement difficulties in the form of developmental coordination disorder (DCD), also known as developmental dyspraxia. DCD is a disorder that affects a child’s ability to perform and learn everyday tasks …
The pandemic limited children’s ability to socialise: here’s how to encourage your child’s friendships: Robert Kneschke/Shutterstock As many parents and teachers know, friendships can be the most important thing in the world to children and young people. And this is for good reason. Friendships are integral to children’s healthy development and learning. Friendships help children …
Health risks at home: a study in six African countries shows how healthy housing saves children’s lives: Housing is a critical social determinant of health. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines healthy housing as a shelter that supports physical, mental and social wellbeing. The WHO has developed guidelines outlining the attributes of healthy housing. These …
HIV-positive parents in Zimbabwe struggle to manage their children’s education – study shows how: Over the past three decades researchers have explored various aspects of the impact of the HIV pandemic. One focus area has been children who have lost their parents to AIDS. Less attention has been given to children who are raised by …
Gaza conflict: how children’s lives are affected on every level: Children living in Gaza have never known anything but overcrowding, shortages, conflict and danger. It’s been 18 years since the then Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, moved all Israel’s settlers and military personnel out of the Gaza Strip. The country’s official narrative then became that …
Children’s movement affects health and development but research is lacking in Africa: here’s why: Shutterstock Children’s health and development depend on how much time they spend doing physical activity, being sedentary and sleeping. Research on movement behaviours in children is essential. It helps us to understand what influences these behaviours, and their contribution to health …
Illegal migration bill: the concern for children’s rights keeping the House of Lords up all night: Sean Aidan Calderbank/Shutterstock The illegal migration bill passed through the House of Commons earlier this year, but is being fiercely contested in the House of Lords. The bill is currently at the committee stage which allows the members to …
The worries parents from ethnic minority backgrounds have about their children’s experiences at school: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock Children and young people should be able to study in schools that recognise and respect their diverse backgrounds. But teachers sometimes struggle to handle this diversity in the classroom. Findings from research conducted in Ireland have shown that teachers may …
South Africa’s reading crisis: 5 steps to address children’s literacy struggles: Reading and writing are not just cognitive skills – they are socially shared and shaped practices. Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock Kunyashe is a Grade 1 pupil in Cape Town, South Africa. She’s very focused on her schoolwork. She shares a tiny one-roomed shack, hardly bigger …
Black and Bold Queens is a new children’s book celebrating women in Ghana’s history: Detail of an illustration of Theodosia Okoh, who designed Ghana's flag. Illustrations by Denyse Gawu-Mensah/Black and Bold Queens A new children’s book, Black and Bold Queens: Women in Ghana’s History explores the lives of 16 notable female pioneers and leaders in …
Children’s book revolution: how East African women took on colonialism after independence: Detail from the cover of the children's book Kayo's House by Kenyan author Barbara Kimenye. Macmillan/Mactracks Series As independence from British colonial rule swept across East Africa in the early 1960s and freedom was won in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, parents and teachers …
Drawing pictures is great for children’s development – here’s how parents can help: milatas/Shutterstock When the weather’s bad and there’s no prospect of a trip to the park, we might well reach for crayons, pencils and paper as a way to keep our children entertained. But drawing is much more than a fun activity. It …
Pupils protest over toilet rules: why school responses should consider children’s rights: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock Many people across the UK have been protesting in 2023. Teachers on strike over pay and working conditions marched through London with placards and listened to speeches on March 15. Protests against the government’s illegal migration bill took place in Glasgow, London …
Persistent absence from school is a growing threat to children’s education: Aleksey Kurguzov/Shutterstock The pandemic has exacerbated the problem of school absences. When schools reopened, fewer pupils went to school than before the COVID-19 school closures. In England, 25% of students were consistently absent – missing 10% or more of classes – in the 2022 …
From Roald Dahl to Goosebumps, revisions to children’s classics are really about copyright – a legal expert explains: The backlash to Puffin Books’ decision to update Roald Dahl’s children’s books has been swift and largely derisive. The publisher has been accused of “absurd censorship”, “corporate safetyism” and “cultural vandalism.” At its core, however, updating Roald Dahl’s …
Roald Dahl: A brief history of sensitivity edits to children’s literature: Puffin Books have worked with the consultancy Inclusive Minds (who say they help publishers, authors and illustrators work towards authentic inclusion, accessibility, and diverse representation) to revise some of the language used in Roald Dahl’s books for children, more than 100 years after his …
The consequences of childhood trauma on children’s mental health: Mariana Serdynska/Shutterstock Childhood trauma may play a key role in many later psychiatric disorders. However, most of what we know about the impact of trauma exposure comes from research with adults. Less is known about the impact of childhood trauma on teenagers. It is still unclear …