Kids should be encouraged to talk back – 5 tips for teaching them critical thinking skills: Teaching kids to think critically sets them up well for life. eli_asenova Whenever school holidays loom, many parents find themselves caught in an emotional tug-of-war: on the one hand, relief at bidding farewell to homework battles, bedtime struggles, and …
Why splash pools can be an infection risk for kids: In the heat of summer, many parents take their children to splash pools or splash pads and other recreational water parks to cool down. But indoor aquatic facilities – with their fountains and spraying jets of water – can often be just as popular over …
Ghana’s schools don’t teach enough about geoscience: why kids need to know how the planet works: Over the last few decades Ghana has seen a rise in environmental degradation such as pollution, deforestation and land degradation. These have been driven by urbanisation, industrialisation, carbon emissions and waste burning. Environmental problems have an impact on public …
Does magic really exist? The Conversation’s Curious Kids podcast: Seven-year-old Julia in London thinks that rainbows and the Northern Lights are magical. But if a scientist tells her how they work, will she still believe they are? Join us to find out on The Conversation’s Curious Kids podcast! Featuring Partha Chowdhury, professor of physics at …
If an asteroid hit Earth and all the humans died, would the dinosaurs come back? The Conversation’s Curious Kids podcast: Warpaint/Shutterstock Many, many years ago dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Six-year-old Aga knows that a meteorite wiped them out… but could another meteorite bring them back? You can read a print version of this story here. …
Why is my dog so cute? The Conversation’s Curious Kids podcast: Nina Buday/Shutterstock Do you think your dog is the cutest thing you’ve ever seen? Ten-year-old Grace does! But why? She joins our host Eloise and psychologist Deborah Wells to find out! You can read a print version of this story here. The Conversation’s Curious …
Malawi’s school kids are using tablets to improve their reading and maths skills: Malawi introduced free primary education in 1994. This has significantly improved access to schooling. However, the country – which is one of the poorest in the world – still faces a high learning poverty rate of 87%. Learning poverty is a measure …
What is energy made of? The Conversation’s Curious Kids podcast: sommart sombutwanitkul/ Shutterstock Have you seen that scene from Star Wars where Yoda uses the force to lift the spaceship out of a swamp? Its energy is so powerful, but what exactly is it made of? That’s what Ela, aged ten from Melbourne, wanted to …
How high can I jump on the Moon? The Conversation’s Curious Kids podcast: Imagine you’re lucky enough to travel all the way to the Moon, and you’re bouncing around in your space suit, exploring its surface. How high could you jump? That’s what Miles, aged nine, from London, wanted to know. And so we found …
School uniforms may trigger sensory overload in kids who are sensitive to fabrics – our research can help: Children who experience sensory overload struggle with many items of clothing, including school shirts. macniak Many people live with what’s known as sensory over-reactivity or over-responsiveness. Those with this condition experience an over-reaction to sensory stimuli, such …
Women still face unfair pressure about having children — here’s what to expect if you don’t have kids when you’re young: If you’re a woman in your 20s or 30s, particularly if you’re in a long-term relationship, you’ve probably been asked when you’re going to have children. In the UK and many other countries, there …
Kids are exposed to violent war images: trauma expert sets out how you can protect them: In today’s screen-filled world, many children and teens have nearly continuous access to media. Estimates from the United States suggest that school-age children spend four to six hours per day watching or using screens. Adolescents spend as much as …
Curious Kids: how does a tower crane go up and down?: How does a crane go up and down? – Spencer, aged four, UK When you see the metal arms of a crane – known properly as a tower crane – against the skyline, you know a new building is going up in your city …
Summer holiday science: three experiments to try with kids at home: Inside Creative House/Shutterstock The school summer holidays are in full swing. If you’re a parent, you may be getting tired of hearing “I’m bored!” echoing through your home – especially on rainy days when everyone’s stuck inside. But pretty much every kitchen can double …
Curious Kids: what comes after space?: Stock-Asso/Shutterstock What is after space? – Pip, aged four, North Yorkshire, UK When we look up at a clear night sky, we see space: a vast, seemingly infinite expanse that contains everything we know to exist. To find out what is beyond space, a good place to start would …
Curious Kids: can our brains sense electromagnetic waves?: calzone.photography/Shutterstock Can our brains sense electromagnetic waves? – Taye, aged 10, London Electromagnetic waves are packets of energy travelling all around us. Some of these waves have lots of energy, and some have less. We call the lowest energy electromagnetic waves radio waves. There’s a good chance …
COVID in kids: younger children and those from deprived areas are at higher risk of being hospitalised – new research: Rido/Shutterstock At the heights of the pandemic, particularly since 2021, many children and teenagers admitted to hospital had COVID. However, it was never clear what proportion of them were in hospital because of COVID, indicating …
Learning to read is a journey: a study identifies where South African kids go off track: There are several cognitive processes involved in learning to read. Monkey Business Images/Getty Images Any parent who has watched a child learning to read knows that it is a journey. Various skills and processes must come together and build …