A longitudinal study which followed 1,600 children internationally found that once they reach adolescence the opportunity to spend six hours or more a week with family had a significant impact on their wellbeing, behaviour and academic performance. The researchers analysed time diaries kept by the children and their parents to find out how ‘time together’ influenced the children’s wellbeing. Time diaries were collected when the children were 3 to 11 years old and again when…
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A new study from Oxford suggests that games are not all bad, but parents should pay close attention to the amount of time children play computer games. The study has found that children who play computer games for less than an hour a day are likely to be less aggressive, more sociable, have fewer emotional problems and do better at school than their peers, performing better at school than classmates who never played computer games….
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Research has found that when children believe their parents favour another sibling this affects their behaviour. American psychologist Alex Jensen found that teenagers who believed they were receiving less favoured treatment were more likely to ‘act out’ and get into trouble. These young people were, for example, more likely to have tried alcohol, cigarettes and drugs compared with other teenagers. Jensen however found that family dynamics influence whether young people who feel they are treated…
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‘Make or Break: The UK’s Digital Future’ the report published this week by the House of Lords Digital Skills Committee warns that the UK is facing a significant digital skills shortage and is currently unprepared for the impact technology will have on the labour market. The review, which included FK&Y research carried out for Tablets for Schools’, urged the Government to address the digital divide and make digital literacy a core subject at school alongside…
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In a survey for road safety charity Living Streets 32% of parents of children who attend primary schools described the school run in the morning as ‘highly stressful’. 44% of the parents surveyed said they had feared for their children’s safety on the school run, at the school gates, or in the surrounding area. 14% of parents said they had feared for their own safety during the school run. The charity is therefore encouraging more…
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The Family and Childcare Trust this week published research showing that the average cost of childcare in the UK is now higher than the cost of mortgages for many families. According to the report the cost of childcare has risen 27% since 2009, while wages have remained stable. The trust suggests that this makes childcare increasingly unaffordable, forcing some parents to refrain from returning to the workforce after becoming a parent.

An American high school student has started a petition to include plus-size female characters in Disney movies. In the petition, which is titled ‘Every body is beautiful’, Jewel Moore argues that young girls who struggle with low self-esteem will benefit from seeing positive role-models in the media. The petition has achieved over 22,000 signatures.

Critics have long criticised toy manufacturers and retailers for organising toys by gender, which has led Marks and Spencer and Hamley’s in the UK to desist labelling products by gender. Clients who have experienced our workshops will know that there is debate about the extent to which play and toys might influence children’s personalities and preferences. Psychologist Dr Amanda Gummer argues that children benefit from being exposed to many different toys and play scenarios which…
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Research carried out for the BBC’s children’s channel CBBC asked over 1,600 children aged 8 to 12 about their goals and aspirations for the future. According to the survey, the most popular future job for boys is to be a footballer (24%) followed by a police officer (6%), while girls most wanted to be a teacher (16%) followed by a hairdresser (13%). Although children are clearly thinking about what they want to do in the…
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A survey commissioned by L’Oreal and EDF Energy presented this week at The Times Cheltenham Science Festival showed that more than half of British secondary school children trust Google over their parents for help with their Science homework. One teacher interviewed believed that this was not necessarily a negative development, as it can support children learning to work independently and develop critical research skills.