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Research -- StepUp to Learn

Playfulness Can Be Trained - Here's Why You Should Do It

Playfulness Can Be Trained - Here's Why You Should Do It

Playfulness is a personality trait that is expressed differently in people. "Particularly playful people have a hard time dealing with boredom....
Posted in Engagement, Health & Wellness, Motivation, Social Development, Social Skills

Young Children Would Rather Explore Than Get Rewards

Young Children Would Rather Explore Than Get Rewards

Young children will pass up rewards they know they can collect to explore other options, a new study suggests. Researchers found that when adults and 4- to 5-year-old children played a game where certain choices earned them rewards, both adults and children quickly learned what choices would give them the biggest returns. But while adults then used that knowledge to maximize their prizes, children continued exploring the other options.
Posted in Attention, Engagement, Motivation, Social Skills

Playtime with Dad May Improve Children's Self-Control

Playtime with Dad May Improve Children's Self-Control

Children whose fathers make time to play with them from a very young age may find it easier to control their behavior and emotions as they grow up.
Posted in Attention, Education, Movement & Exercise, School Readiness, Social Development, Social Skills

Child's Play 'Lost' in Pandemic Fear

Child's Play 'Lost' in Pandemic Fear

Social and community disruptions caused by the COVID-19 restrictions could have a lasting effect on child wellbeing, Flinders University researchers warn.
Posted in Engagement, Health & Wellness, Movement & Exercise, Social Development, Social Skills

Study Finds Government Policies Push Schools to Prioritize Creating Better Test-Takers Over Better People

Study Finds Government Policies Push Schools to Prioritize Creating Better Test-Takers Over Better People

Personal growth and job skills have taken a backseat to an increased focus on standardized test scores in schools across the nation, according to new research.
Posted in Education, Health & Wellness, School Readiness, Social Development, Social Skills

'Terrible Twos' Not Inevitable: With Engaged Parenting, Happy Babies Can Become Happy Toddlers

'Terrible Twos' Not Inevitable: With Engaged Parenting, Happy Babies Can Become Happy Toddlers

Parents should not feel pressured to make their young children undertake structured learning or achieve specific tasks, particularly during lockdown. A new study of children under the age of two has found that parents who take a more flexible approach to their child’s learning can - for children who were easy babies - minimize behavioral problems during toddlerhood.
Posted in Engagement, Social Development, Social Skills

Rethinking Role of Technology in the Classroom

Rethinking Role of Technology in the Classroom

Study finds added access can lead to decrease in students' academic motivation. Engagement "is more than a matter of providing children with access to the latest electronic devices."
Posted in Attention, Education, Engagement, Motivation, Social Skills, Technology

Screening Kindergarten Readiness

Screening Kindergarten Readiness

Researchers at the University of Missouri College of Education have found that a readiness screener can predict kindergarteners’ success in school after 18 months.
Posted in Attention, Education, Engagement, School Readiness, Social Skills

Emphasizing social play in kindergarten improves academics, reduces teacher burnout

Emphasizing social play in kindergarten improves academics, reduces teacher burnout

Emphasizing more play, hands-on learning, and students helping one another in kindergarten improves academic outcomes, self-control and attention regulation.
Posted in Education, School Readiness, Social Development, Social Skills

Kids wore video cameras in their preschool class, for science

Kids wore video cameras in their preschool class, for science

They may all be in the same classroom together, but each child in preschool may have a very different experience, a new study suggests.
Posted in Attention, Education, Engagement, Social Development, Social Skills

Reading With Toddlers Reduces Harsh Parenting, Enhances Child Behavior

Reading With Toddlers Reduces Harsh Parenting, Enhances Child Behavior

People who regularly read with their toddlers are less likely to engage in harsh parenting and the children are less likely to be hyperactive or disruptive.
Posted in Attention, Engagement, Reading Skills, Social Skills

Report examines origins and nature of 'math anxiety'

Report examines origins and nature of 'math anxiety'

Research reveals that teachers and parents may inadvertently play a role in a child's development of 'math anxiety' and that girls tend to be more affected than boys.
Posted in Education, Engagement, Mathematics, Motivation, School Readiness, Social Skills