Cognitive and Psychological Development

How much of our brain capacity do we actually use? What does it mean to be "right-brain"? Some of these answers will surprise you! ...

Do you think you know a lot about intelligence? We challenge you to take our quiz. ...

Is it normal for a kid to write backward, especially when they're learning? Our expert weighs in on this grandmother's concern. ...

Raising Boys: The Value of Curiosity It isn't easy being a parent. You undoubtedly feel fatigued and stressed at least some of the time; raising your son is almost certainly not the only thing on your daily agenda. Sometimes all you really want ...

Math and Science Do Matter for Girls Throughout the past decades, society has expected boys to excel in the "harder" classes (science and math) and girls in the "easier" ones (language and social studies). The fact is all areas of study can be ...

The Artist or Crafts Enthusiast Not every girl likes chasing after a ball or cycling her heart out. Many enjoy various forms of arts or crafts activities. They may be content to sit in the den and doodle, sketch, or write. Or they fashion obje...

A child who adopts behavior such as talking to himself is probably not in any real trouble, but it's worth exploring why. ...

Print out and use this checklist to help in an initial diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome in your child. You can find more checklists on Asperger's syndrome here. ...

Inventions We'd Rather Not See Required: Your time only The world of science and engineering brings us all kinds of great and useless things. But what about the truly useless or silly things that haven't been invented yet? Here are some ideas to...

Finding Your Inner Genius: The 10 Steps to Creativity I happen to know you're a genius. It's true. It's always been true. You just forgot. We all have some kind of genius, but for many of us, life experiences, whether at home, in school, or in t...

Foster your child's creative side during tech time! Check out these top-rated art, music, imagination-play, and creative-thinking apps for kids of all ages. ...

Visualization GameMaterials Assorted objects Tray Tea towel Small sack Paper and pencil Directions Collect ten to twenty small common objects, e.g., safety pin, spoon, eraser, watch, comb, button, ring, thumb tack, clothespin, key, cork, stamp, e...

Common Developmental Delays Developmental delays range from very mild to severe. Say your two-year-old isn't making circular scribbles when all the other children in day care are, yet she has developed her other fine motor skills. She may be scri...

Expression Versus CatharsisWe want children to express themselves, but we don't want them to react and confuse creation with catharsis. Catharsis is not creation; it is only a release of pressure. When children paint in a cathartic way, they pain...

10 Ways to Nurture Ambition in Children Encourage them -- Someone has to be President. If your child wants to do something remarkable, don't rubbish the idea. Encourage them to work out how they could make it happen. Challenge them -- Wrapping ...

Guidelines for Optimum CreativityEleven Golden Rules Always approach creativity as a process-oriented activity. Never ask children to paint realistically. Never tell children what to paint, or give them models to copy. Never correct children's pa...

The Joy of Spontaneous ExpressionChildren need to stop worrying about what they do. The pressure of doing it right can take over and prevent them from being creative. Parents and teachers should support children in finding their own way naturally...

Intrusions to CreativityTo create a magical context that fosters spontaneous inspiration and self-expression, parents and teachers need to become aware of possible intrusions into children's joyful processes. Commenting on children's paintings is...