Latest news with #childdevelopment
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Children with differing abilities learn to ride bikes
Balance, momentum, velocity—-the basics of riding a bike can be daunting for any child, much less children like Kiara Haines. 'Kiara has Down syndrome,' said her mother, Dawn Haines, 'We adopted her when she was two years old from Albania.' At 10 years old, Kiara is ready to lose the training wheels and conquer her fear. READ MORE:
CTV News
9 hours ago
- Health
- CTV News
Calgary child care embracing sensory learning and playing
Children at The Immigrant Education Society's Little Beginnings Urban Oasis child-care centre have been introduced to a number of sensory tools and materials to assist in their learning development. The Little Beginnings Urban Oasis (LBUO) child-care centre at The Immigrant Education Society (TIES) in northeast Calgary has introduced a number of sensory tools and material to help children learn. The centre has 26 children enrolled from birth to six years old who come from more that 20 countries around the world. Raghda Abouelfetouh, LBUO childcare centre manager, brainstormed with all the educators in the program to choose the equipment they felt would be most beneficial to the children. Abouelfetou says exposing kids to sensory activities at a young age is vital. 'All children have, and even adults, have different learning abilities, different skills,' she said. 'So if you work in advance, you will be most probably be preventing challenging behaviors to occur in the school age children and are setting them up for success.' The sensory tools help kids visualize and hear things but also help with math and learning the language. 'If I don't speak English and I'm here and everyone is speaking English, I will be frustrated,' said Abouelfetouh. 'I want to express, I want to engage, so this way we are letting everyone engage the way they are.' She says that since the program started in March, educators have seen an 80 percent drop in kids who lash out through frustration, and adds that's a positive indicator for the work they're doing. 'A couple of parents, especially in the preschool room, they were sharing that the children now are speaking way more -- (they) are very expressive,' she said. 'I'm like, here we go! We're so happy with that.' Identifying special needs Sensory tools can also be used to identify children with special needs or those with neurodivergent conditions. Abouelfetouh says many children in Alberta are not eligible for any kind of cognitive assessment before the age of three. 'Until we get the assessment, (the child) will be almost four years old -- which is too late, because 80 per cent of the child's development is done by the age of three so we don't want children to lose these opportunities,' she said. 'Why not offer this intervention as early as possible to prevent any learning delays and developmental delays in the school age.? Racheal Ashamu's four-year-old daughter Adesua is in the program. 'I have noticed a lot of improvement and she even wants me to have (the sensory tools) at home,' she said. 'I can confidently say right now she is ready for kindergarten, because when I look at the Alberta curriculum, she knows everything that is expected of her already.' Ashamu says Adesua has now developed a knack for building things that could lead to a career one day. 'I know that she likes stacking things, like creating something,' she said. 'I mean, for her age (she is) maybe some sort of little engineer who wants to create something.' Aboueleftouh is excited at the potential for the program for the current and future students. 'When you're talking about the children, you're talking about next generation, you're talking about the future of Canada.,' she said. Learn more about LBUO here.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chrissy Teigen Reveals She's Ready to Have the 'Sex Talk' With 9-Year-Old Daughter Luna
When is the right time to explain the birds and the bees to your kids? Chrissy Teigen and John Legend are preparing to have 'the sex talk' with their eldest daughter Luna, 9, and she reached out to Good Inside author Dr. Becky Kennedy (known simply as Dr. Becky) for some advice. In a new interview on her Audible original podcast, Self Conscious with Chrissy Teigen, the mom of four shared that she is preparing for the sex talk with Luna 'because it's happening at their school soon, and I don't want them to go into it blindly.' More from SheKnows Katy Perry's Rare New Photo of Daughter Daisy Hints at How She's Handling Split From Orlando Bloom 'So, I bought all the books, I got everything for it. And leading up to it, we try to deal with so many things in the family with humor and openness, because it is such an uncomfortable thing to talk about.' Dr. Becky says you should start by leaning into the awkwardness of the situation. 'Naming your own awkwardness is really important.' 'I never had a talk,' Teigen reveals. 'I had the internet.' Dr. Becky, who emphasized that the sex talk 'is not just one talk,' added that 'kids become initially curious [about sex] at the exact same age they become curious about death. Which is early, because it makes sense. It's the two bookends of life. It's usually around age 3.' She added, 'There's no reason why [kids] shouldn't know the words 'penis' and 'vagina.' They know so many complicated things. We live in New York City, we see a million things all the time. Why shouldn't they know anatomy and how humans are made? It's actually biology. It's not even sexual for the kid. But we all have so many of our own hangups that completely color things. To me, the age that kids can learn about this stuff is so much earlier than we think.' By asking these questions, Dr. Becky says kids are 'testing the waters.' 'Is it safe to be curious with you or is it not?' their questions are asking. 'And if it's not, the curiosity still lives. They're like, where can I go get this [information from]?' She summarized: 'Big picture, none of this is sexual, all of this is basic information. If you've already talked to your kids about death, probably that means they are curious about birth.' As someone with kids ages 7 and 6, I thought I would have much more time to get into these topics, but as they've already asked about death and had question about babies, I realize now that it's time to prepare them. This podcast episode is really good and also dives into content about good kids acting out, lying, and reparenting yourself through childhood trauma. Jill Whitney, licensed marriage and family therapist, previously told SheKnows to keep it simple when talking to your kids and explain things depending on their age. 'Any time is the right time because it should be a series of conversations, which ideally happen more or less naturally,' she told us. 'So when kids are toddlers, teach them correct names for body parts. When sex comes up in a movie or TV show, look for an opportunity to explain or clarify. Use real-life examples to talk about healthy and unhealthy relationships.' She suggests using clear language to describe sex. For example, you could say when describing a heterosexual relationship that the two people ''may get naked and hug each other. The man's penis goes into the woman's vagina. The man's semen joins with an ovum inside the woman, and a baby grows in a special place inside the mother called the uterus.' For adults, this sounds like an awful lot to say, but for kids, it's just another fact about nature.' Whitney suggested bringing it up with your child if you still haven't talked about it when they are 8 or 9. 'It's essential that they get accurate information from you before they get misinformation from friends,' she explained. 'You want to show that they can come to you whenever they have questions. Establish yourself as a trusted resource before their hormones kick in during the middle school years.' For more help, Dr. Becky has a 'how to talk about sex workshop' for parents of kids ages 0-12. 'We want our kids to learn about their bodies, private parts, and how babies are made in a safe, loving environment—not from peers or the internet,' she described this workshop. You'll get age-appropriate scripts and strategies for sharing information that's accurate and inclusive for kids. There's no shame in getting a little help for tricky topics like this!Best of SheKnows Bird Names Are One of the Biggest Baby Name Trends for Gen Beta (& We Found 20+ Options) These Are the 36 Celebrities with the Most Kids 15 Celebrity Parents Whose Kids Went to Ivy League Schools
New York Times
2 days ago
- General
- New York Times
Bolster the Building Blocks of Kindergarten
To the Editor: Re 'Expectations for Kindergarten Have Risen, Putting Boys at a Disadvantage,' by Claire Cain Miller (The Upshot, June 9): When kindergarten-age children — both boys and girls — get to build with blocks, paint, sing, playact, construct things and ask their urgent real-world questions ('How do squirrels balance like that?'), they are successful in school. A kindergarten curriculum should meet their needs. Right now, it's reversed. Children are expected to meet the stated goals of an imposed curriculum. No wonder boys rebel. Children flourish when they are taught in ways that engage their active bodies and inquisitive minds and encourage their participation in group life. That's the best preparation for a full, happy and productive future, as well as the best preparation for first grade. Julie DiamondNew YorkThe writer is a retired kindergarten teacher and the author of 'Kindergarten: A Teacher, Her Students and a Year of Learning.' To the Editor: We're able to see and understand the educational challenges explored in this article only because of national data sources like the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten. Yet shockingly, as the article points out, DOGE recently canceled the latest study, cutting off what would have been our first national look at the educational attainment of post-pandemic kindergartners, following them up as first- and third-graders. This study delivers the only national longitudinal data we have on young children's development, learning, readiness and educational experiences. It informs what children know when they enter school, helps diagnose where and why students are falling behind, and ensures that public dollars go to strategies that actually work. Without studies like this, federal policymakers, state authorities and school communities are at a significant disadvantage — working hard to strengthen early childhood education and set students on a path to success, but without all the information needed to guide smart, targeted improvements. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Dad's mental health in the first two years has a lasting impact on kids, new study shows
When we think about early childhood development, we often focus on milestones, sleep routines, and the emotional bond between mother and baby. But new research reminds us: the mental health of fathers in those first two years plays a critical—and often overlooked—role, too.A recent meta-analysis published in JAMA Pediatrics, which examined 84 studies involving thousands of fathers and children, found a clear link between paternal mental well-being and a child's emotional, cognitive, and social development. The effects were most pronounced in early childhood—an especially sensitive window for growth. For many mothers, these findings validate something they've long sensed: a partner's emotional state can shape the energy of the entire household. When one parent is silently struggling, it can shift the emotional rhythm of the entire household—including the littlest members of the family. Researchers found that paternal distress—including anxiety, depression, and chronic stress—was strongly associated with outcomes like emotional dysregulation, cognitive delays, and social difficulties in children. These patterns held true across infancy, toddlerhood, and the preschool years. The takeaway? Prioritizing dad's mental health isn't just good for him—it's good for kids, too. Related: This viral TikTok captures what it's like to parent through exhaustion and mental health struggles Mental health struggles don't always look the same in men as they do in women, especially in the postpartum period. But experts identify several subtle yet telling symptoms, particularly among fathers, that can help partners recognize when to reach out: Emotional withdrawal or irritability: Some men express depression or anxiety as anger or emotional distance. Loss of interest in activities they once enjoyed: A sudden disinterest in hobbies, social outings, or time with the kids can be a red flag . Trouble sleeping or persistent fatigue not tied to parenting: Disrupted sleep patterns—either insomnia or excessive sleeping—along with chronic tiredness are common symptoms in dads . Avoiding time with the kids: Pulling away from family activities or physical presence, even when home, may indicate emotional overload. Verbalizing feelings of failure or hopelessness: Expressions of feeling 'empty,' 'worthless,' or consumed by self-doubt are important cues. If you notice these signs in a partner, start with a compassionate conversation. Let them know you see them—and that getting help isn't about being broken. It's about being supported. Meeting with a therapist or primary care provider can help dads access tools to manage their mental load. 'The association between paternal mental illness and poorer child development was robust,' researchers concluded, highlighting the importance of early intervention. Related: The 'mental health walk' that wasn't: this mom's viral tiktok is our collective parenting nightmare These trusted resources are a good place to start: Postpartum Support International offers a dedicated helpline for dads. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has support groups and local resources. Pediatricians and family doctors can also provide referrals for mental health screenings and therapy. When we support dads in the first two years, we're investing in the emotional well-being of the entire family. Because no parent should be expected to show up fully for their child while silently struggling. The more we normalize emotional transparency and shared mental load, the stronger our families become. Sources: 'Father's Mental Health in First Two Years May Influence Child Development, Study Finds.' June 2025. JAMA Pediatrics. Father's Mental Health in First Two Years May Influence Child Development, Study Finds. 'Men and Mental Health.' 2024. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Men and Mental Health. 'Male depression: Understand the signs.' 2024. Mayo Clinic. Male depression: Understand the signs. 'Fathers and Families.' 2025. Fathers Mental Health Alliance. Fathers and Families. 'Help for Dads.' 2025. Postpartum Support International. Help for Dads.
