Going back to school after the summer holidays can be a big deal. For some children, it means moving into a new classroom with a new teacher.

As a mama trying to raise a daughter free from the gendered stereotypes of my own childhood, I steered her clear of Barbie dolls.

Children’s fears can focus on areas such as being alone, talking to strangers or going to sleep. In small amounts these fears can be helpful for survival; in large amounts they can become overwhelming and impairing.

Sleep is important for psychological and physiological health, but many children have trouble getting to sleep, or getting back to sleep when they wake in the night.

Warm and supportive parenting may buffer against the effects of stress during childhood and adolescence. That is the key takeaway of our recent study, published in the journal PNAS Nexus.

Parents today spend more time with their children than ever before. Yet, at the same time, they worry more than previous generations about doing enough – believing a lack of engagement may harm their child’s future success and wellbeing.

I’ve decided to write a letter to my daughters in 2050. But when I pick up my pen, I can’t do it. My brain is too crowded with images of a mid-century that I may not live to see.

Things have moved very quickly from keyboards and predictive text. The rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) means bots can now write human-quality text without having hands at all.

Becoming a proficient reader holds endless possibilities for a child. These opportunties include long-term academic achievement and educational opportunities, daily life

The origins of obesity are deep and wide, beginning at conception and even earlier. To consider an individual with obesity, we need to view that person as a biological, emotional, and spiritual being in a historical and social context.

There are many reasons why a caesarean may be performed, though typically it happens for medical reasons...

Discover science-backed tips for selecting the perfect baby toy. Learn how to prioritize development, choose open-ended toys, and avoid misleading marketing claims.

Are you uncertain about when to enroll your summer-born child in school? Discover what research says about the advantages and disadvantages of delaying or deferring school entry. Explore the academic, social, and emotional considerations for summer-born children and make an informed decision based on your child's unique circumstances.

Explore the groundbreaking study on how talking to babies and toddlers impacts brain development. Learn about the influence of language input, myelin growth, and the benefits of contingent conversations.

Important conversations with teenagers are among the biggest challenges of parenting. They can feel like walking a tightrope. 

Overtly hostile behavior tends to diminish with age except for a minority of children who are at risk of later criminality. This makes childhood a critical time for steering those most in-need away from difficult life paths. 

A key finding of our Australian Child Maltreatment Study, published in early 2023, is that emotional abuse is widespread and associated with similar harms as sexual abuse.

In the past two decades, children have become more obese and have developed obesity at a younger age. A 2020 report found that 14.7 million children and adolescents in the U.S. live with obesity.

In her book, Parenting on Earth, philosopher and mother Elizabeth Cripps argues that to do right by their kids, parents must also attempt to do something about the problems caused by climate change.

Being tired is a feeling we often experience. When we do certain activities – physical or mental – over a period of time, or even after experiencing intense emotional states, we feel tired, perhaps even exhausted.

Occasional feelings of anxiety are normal, even in childhood – for example, a child may feel anxious about an approaching test at school. But if the anxiety is severe, long-lasting and interferes with a child’s daily life, it is called an anxiety disorder.

How our families express feelings, talk about feelings and react to feelings can have ripple effects into the next generation.

Everyone has one, but you might not know much about it. Biologist Sarah Leupen explains the ins and outs of belly buttons.