Articles about 'Centre for Research on Play in Education, Development and Learning'

The first systematic study of how generative AI toys affect young children finds that they can misread emotions and struggle with developmentally important types of play.

Getting children to play together cooperatively depends less on their personal social skills and more on what they are doing – especially if they are not friends – a study shows.

Play-based learning may also have a more positive effect on younger children’s acquisition of important early maths skills compared with traditional, direct instruction.

A home-based parenting programme to prevent childhood behaviour problems, which very unusually focuses on children when they are still toddlers, has proven highly successful during its first public health trial.

Children are more likely to introduce violent themes into their pretend play, such as imaginary fighting or killing, if they are with playmates whom peers consider bad-tempered, new research suggests.

Wanting your child to have the best chance in life is natural for any parent. But by focusing too much on the ‘skill’ of parenting, are we losing sight of things that matter more – how we talk to and play with children? Cambridge researchers are examining how parents can best help their children in their early years through nurturing rather than shaping.

Have you lost your house keys recently? If so, you probably applied a spot of logical thinking. You looked first in the most obvious places – bags and pockets – and then mentally retraced your steps to the point when you last used them.