The hottest Child development Substack posts right now

The author tests AI's understanding using a guessing game. The AI struggled and often made mistakes, which leads to questions about their comprehension.
LLMs act like children by mimicking language without true understanding. They can say the right words but might not grasp the ideas behind them.
The argument suggests that while LLMs can analyze complex topics, their understanding is shallow compared to human comprehension.

Intergenerational altruism in the Barro-Becker model may need to be as low as 0.09 for a stable solution, which seems paradoxical considering the proportion of a parent's and child's consumption.
Potential explanations for this paradox include scale economies in household production, children being viewed as 'utility monsters,' and parents seeing children as a prestige good.
The discrepancy in altruism values between parents and consequences may imply that individuals are not consequentialists and may prioritize existing utility over potential future utility.

Infant screen use at age 1 can lead to reduced cognitive skills at ages 4 and 9.
Research shows that extended screen time in infancy can have long-term negative effects on cognitive abilities.
Studies suggest limiting screen time for infants and encouraging more physical play for healthy cognitive development.

Teaching math by involving kids to solve practice problems first can lead to deeper understanding
Encouraging kids to struggle through problem-solving helps them build important skills and confidence
Presenting problems that require critical thinking before introducing techniques can enhance learning and creativity

Choosing the right toys can significantly impact children's development. Toys can teach vital skills that prepare kids for adult life.
Research shows that the Norse settlers in Greenland struggled due to the lack of useful toys for their children. Their creativity suffered, which contributed to their downfall.
Inuit children thrived because they had more diverse and relevant toys. This helped them be more innovative and adapt better to their environment.

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As COVID-19 restrictions relax, pediatricians are sharing optimistic views on the progress made, including the availability of effective vaccines and the decreasing severity of the virus over time.
Children who have recovered from COVID-19 tend to develop lasting immunity, with studies showing a strong immune response, even greater than adults, in some cases.
The potential harms of prolonged mask wearing on children's development, combined with the psychological impacts of the pandemic, highlight the importance of considering the overall well-being of children when making decisions about COVID-19 precautions.

Children naturally learn best through play and exploration, making traditional teaching methods less effective. It's important to allow children the freedom to explore and discover on their own.
Playful learning goes beyond standardized curriculum; it involves letting children engage with topics through hands-on experiences like playing with mud to learn about science concepts.
Adults should act as guides in a child's learning journey, sharing the joy of exploration and discovery, rather than being the sole source of knowledge. Success lies in the journey of self-discovery and purposeful living.

Playful learning involves purposeless activities that help discover purpose, perspective, and meaning in the long term.
Conventional schooling often focuses on visible skills, but children's learning is rooted in the real world and builds on invisible competencies.
In fostering playful exploration in topics like reading and math, emphasis should be on building core invisible skills like attention, critical thinking, logical reasoning, and abstract thinking.