Parenting

I have kids ages 4-7 and they quite like watching a little snippet of something while they brush their teeth.

One thing they have been into recently is these stop motion videos on youtube on a channel called Peapea. However, it's obvious that M&Ms and Coke give them lots of money because it's all you see in many of the videos. But these are good videos, as the kids like them and while the full youtube videos are 30 mins long, within this there are lots of shorts only a few minutes long each. Perfect for bushing teeth. Also a bonus is those videos don't rely on sound, so they can watch and understand it without telling each other to brush queiter.

Does anyone have suggestions for anything similar that isn't plastered with Cocacola and is suitable for the 4-7 age range?

Social media post on Mastodon by Dan Moren.

It reads, “ My son just got me out of talking to a door-to-door cable salesman so I guess parenthood was all worth it.”

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19726571

The surgeon general has a new public health warning. And this time, the hazard isn’t tobacco or alcohol: it’s parenting. 

Two-fifths of parents say that on most days, “they are so stressed they cannot function,” the Office of the Surgeon General reports in an advisory titled Parents Under Pressure. Roughly half of parents term that stress “completely overwhelming.” 

Those dire findings anchor a 35-page report, released in late August, that posits parental stress as “an urgent public health issue.” It draws on data from the American Psychological Association and other sources to build a case that parents are facing more stress than at perhaps any other time in recent history.

One-third of parents with children under 18 rate their stress level as 8 or higher on a 10-point scale, according to psychological association data. Two-fifths of parents report being “so stressed they feel numb.” Three-fifths say stress makes it hard to focus. Two-thirds are consumed by money woes.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/28283915

The article doesn't make any recommendations, but rather what to look for /avoid.

Who the authors are:

Emma Liptrot; PhD student, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University

Adam Kenneth Dubé; Associate Professor of Learning Sciences, Faculty of Education, McGill University

Relevant sections:

What to ignore

1. User ratings & reviews:

Popular EduApps in Apple’s and Google’s app stores typically have very positive ratings (above four stars). Yet, experts still raise concerns about their quality and expert-approved apps do not necessarily receive the highest star ratings. Written reviews are rarely more informative. Research shows most reviews simply praise apps rather than explaining specific features. [...]

2. Apple or Google rankings

Educators and parents may visit an app store’s “top charts” lists to find EduApps. Yet, how Apple’s and Google’s algorithms determine which apps “top the charts” is unclear. [...]

3. Recommendations from app review websites

Educators and parents might look to external app review websites like Common Sense Media for recommendations. But research shows many of the apps recommended by these websites still need substantial improvement [...]

What to look for

1. Curriculum: What apps teach

At the bare minimum, EduApps must include content that is covered in an established learning program. Yet, many EduApps are what researchers call “educational misfits” because they are only weakly related to education, if at all. Look for apps that clearly state which curriculum their content is based on (for example, a particular provincial curriculum, a supplemental curriculum for learning an Indigenous language) or detail the content (suitable for grades 1–3 math). Don’t bother with an app that doesn’t tell you what it covers.

2. Learning theory: How apps teach

[...] Look for apps that describe how they teach. Choose ones using approaches that align with your needs.

3. Scaffolding: How apps support learning

EduApps should include supports that help children build their understanding and accomplish learning goals. These supports (called scaffolding) can include hints or instructions when children get stuck and breaking down complex tasks into smaller chunks or adapting difficulty to match children’s abilities. [...]

4. Feedback: How apps correct learning

If we want children to learn from their mistakes, feedback is essential. Look for apps that give children informative feedback so they know where they went wrong and why.

5. Educational expertise: Who made the app

Many app developers are not education experts, and their priorities may not align with those of educators and parents. [...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19162675

Our 6-year old has been having problems, socially, or so she says. I'm not sure whether to believe it's as severe as she says, because we just threw a birthday party and she was very much the center of attention for the kids that were able to make it, and well, the limitations of her age.

But when she has mentioned it, she gets very emotional and says something to the effect that her friends don't want to play with her; she's made mention of it a few times.

The problem is, as her father, I've been antisocial my entire life, and her mom's not much of a social butterfly, either. And I feel unequipped and powerless in how to guide her.

Any advice for a way forward would be appreciated more than I could ever convey.