Early childhood is an apprenticeship.

Young children enter the world with amazing powers of observation and they train them on their parents with a singular goal: to be just like them.

It’s a big responsibility. And can be humbling. But also a sheer delight.

Check out this…

You have 206 bones.

But your baby has around 300. How is that possible?

Babies have to be extra flexible to pass through the birth canal and are born with a large number of flexible, cartilaginous bones that fuse and harden over time to comprise the 206 bones that make up the…

It’s good to have an older sibling.

Developmentally speaking, the presence of an older brother or sister offers many benefits that first borns and only children may lack.

Linguistically, older children provide their younger siblings both an added conversation partner and…

Your baby is born already knowing the sound of your voice and those of close family members.

As their hearing develops, babies become acquainted with all kinds of sounds in the womb - from their mother’s heartbeat and digestive rumblings to the muffled (but distinct) sound of…

Thanks to Strategies for Children for inviting me to spend the morning in the company of Massachusetts early childhood leaders speaking about my upcoming book, The Daycare Myth. A reminder that you can save 20% if you pre-order today on the Teachers College Press website using code APR2024 at checkout.

Your baby’s brain isn’t the only one that’s developing.

I’ve written a good bit about the brain development of newborns and how to stimulate it.

But today I want to talk about the developing brains of parents - which research suggests also change concurrent with pregnancy and…

A friend in need is a friend indeed.

I’ve written several times in recent weeks about toddlers’ tendency toward egocentrism (which in this case doesn’t mean that they’re full of themselves, but rather that - developmentally - they find it difficult to process the world from the…

Is my baby ready for solid foods?

Infants can be introduced to foods other than breast milk or formula beginning around six months of age.

Here are a few of the telltale signs that your child is developmentally ready, all of which are on vivid display in this video:

First,…

Your baby is a master of observation. 👀

Watch how focused our hero is in the opening seconds of this video as she learns the rules of the new game being played before her. She sits motionless and expressionless… carefully taking it all in.

And then?

She’s ready to get in…

No matter how many times I see it illustrated, I’ll never stop marveling at the miracle of early development.

Think about it…

In little more than a year, infants go from largely helpless to highly independent, from pre-verbal to skilled language users, and from processing…

The White House has proclaimed it Care Workers Recognition Month. The most important recognition we can provide “child care workers” is that their proper title is, in fact, “teachers.” It’s time we support and compensate them as such.

How could you even be mad about something so clever?

Yesterday I wrote about appreciating the genius in all children and today we have this wonderful example on display.

Given a toy mop, this toddler creates a scenario in which it can be put to appropriate use.

When you put…

Check out this little mathematician! 🧮

After her aunt begins counting the steps, our hero takes over, counting to 11 with only one small assist… and leading her aunt to speculate about her special genius.

You’ve probably learned by now that I am a believer in the genius of…

Young children are like scientists - constantly testing their theories about the world.

Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget is revered in education circles as the father of “constructivism” - which is a theory that young children create knowledge by connecting new experiences with…

There’s nothing better in life than being a parent. The love is simply impossible to describe.

But this video might come close.

You won’t see anything sweeter today than this little guy’s joyful reaction as his dad makes an unannounced appearance at lunch.

He rises to his…

Is your home full of love? Your baby knows.

Take a look at Jaxon (shown here at 15 months) as he watches Mom and Dad dance in the kitchen. He claps and grins and knows that his parents are sharing a tender moment.

Babies are adept at gauging the facial expressions, tones of…