Pre-K

Secure attachment is the foundation of self-discipline

Dr. Dave, I know that you do a lot of research on self-discipline and self reliance. I work with new parents and many are worried about “spoiling” their babies by responding immediately to their cries and picking them up. How should I respond? Cheryl, Mississippi Can you spoil a baby? Anxious to get their kids…  Read More

Teaching empathy by attending to emotional cues of baby

Teaching Empathy

Dr. Dave just wrote a post about mirror neurons, exploring our built-in capacity to grasp the minds and experiences of others by simulating them in our brains. While he focused on the relationship between media violence and mirror neurons in that post, he also shared that mirror neurons are the basis for empathy – the…  Read More

Baby sticking tongue out in response to the same from a grown up, example of mirror neurons

Media Violence and Mirror Neurons

Dear Dr. Dave, There was recently a bomb threat at my son’s high school. It seemed like the plot was right out of a video game. I can’t help but think that there is a relationship – are kids just copying what they see in their entertainment? What does this have to do with mirror…  Read More

Neurons in brain development photo of inner brain

Brain Development Basics

Each child is walking around with a miracle perched on top of their shoulders. For a long time, the brain was a very difficult thing to study. Now powerful machines allow us to peer into the inner workings of the brain. We have a better sense of how the brain works and how it grows…  Read More

Dad engaging kids in book boosting early childhood literacy

Early Childhood Literacy – Raising Readers

Early childhood literacy starts long before babies can read. Get started today: Talk talk talk. Talk with your baby a lot, even before she is able to speak. Because children learn to speak by copying the language they hear, they need talkative role models. Read to your baby every day. Starting a tradition of reading…  Read More