Many young children, particularly those between the ages of 3 and 5 years, develop imaginary friends.  Children this age are typically beginning to decipher the boundaries between fantasy and reality, and their “new” imagined friends are part of this process. 

To access the full article, click here.

http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/when_your_child039s_new_friend_imaginary

In this presentation (filmed in October 2010), Patricia Kuhl shares astonishing findings about how babies learn one language over another — by listening to the humans around them and “taking statistics” on the sounds they need to know. Clever lab experiments (and brain scans) show how 6-month-old babies use sophisticated reasoning to understand their world.

To access on the on-line video, click here.

http://www.ted.com/talks/patricia_kuhl_the_linguistic_genius_of_babies.html

This article compares the executive functions of the brain, including the ability focus, hold, and work with information in the mind,  to the “air traffic control” at a busy airport.  It explains how these critical lifelong skills develop, how early experiences shape this development, and how supporting this development pays off in school and later in life.

To access the full article, click here.

http://developingchild.harvard.edu/library/reports_and_working_papers/working_papers/wp11/

A new study conducted by researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health examines the impact of intensive early education programs on the health and health behaviors of low-income children.  The study used data from the well-known Carolina Abededarian Project (ABC), a randomized control study that enrolled 111 infants in the 1970s and continued to follow them through age 21.

To access the full article, click here.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110114155340.htm

To access the full article, click here.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/12/health/12klass.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Understanding%20ba%20ba%20ba&st=cse

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/magazine/29preschool-t.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1

This topic, available in both PDF and video formats,  explores the impact of healthy development in the earliest weeks and years of life.  Postive early experiences can shape and strengthen developing biological systems which in turn can lead to a healthier and more productive life in adulthood. 

To access the full article, click here.

http://developingchild.harvard.edu/library/reports_and_working_papers/foundations-of-lifelong-health/

To watch the video, click here.

http://developingchild.harvard.edu/library/multimedia/inbrief_series/inbrief__the_foundations_of_lifelong_health/

Center on the Developing Child  Harvard University

A new report from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child examines how environmental influences impact gene expression. These findings illustrate that the experiences children have early in life shape their developing brain architecture and impact their growth and development.

To access the full article, click here.

http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/library/reports_and_working_papers/working_papers/wp10/

For years, psychologists have argued that humans enter the world devoid of morality.  However, a growing body of evidence suggests that humans do have a rudimentary moral sense from the very start of life, and babies can demonstrate a basic understanding of right and wrong.

To access the full article, click here.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/magazine/09babies-t.html?ex=1288670400&en=921cfb4879ccb4ce&ei=5087&WT.mc_id=GN-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M148-ROS-0510-HDR&WT.mc_ev=click