Engaging extracurricular activities for children, from sports and arts to hobbies and creative pursuits, designed to build confidence, skills, teamwork and creativity.
Studies link heavier scrolling with weaker attention and greater stress, but researchers have not established that short-form video causes permanent cognitive damage. Short-form video may be part of everyday digital life, but the research behind fears about it is more…
Evidence from schools suggests allowing girls to wear PE kit throughout the day could improve participation, comfort and wellbeing, prompting calls to rethink uniform rules in Wales. Professor Leigh Robinson, chair of Cymru Women’s Sport, has argued that schools can…
As written exams begin, headspace Dubbo is urging students and families to focus on connection, perspective and support through the uncertainty of results and life after school. As October Mental Health Month draws to a close, Dubbo students are sitting…
A study of more than 9,600 children aged nine to 11 found that higher caffeine intake was associated with shorter sleep, differences in brain structure and more attention, mood and behavioural symptoms. Researchers have found that caffeine intake in late…
Cloud learning, flexible timetables and online wellbeing tools are helping young athletes balance training and competition with academic progress and life beyond sport. The digital shift in education has made it easier for sports academies to keep talented young athletes…
Studies suggest structured debate can modestly improve English performance, particularly for weaker readers, but evidence for gains in confidence, civic engagement and other broader benefits is far less certain. For parents weighing whether debate is worth the time and effort,…
As teenagers turn to AI chatbots for schoolwork, parents and teachers must teach judgement, privacy and responsible use before convenience becomes dependence. Children and teenagers should learn how artificial intelligence works, but not in the sense of training them to…
Research and classroom experience suggest that joy does more than make learning pleasant: it helps young children focus, regulate emotions, explore ideas and retain new skills. Joy may look like a pleasant extra in early education, but researchers and educators…
Rising demand, shrinking playing spaces and a shortage of volunteers are turning children’s football into a more selective and unequal experience, even as German football leaders call for a return to free play. A father who expected his sons’ football…
A randomised trial found that supervised, at-home aerobic exercise improved symptoms and quality of life faster than stretching, particularly when started within three months of injury. A new randomised trial in JAMA Pediatrics suggests that teenagers with lingering concussion symptoms…
Psychologist Katie Castle says intense training in childhood should be tailored to each athlete, as research links early specialisation with injury, burnout and withdrawal from sport. A growing debate in gymnastics is focusing less on how early a child can…
With only one in 10 children with intellectual disabilities meeting daily activity guidelines, advocates say adapted sport must be treated as essential infrastructure rather than optional support. For those involved in para sport, the value of inclusion is visible long…
