PARENTING FOR THE SCIENCE-MINDED -- by Gwen Dewar, Ph.D

Founded by an evolutionary anthropologist, this parenting resource is for critical thinkers -- people who want to understand child development from the perspectives of psychology, anthropology, evolution, and cognitive neuroscience.

I’ve got opinions. But who cares? You might be a scientist, physician, or teacher. Maybe you're an educated, skeptical layperson who loves science. Whatever the case, you don't need a sermon. You need evidence. You can draw your own conclusions.

So here it is: No folk theories. No preachy advice. No authoritarian pronouncements or pseudoscientific political dogma. Instead, you’ll find my analysis of the research, fully-referenced so you know where to go if you want to dig deeper yourself.

Recent highlights

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  1. Help kids make friends: 12 evidence-based tips

    Oct 18, 20 07:55 PM

    How can we help kids make friends? Here are twelve tips based on the latest research.

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  2. Choosing books for beginning readers: Sometimes less is more

    Oct 10, 20 08:14 PM

    What are the best books for beginning readers? Books with simple, minimalist illustrations can help kids focus -- and better understand what they are reading.

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  3. The newborn senses: What can babies feel, see, hear, smell, and taste?

    Oct 02, 20 10:07 PM

    How do newborns perceive the world? Can they see in color? How blurry is their vision? Can they recognize you by scent? Learn more about the newborn senses.

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  4. Infant toilet training: The scientific evidence

    Sep 26, 20 07:21 PM

    The science of infant toilet training. Information about potty training techniques, baby bladders, and the potential benefits of early toilet training.

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  5. National Vote Registration Day

    Sep 22, 20 06:25 PM

    Parents and children suffer when politicians make bad choices. What can we do about it? Vote! Today is National Vote Registration Day in the United States. For help getting registered, visit: https…

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Praise for Parenting Science

"[A] welcome antidote to the opinion dressed up as science that parents are constantly fed. Tear up your parenting books and get yourselves over there..."

- Charles Fernyhough, Ph.D., developmental psychologist and author of A Thousand Days of Wonder: A Scientist’s Chronicle of his Daughter’s Developing Mind

"...[O]ne of the most awesome websites I’ve seen in a long time…In addition to being helpful to academic parents, I see this site being useful in anthropology courses on human sexuality, life history, parenting, evolutionary medicine, evolutionary psychology, etc. Please check it out!"

- Julienne Rutherford, Ph.D., University of Illinois biological anthropologist and founder of the Biological Anthropology Developing Investigators Troop (BANDIT)

"I came across a great website run by Gwen Dewar, one I wish it had been available to me when my children were young. I hope everyone interested in math and kids will look at In search of the smart preschool board game and other pages on this site."

- Bill Marsh, Ph.D., in mathematics and author of MathInking, a blog about teaching math

Copyright © 2006-2020 by Gwen Dewar, Ph.D.; all rights reserved.
For educational purposes only. If you suspect you have a medical problem, please see a physician.

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