Capital or Lowercase First? Teaching Preschoolers to Write the Alphabet
Capital letters or lowercase first? What England's early years guidance and curriculum, US standards and a study of 461 preschoolers say about it.
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StudyX Devlog: BrainDojo Kids
StudyX Devlog articles tagged "BrainDojo Kids".
Rhymes and Word Games Before Writing: What Phonological Awareness Is
What rhyme, syllable clapping and first-sound games do before children write, from England's early years guidance and Japanese studies of shiritori.
Messy Handwriting in Kids: What to Look At Before You Say Anything
What to check and what to say when a child's handwriting looks messy, from England's national curriculum and a study of 900 children in grades 1 to 9.
Are Mazes Good for Preschoolers? What a Child Does in a Maze
When can kids start mazes, and what do they build? A trial with 4- and 5-year-olds, what kids do in a maze, and how to pick or draw paper mazes at home.
Do Reward Stickers Backfire? The Studies, and How to Use a Stamp Calendar
Can a sticker chart lower a child's interest? A 1973 preschool experiment, a 128-study review and two vegetable trials show when rewards backfire.
Scissor Practice for Toddlers: A Safe Order for Learning to Cut
Children learn scissors in steps: single snips, cutting along lines, curves, then shapes. Age guides, choosing scissors, house rules and how to hold them.
Learning to Take Turns: What Family Games Teach Children Aged 3 to 6
When a preschooler can't wait for a turn: research on waiting, what game-based self-regulation trials found, ways to shorten the wait, and what to say.
When Can Kids Play Memory Games? Simpler Rules for Playing Concentration With Preschoolers
At what age can kids play Concentration? Research on whether children beat adults, how memory grows from 4, simpler rules to try, and paper cards vs apps.
Teaching Addition to Preschoolers: Is Counting on Fingers a Good Idea?
How to introduce addition to kids aged 3 to 6: what to have in place first, moving from counting all to counting on, and what research says about fingers.
Saying Numbers Is Not Understanding Them: What One-to-One Correspondence Means
A child who can recite numbers may not understand them yet. Gelman and Gallistel's counting principles, one-to-one correspondence and number games at home.
When Do Kids Learn Left and Right? How to Teach It
Children name left and right correctly on their own body from about age 7. How it develops, the link to mirror writing, and how to teach it.
Weak Pencil Pressure in Children: Play That Builds Hand Strength
When a child's writing looks faint: pencils and posture to check, likely causes, play that builds finger strength, paper vs apps, and when to get advice.
How to Write a Letter to Santa: Tips for Kids Writing on Their Own
Help your child write a letter to Santa themselves: what to include, ways for pre-writers to join in, how to support early writers, and where to send it.
Tablet Rules for Preschoolers: Setting House Rules at Home
House rules for giving a preschooler a tablet: where, when, which apps, how to stop, and how adults use screens, with guidance from paediatric bodies.
How Long Can Preschoolers Focus? Attention at Ages 3 to 6
How long a 3 to 6-year-old can focus: what research on attention in young children shows, how to read the age-plus-one rule, and what parents can do.
How to Teach Kids to Write Numbers: Which Order to Use
When preschoolers can start writing 0 to 9, an order that begins with the easiest digits, tricky ones like 2, 5 and 8, and how digits differ by country.
Why Kids Write Letters Backwards: Correct It or Wait?
Mirror writing is common in children who are just learning letters. What research says about why, how long to wait, what to say at home, and when to ask.
Pre-Writing Strokes: Line Practice Before Letters
Pre-writing strokes are the lines children practise before letters: straight, diagonal, curved, zigzag and round. When to start, the order, and tools.
How to Teach Kids to Tell Time: Where They Get Stuck and What Order to Use
When children learn to tell time at school, why a clock is harder than it looks, and an order to teach it at home: o'clock, half past, fives, minutes.
How to Teach Pencil Grip: The Order That Works for Young Children
Pencil grip develops in stages, from a fist grasp to a three-finger grip. Typical ages, what research says about grip variations, and an order to teach it.
When Do Kids Start Writing Letters? Signs of Readiness and How to Prepare
When can children start writing letters? What UK, US and Japanese school standards expect, survey data on hiragana, signs of readiness and how to prepare.
BrainDojo Kids vs Other Ways to Start Handwriting at 3 to 6
How BrainDojo Kids compares with tracing workbooks, Khan Academy Kids, tracing apps and a family game night, and when each one is the better fit.
Who Is BrainDojo Kids For?
Who benefits from BrainDojo Kids: three-year-olds meeting letters for the first time, children preparing for school, families with siblings, and households raising a language abroad.
Practical Tips for Using BrainDojo Kids Every Day
Ideas that make BrainDojo Kids work in a real household: stopping at three activities, when to use a stylus, saving My Font twice a year, and reading the learning report.
Getting Started with BrainDojo Kids: Your Child's First Session
New to BrainDojo Kids? Set up a player, run the first three Today's Training activities, walk through a course, and set a daily time limit before you hand over the device.