top of page
Patterns before numbers: why repeating patterns matter for early maths
Red, blue, red, blue... what comes next? Spotting and extending patterns looks like a simple nursery activity. Research suggests it is connected to how children's maths develops.
EduTrend Contents
13 hours ago2 min read
Puzzles, blocks and the spatial skills behind maths and science
Turning a jigsaw piece in your head, reading a map or imagining a folded box: these spatial skills predict success in maths, science and engineering.
EduTrend Contents
13 hours ago2 min read
Is chess good for children's thinking? What the evidence says
Chess is often promoted as a way to make children better at maths and problem-solving.
EduTrend Contents
13 hours ago2 min read
Do brain-training apps make children smarter?
Many apps promise to boost memory, attention or even IQ. The research is clear that children get better at the training games. It is much less clear that anything else improves.
EduTrend Contents
13 hours ago2 min read
Why a simple number board game helps young children with maths
A home-made board with the numbers 1 to 10 in a straight line, a spinner and two counters.
EduTrend Contents
13 hours ago2 min read
Executive function: the three thinking skills behind "Stop and think"
When a child waits for their turn, remembers three instructions or tries a new way after the first one fails, they are using executive function.
EduTrend Contents
13 hours ago2 min read
Free Play Starter Guide: 10 learning games for home and class
Ten games that need nothing more than paper, a pencil, a few household objects and some space.
EduTrend Contents
14 hours ago7 min read
The water-filter challenge: teaching children that clear is not the same as clean
Building a filter from sand and gravel is a classic science challenge.
EduTrend Contents
14 hours ago2 min read
Why does the Moon change shape? A one-lamp activity for children
Many adults believe Earth's shadow causes the Moon's phases. It does not. A lamp and a ball on a stick let children see the real reason in ten minutes.
EduTrend Contents
14 hours ago2 min read
Layers in a jar: how to show children where rocks come from
Shake sand, gravel and soil in a jar of water and wait ten minutes. The layers that form are the start of the story of sedimentary rock, and children can see it happen.
EduTrend Contents
14 hours ago2 min read
The seed trial: a first real experiment for young scientists
Growing cress on cotton wool is an old classroom activity. Turned into a fair test, it teaches the most important idea in science: change one thing, keep everything else the same.
EduTrend Contents
14 hours ago2 min read
Kitchen chemistry for 7 to 12 year olds: the red cabbage test
A red cabbage, some vinegar and baking soda are enough to show children how chemists tell acids from bases. It takes one hour, costs almost nothing, and children remember it.
EduTrend Contents
14 hours ago2 min read
How to start a physics and engineering club for 8 to 12 year olds
A good science club does not need a lab or expensive kits. It needs one repeatable design cycle, cheap materials, a safe room and a leader who asks more than they tell.
EduTrend Contents
14 hours ago3 min read
Students as game designers
When students design games instead of only playing them, they practise planning, explaining rules and testing ideas.
EduTrend Contents
14 hours ago2 min read
Screen-free play at home
For children under five, the World Health Organization recommends little or no sedentary screen time and plenty of active play.
EduTrend Contents
14 hours ago2 min read
Can play teach empathy?
Pretend play and role-play are often said to build empathy. The research supports a link, but it is weaker than many websites suggest.
EduTrend Contents
14 hours ago2 min read
Games that build self-control
Simple stop-and-go games can help young children practise self-control.
EduTrend Contents
14 hours ago3 min read
bottom of page