Sue Atkins’ Post

Check out Data Girl and Friends new video ‼️

These wonderful people met up in real life & sent me this glorious photo ‼️ Angeline Corvaglia & John Cavanaugh We are all working hard behind the scenes together - watch this space & hang on to your hats 🎩 folks ‼️

As a former Deputy Headteacher I know just how busy the end of Summer Term can be but I thought I’d ask you to help me as you send out your end of year #Newsletters 🚀 Attention Headteachers and Teachers! 🚀 Are you looking for a valuable free resource to share with parents in your school community? Look no further! 🎧✨ Introducing the "Navigating the Digital Jungle with Sue Atkins and Friends" Podcast! 🌐🌳 with Angeline Corvaglia Tara Jones Marneta Viegas Lucy S. Dr. Amanda Gummer Bill Schmarzo Beth Mosley Favill Gill Dr.Rekha Chaudhari In today’s tech-driven world, balancing screen time and family life is more challenging than ever. This podcast is designed to provide insightful tips, expert advice, and practical strategies for parents to help their children thrive in a digital age. 📱👨👩👧👦 🎙️ What’s in it for parents? Expert Interviews: Learn from leading experts in technology, education, and child development. Practical Tips: Easy-to-implement advice on managing screen time, promoting online safety, and encouraging healthy tech habits. Real Stories: Hear from other parents navigating the same challenges. 🎯 Why share this with your school community? Free Resource: It’s completely free and accessible to everyone. Timely Content: Relevant and up-to-date information to support families. Empower Parents: Equip parents with the knowledge they need to foster a balanced and healthy tech environment at home. 📩 How to Share: Include the link to the podcast in your school newsletters, website, and parent communications. Let’s empower our parents with the tools they need to guide their children through the digital landscape! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eqKbK-dc Thank you for supporting my passion and my mission to balance technology and family life. Please feel free to repost to your communities 🙏 Together, we can make a difference! 🌟 #DigitalParenting #EdTech #FamilyLife #ParentingTips #SchoolCommunity #NavigatingTheDigitalJungle

Since Coldplay asked fans at Glastonbury to put their phones down and their hands up, I’ve been exploring different solutions to make family life a little more phone-free. One solution I found particularly intriguing is Yondr. Yondr pioneered making music events phone-free and gained national attention in 2015 when it was used by Dave Chappelle and Live Nation Entertainment for his shows at Thalia Hall in Chicago. Since then, Yondr has expanded its innovative approach to education and family life, which caught my eye while researching for my new episode of Navigating the Digital Jungle with Sue Atkins and Friends. https://lnkd.in/eQABftsD Yondr is a fantastic idea for families as it encourages quality, phone-free time together. By removing smartphones from the equation, families can focus on meaningful interactions and shared experiences without the constant pull of notifications and social media. This kind of environment really encourages & promotes being fully present, which fosters deeper connections and more meaningful conversations, particularly during meal times which I’m really in favour of. I'm always looking for ways to help families reduce screen time not ban it because as we all know excessive screen time can be detrimental to children, parents & the whole family. Yondr helps families manage screen time effectively, promoting healthier habits and encouraging alternative activities such as outdoor play, reading, and face-to-face conversations 👏 If you're looking at ways to help your family reconnect and reduce digital distractions, Yondr could be the solution you've been looking for. It’s all about enhancing your family life and creating memories that last a lifetime isn’t it? Don’t forget to look out for today’s episode - it’s all about becoming ‘Digital Defenders Against Cyberbullying‼️’ #FamilyTime #ScreenFree #Yondr #DigitalWellbeing #QualityTime #MindfulLiving

Love this catchy way to help people remember ‼️ Definitely one to ‘talk with’ your kids about ways to #ControlYourScroll’ & be aware of #algorithms ‼️📱 We’ll chat about it on Navigating the Digital Jungle with Sue Atkins & Friends’ Angeline Corvaglia Tara Jones 🎙️ Take a listen to episodes here or wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts 🎧 https://lnkd.in/eQABftsD

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Navigating the Digital Jungle: How Technology Can Help Prepare Children for Eco-Friendly Careers.

👶The Importance of 16 Months👶🏽 Recent research suggests that excessive smartphone use can indeed limit cognitive development in early toddlerhood, highlighting the critical importance of interactive, real-world experiences for cognitive skills development, particularly around 16 months of age. Key Findings from Studies: Delayed Language Development: A study published in the journal ‘JAMA Pediatrics’ found that infants exposed to more screen time had delayed expressive language skills. At 18 months, each additional 30 minutes of daily screen time was associated with a 49% increased risk of expressive speech delay This period is crucial for language acquisition. Toddlers learn by interacting with caregivers & their environment, which can be limited by screen time Reduced Parent-Child Interaction: Studies indicate that screen time can reduce the quality & quantity of parent-child interaction, which is essential for cognitive & emotional development. A study from the University of Toronto found that increased screen time at 18 months was linked to poorer performance on developmental screening tests at 30 months . Attention and Executive Function: A study published in "Pediatrics" reported that children who had more screen exposure before 18 months had more attention problems & poorer executive function at 3 years old Executive function skills, which include attention control, inhibitory control & working memory, begin to develop during this time & are crucial for later academic success Imaginative Play and Problem-Solving Screen time can limit opportunities for imaginative play & problem-solving activities. According to a report by the American Academy of Pediatrics, play that is not screen-based promotes cognitive, physical, social & emotional well-being, offering more diverse sensory experiences & creative opportunities Engaging in hands-on play is critical for developing problem-solving skills & creativity at this stage. Recommendations: Limit Screen Time: The American Academy of Pediatrics advises no screen time for children under 18 months, except for video chatting. For toddlers aged 18 to 24 months, if parents choose to introduce digital media, it should be high-quality & watched together with the child to help them understand what they are seeing. Encourage Real-World Interaction: Focus on activities that promote interaction, such as reading books, playing with toys, & spending time outdoors. Parental Involvement: Actively engage with toddlers during their screen time to ensure it is interactive & educational. Discuss the content and relate it to real-world experiences. The research underscores the importance of limiting screen time & promoting real-world interactions, especially around the critical developmental milestone of 16 months. While technology can offer educational benefits, it is crucial to balance it with interactive, hands-on activities that foster cognitive & social skills.

Cognitive skills in early toddlerhood: Study demonstrates importance of 16-months A child's first two years of life are crucial for developing cognitive skills, particularly executive functions that help adjust thoughts, actions, and behaviours for everyday life. Inhibitory control is one important executive function. This particular skill allows individuals to stop themselves from doing something out of impulse, habit or temptation. It's already known that inhibitory control begins to develop in infancy and grows into early childhood. However, until now, the brain mechanisms involved in its development were unclear. Toddlers engage more regions of their brains around 16-months to help them develop important cognitive skills, enabling them to follow simple instructions and control impulses. Findings from the study, led by the Universities of Bristol and Oxford, and published in Imaging Neuroscience, suggests 16 months is a critical period for brain development. The study was led by Abigail Fiske, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford, and Karla Holmboe, Associate Professor in Developmental Science at the University of Bristol's School of Psychological Science. They said, "These results are exciting because they shed new light on substantial changes in the brain across the transition from infancy to toddlerhood, despite there being no improvement in inhibitory control skills over this period. "Our findings contribute new knowledge about the role of brain areas in early development and could help future research piece together a picture of how an important cognitive skill (inhibitory control), and the brain areas involved, develop from infancy to adulthood." Fiske and Holmboe added, "What are the implications for parents and caregivers? It's often noticed that toddlers frequently struggle to stop themselves from doing something. In our study we have shown that lots of changes are happening in toddlers' brains, and we think that these changes support them in learning this important new skill. The results reveal that 16 months is a critical period for brain development, enabling toddlers to follow simple instructions and control their impulses. https://lnkd.in/efT4iK-k

I’ve always been a Tigger, so much so when I left teaching I bought a Tigger figure instead of a trophy as an Award to be given out to the most enthusiastic child every term as recognition of that important quality that I am naturally blessed to have. I even created a character in my ‘Can Do Kids Journal’ that was based on Tigger that I had to change due to copyright. Handling disappointment can be particularly challenging for someone who is naturally enthusiastic, like Tigger. Tigger's boundless energy and optimism often mean he approaches life with high expectations and a positive outlook. When things don't go as planned, the crash from that high can feel especially intense. For this year’s Euros I decided to reign in my enthusiasm for England as I have spent my lifetime disappointed - exhausted by penalty shoot outs, poor strategies, unlucky managers & acts of God by Maradonna 🖐️ 🥅 Despite having Jude Bellingham, the huge talent at only 21, I’m tired watching through fingertips. Disappointment is a bit of a double edged sword in business TBH too - starting projects with people who don’t live up to expectations can be tiring. I’ve written before about how to help children bounce back from disappointments. Here’s just a couple of quick tips to manage disappointment that I find help while maintaining my enthusiastic spirit: Acknowledge Your Feelings: It's important to recognise & validate your disappointment. Tigger might usually bounce back quickly, but even he needs to take a moment to understand why he's feeling down. Accepting your emotions is the first step in processing them. Reflect on the Experience: Take some time to reflect on what happened and why things didn't go as expected. This reflection can help you learn and grow from the experience, ensuring that future efforts are more successful. Stay Positive: While it's essential to acknowledge disappointment, it's equally important to maintain your optimistic outlook. Tigger's enthusiasm can be a great asset so focus on the positives & remind yourself of past successes. Set Realistic Expectations: Enthusiastic people often set high expectations for themselves. While aiming high is great, it’s also beneficial to set realistic goals and prepare for various outcomes. This way, disappointment is less overwhelming when things don't go perfectly. So, there we go - ways to handle disappointment - let’s hope I don’t have to after 90 minutes‼️⚽️