Kidobi Articles

Guest Post: Private School vs Public School vs Home Schooling

May 16, 2012 2 comments

As the summer draws nearer and parents are planning for next year’s schooling, we’re featuring one parent’s opinion on the debate about whether to take [...]

In Defence of Screen-Free Week

May 10, 2012 3 comments

I’m not the kind of parent that thinks that television will rot my kids’ brains or that using an iPad will give them ADHD. Yet [...]

Reflections on the Screen: One Parent’s Perspective on Going Screen-Free for One Week

May 10, 2012

I am a parent. I work on a computer and I use a smartphone. I play video games and I watch films and television programs. [...]

To share or not to share, the social media question

March 13, 2012

Social media is everywhere. Everyone is sharing their lives online, whether it is a brand engaging with their customers on Facebook, moms exchanging parenting advice [...]

Who decides which movies are appropriate for your kids?

February 10, 2012

Are you conflicted over which movies are appropriate for your kids? Do you find yourself prescreening or fast-forwarding certain scenes in children’s movie classics like [...]

The “New Smart”: Will media and tech help our kids save the world?

January 26, 2012

We have all heard that our children are being educated now for jobs that don’t exist yet (if you haven’t, check out this Youtube video). Recently [...]

Virtual Villages: How mommy bloggers create communities

January 13, 2012

On any given day if you search online for a parenting question, Google will direct you to hundreds of blogs that will give you an [...]

Butcher knives at bedtime, as dangerous as co-sleeping?

January 6, 2012

Have you seen the recent controversial ads issued by the Milwaukee Health Department? In the ads, seemingly peaceful babies are asleep with sharp butcher’s knifes [...]

Two Cultures with a Twist

December 14, 2011

When I was little, my parents and I moved to Toronto, Canada from Russia. When we first arrived it was hard for me to find [...]

Taking a Risk on Winter Sports & Activities with the Kids

December 8, 2011

Most kids look forward to the holidays in December and the first few snowfalls. With the cold, dark, and snowy days that follow, it’s easy [...]

Lost in the Cereal Aisle: the Pester Power of our Kids

December 2, 2011

Children are exposed to ads everywhere: on television, on the Internet, on busses and billboards. There are vast amounts of advertisements for chocolate, cereal, toys, [...]

Is There a Right Way to Introduce your Kids to the Internet?

November 17, 2011

More and more of our children are learning about the internet at a young age. Common Sense Media’s recently release study Zero to Eight: Children’s [...]

Reasons to Read

November 10, 2011

I remember when I was little, my grandmother would sit me down and we would read stories together. She would read fairy tales, poems, and [...]

Can Babies Learn from Screens?

November 4, 2011 1 comment

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated their policy on media use for young children. Lead author Dr. Ari Brown, acknowledged that the original [...]

This November is all About Media Literacy

November 1, 2011 1 comment

Lately parents have been inundated with news about how much children use technology and the effect it is having on young children. From the AAP’s [...]

Halloween Safety

October 21, 2011 1 comment

With one of most of our kids’ favourite holidays just around the corner, many parents are looking for costumes that allow their little monster to [...]

Une Fusion Des Cultures Pendant L’Action de Grâce

October 7, 2011

L’action de Grâce est de nouveaux dans nos pensées, une belle tradition qui annonce la fin de l’été et l’arrivée de Halloween. Une pensée pour [...]

Is Digital Literacy a Necessary Part of our Kids’ Educations?

September 30, 2011

Imagine a classroom where a teacher asks a question to a group of students and instead of a few hands rising to answer the question, [...]

No More Meal-Time Frustrations

September 29, 2011

Do you start your mealtime with “Mommy I don’t want this for breakfast/ lunch and dinner”? Is it frustrating to get your kids to eat [...]

Another Reason for Parents to Feel Guilty? Study Suggests Fast Cartoons Impair Learning

September 19, 2011 1 comment

Stories emerge regularly about children’s attention (or lack thereof). Television, cellphones, and handheld devices are getting a good deal of blame. The claims sound something [...]

New School Year & New Beginnings

September 9, 2011

It’s that time of year again! Your kids are putting on their backpacks and heading off to school. Whether this is your child’s first year at school [...]

Monthly Roundup

September 1, 2011

Here are some interesting articles and organizations that we found for the month of August… Technology A rising phenomenon among teens is sleep texting: they [...]

Lessons from a Summer Adventure

August 26, 2011

Did you check off all the items on your Bucket List this summer? Here is one of our reader’s summer adventures… Kate’s summer road trip [...]

Safety First: Are Less Safe Playgrounds Better for Kids in the Long Run?

August 19, 2011

If you think back to your childhood and your time spent on a playground, it probably looked very different from what is found in today’s [...]

Childhood Obesity: A Growing Problem

August 12, 2011 2 comments

Remember the days when kids spent their summer days outside from sunrise to sunset? Obesity was not nearly as much as a problem as it [...]

Fit Bodies, Fit Brains: Can Exercise Make Kids Smarter?

August 5, 2011 2 comments

In today’s world of video games, Netflix and iPads, it’s understandable that it has become harder and harder for people to stay active; an increasing [...]

Moving in the Right Direction: Schools Buck Junk Food in Favour of Healthy Options

July 26, 2011 1 comment

Schools are faced with a growing sense of responsibility when it comes to encouraging healthy eating habits for students. New government legislation and initiatives by [...]

Monday’s Roundup

July 5, 2011

Links from last week to get you talking… Study found that whining children was the most distracting sound.-Debra Black Getting an influenza vaccine while pregnant [...]

Summer Learning Loss: Myth or Reality?

June 30, 2011 3 comments

School is finally done and kids are excited about their summer holidays! In between swimming pools and summer parties how will you engage your kids [...]

Monday’s Roundup

June 27, 2011 1 comment

Links from last week to get you talking… At what age should we start teaching our kids how to read? babyhood? kindergarten? - Lisa Guernsey Summer [...]

Every child is different (and their media should be too)

June 24, 2011 1 comment

Sure it’s a cliché, but it is true: every family is different. We don’t expect every family to eat the same things for dinner each [...]

Summer Time

June 21, 2011

Kids are out and the summer is finally here! Need some ideas on what to do with your child? Here at Kidobi we thought of [...]

Let’s take a moment to appreciate our dads!

June 17, 2011

With father’s day coming up it’s the perfect time to reflect on the importance of dads! They are always there for you when you need [...]

A Storm of Criticism

June 1, 2011 1 comment

By now you have probably heard about the Toronto family that was featured in the Toronto Star earlier this month. Their decision not to reveal [...]

A Walk in the Park

May 30, 2011 2 comments

An active lifestyle is always beneficial for you and your child, so getting the daily recommended 60 minute physical activity is very important. According to [...]

iBaby: Apps for the Youngest of the Young

January 14, 2011 1 comment

Now that the Consumer Electronics Show has wrapped up in Las Vegas, Nevada this past weekend, the arms race in the so-called tablet wars appears [...]

What the Future has in Store: How Technology can Help Children Learn and Grow

December 31, 2010 1 comment

As 2010 wraps up there is a tendency to look back and reflect upon the year that has past. At Kidobi it has been an [...]

Will Netbooks Replace Textbooks?

November 18, 2010 1 comment

As new technologies pervade our lives, their increasingly visible presence in the classroom continues to be controversial. Schools around the world are beginning to embrace [...]

Literacy in a Digital Age: Why handwriting isn’t dead yet (and why it won’t be any time soon)

November 8, 2010

As tablets, laptops, and cell phones continue to permeate every nook and cranny of our society (I wasn’t the only one reading from a touch [...]

The Family that Watches Together…: Helping Your Child Get More Out of Television

October 18, 2010

Decades of research show that children learn about literacy, math, social skills, and more when they watch well-designed educational television shows like Sesame Street or [...]

Blackberries in Class: Digital Distraction or Tech-savvy Teaching Tool?

September 23, 2010

Last week Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty stirred up a little controversy about the use of blackberries and other smartphones in Ontario classrooms. The hullabaloo comes [...]

Junk Food Under Fire

August 5, 2010 4 comments

Recent studies in Canada and the U.S. urge more careful constraints when it comes to advertising to young kids. Licensed to Sell A study published [...]

Do Video Games and TV affect your child’s attention span?

July 15, 2010

Research published in the latest edition of the journal Pediatrics finds a strong correlation between screen time and attention problems. The authors of the study [...]

Happy Meal Toys Make Some Consumer Advocates Angry

June 25, 2010

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has filed a notice of suit against McDonald’s suggesting that it is unfair to market directly to [...]

Media Coverage on Study of Children and Television is Incomplete

June 2, 2010 1 comment

The Alliance for Children and Television, an industry organization that promotes the production of high-quality children’s programming, has released a response to the coverage in [...]

Are Diaper Commercials Getting Too Grown-up?

May 31, 2010 1 comment

Recently, two diaper companies have stirred up some controversy with their ad-campaigns that some say sexualize babies. A commercial for Huggies’ new, limited edition, denim [...]

Stop and Go: Research Suggests Television is (Not) Bad for Children

May 26, 2010 3 comments

The debate about children and television rages on, with recent research articles supporting both sides. On one hand, screen time for young children can reduce [...]

Games Teach Kids about Advertising

April 30, 2010 3 comments

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has released a new online game, called Admongo, aimed at educating 8-12 year olds about the ubiquity of advertising. In [...]

Happy World Book and Copyright Day!

April 23, 2010

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has established today, April 23, as the World Book and Copyright Day. This particular day was [...]

Will Mobile Technologies Spark a Revolution in Education?

April 8, 2010 3 comments

The mobile revolution is in full swing, with 31% of kids between 8 and 10 owning cell phones[1], and countless more with iPod touches (or [...]

Media Gatekeepers: The Parent’s Role

March 2, 2010

Many children today spend more time with media than any other activity, save for sleeping. With technology getting faster, smarter, and smaller, parents are, more [...]

TV in the Bedroom: Friend or Foe?

February 25, 2010

Kids are immersed in media these days. And while the use of computers, smartphones, and other mobile technologies continues to grow, television still dominates children’s [...]

Kids’ Media Use on the Rise: Generation M2 Study

February 2, 2010 1 comment

The Kaiser Family Foundation recently released a report called Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds, which provides information about children’s media [...]

Family Literacy Day

January 27, 2010 1 comment

In honour of Family Literacy Day we’ve got some suggestions for parents about how to encourage reading and writing with their preschoolers. Reading to your [...]

Keeping Kids Safe Online

January 18, 2010 1 comment

Listening to Spark over the weekend, CBC Radio’s technology show, raised some interesting questions about our children’s online experience. With instant messaging, email, and virtual [...]

The ESRB Releases iPhone App for Parents

January 15, 2010

Gamers and their parents are likely to be aware of the Entertainment Software Ratings Board’s (ESRB) rating system for video games, whether they use them [...]

Google’s Project Spectrum

January 5, 2010

Google’s 3D modeling software called Sketchup has found some enthusiastic users in kids that are on the autism spectrum. After the launch of Sketchup, Google [...]

Children and Media Violence

January 4, 2010 1 comment

Probably the most talked about, debated, and studied topic in media research is media violence. Researchers have spent decades studying media violence, its prevalence on [...]

Technology to Keep in Touch

December 16, 2009 1 comment

Mobile phone manufacturer Nokia has created a new device, called Storyplay, designed to allow grandparents to share the story book experience with their grandkids over [...]

Emotional Development and Learning to Share

December 8, 2009

As parents, we recognize the importance of encouraging pro-social behaviour, and one of the big concerns among many parents of preschoolers is sharing. Most parents [...]

Prix Jeunesse International Deadline Fast Approaching!

December 4, 2009

Prix Jeunesse International is a festival and competition that promotes excellence in children’s television. Production houses and broadcasters alike are invited to submit their shows, [...]

Choosing quality preschool programs: Tips for parents

December 1, 2009

There are many television shows, movies, and DVDs targeting a preschool audience, but finding quality programming for young children is easier said than done. Quality [...]

Maybe Einstein: Can DVDs Make Your Baby a Genius?

October 27, 2009

Baby Einstein is in the news again. Disney is offering refunds for its Baby Einstein DVD series, which some have interpreted as a tacit admission [...]

Halloween Safety Tips

October 22, 2009

Halloween is definitely one of the kids’ favourite days on the calendar and there are lots of little things parents can do to make sure [...]

Hear no Evil: Explicit Lyrics and Youth Behaviour

October 19, 2009

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a policy statement today urging paediatricians and parents alike to “take a stand regarding music lyrics” due to [...]

Ipods in School: Books vs Bytes

October 13, 2009 2 comments

I read an article on cbc.ca over the weekend about the Calgary School Board encouraging the use of digital technologies, such as ipods and smartphones, [...]

Educational Video Games

October 9, 2009 3 comments

The educational games market is growing, but many still think that educational = boring. I think this misses the point about how kids interact with [...]

The Puzzle of Emotions: Video Teaches Children with Autism

October 6, 2009

Researchers at the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University have developed an interactive video product designed to help teach children with autism to recognize emotions. [...]

Navigating the Media Maze: Resources for Parents

October 5, 2009

With countless television shows, electronic learning aids, video games, and websites for young children, many making educational claims, parents may be wondering about what is [...]

R Invented Spellings Helping Kids Read?

October 2, 2009

As one component of those early precursors to reading and writing, called emergent literacy skills, invented spellings do actually help young children develop their ability [...]

Good Books for a Great Start

October 1, 2009

For parents interested in helping their children learn to read I have a few suggestions for books that are fun and reinforce emergent literacy skills [...]

Educational Television: Are Kids Really Learning Anything?

September 17, 2009 3 comments

There has been much debate over the last few decades about the educational value of television, particularly for young children. While researchers have discovered both [...]

Ready, Set, Learn! Going Back to School

September 9, 2009

It is the start of another school year, and for children going to school for the first time it can be a little bit scary. [...]

Reading Rainbow’s Last Chapter

September 4, 2009

Last Friday the classic children’s television show Reading Rainbow, that encouraged kids to “take a look, it’s in a book,” aired its final episode. Having [...]

Foreign and Native Language Programming: A Strong Cultural Tool

September 3, 2009

I just received an email this morning from a friend who had returned to Japan after many years working in Canada as a neurologist. Her [...]

The Power of Babble: Teaching Children Languages

September 2, 2009 2 comments

There are many reasons a parent might want their child to learn a second language, from being able to get a better job to being [...]

Child Safety (Part 2): Tips and Precautions

September 1, 2009

Tips to improve child safety Issues of child safety don’t have to be scary for kids. Parents should teach their children to be alert to [...]

Child Safety (Part 1) and Protecting Children

September 1, 2009

Child safety is in the news again with the story of Jaycee Dugard, who was abducted and kept in captivity for the last 19 years. [...]

Dialogic Reading: How to make the most of story time

August 26, 2009 1 comment

Reading storybooks with your kids is a great way to teach them early literacy skills and share the joy of a great story. But what [...]

Marketing to kids: How concerned should parents be?

August 25, 2009

Advertising is everywhere in our society. We see it on billboards, in print, on television, and on the internet. Then there are product placements in [...]

Parenting Coach

August 24, 2009

I use a Parenting Coach and I highly recommend this support service to every parent. Unlike a life coach or therapist, a Parenting Coach specializes [...]

Children and Media Use: How much is too much?

August 19, 2009

Most parents struggle with this question at some point in their child’s life. On one hand there are quality shows and movies that children enjoy. [...]

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Featured Articles

In Defence of Screen-Free Week

Reflections on the Screen: One Parent’s Perspective on Going Screen-Free for One Week

To share or not to share, the social media question

Who decides which movies are appropriate for your kids?

The “New Smart”: Will media and tech help our kids save the world?

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