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This chart shows when each new sport joined the Olympic Games
Our chart shows new additions since 1984 that have stuck around.
Generate brilliant ideas by relaxing your cognitive filters
Your brain is bursting with ideas, and most of them are … weird. You only have to recall the wonderfully bonkers notions of your childhood. Like the time you wanted […]
Thought experiments: A surefire way to stretch your team’s creativity
Quick! There’s a runaway train on the tracks. Some dastardly evildoer has knocked the driver out cold and tied five people to the tracks ahead. The train is barreling down […]
6 steps for building your innovation prototyping kit
Writers, filmmakers, and mythologizing biographers tend to imagine innovation originates with a lone genius who has “the spark,” that light-bulb moment when the path from inspiration to world-altering invention reveals […]
Just 1 month in greener play areas could boost kids’ immune systems, study says
The researchers say their findings support the idea that low biodiversity in modern living environments could lead to "uneducated" immune systems.
What we want from horror is a cardiac jump-start, study suggests
A study looks at the ingredients of a good scare.
How music therapy benefits the autistic brain
While the benefits of music therapy are well known, more in-depth research explores how music benefits children with autism.
New research finds playfulness is a skill anyone can learn
The improvement in personal well-being might be worth effort.
Can a quantum strategy help bring down the house?
Study finds quantum entanglement could, in principle, give a slight advantage in the game of blackjack.
Creativity: The science behind the madness
Human brains evolved for creativity. We just have to learn how to access it.
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Chemistry for kids: Make a DIY bubble snake!
A fun and completely safe experiment for the family to try during quarantine.
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Kids today are lacking these psychological nutrients
The key to raising indistractable kids is to first determine why they're distracted.
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Why helicopter parenting backfires on kids
Childhood is an important developmental feature of being human. Helicopter parenting disrupts that.
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Nature-deficit disorder: What kids lose by not experiencing the outdoors enough
Research explains the positive impact and health benefits of children spending more time in nature.
7 (more) board games to help kids think big
We catalogue seven more board games to teach children science, problem-solving, and even foster their creativity.
10 video games to help kids think big
We found 10 video games that kids will love (and they'll secretly be learning, too).
Why more play is the key to creativity and productivity
Adult recess and other apparently ridiculous activities may be one of the best ways to feel, work, and be better.
Lateral thinking: How to workshop innovative ideas
Don't underestimate the power of play when it comes to problem-solving.
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New study: Like humans, world’s smallest bears can mimic faces too
This may be more common in mammals than we'd thought.
Toddlers engage more with print books than ebooks, developmental researchers say
Researchers find that toddlers verbalize and interact more with their parents when reading sessions feature print books, not tablets.
7 best board games to help children think big
Like sneaking veggies into dessert, these board games teach STEM, strategy, and executive functions through the joys of play.
What keeps elite athletes motivated to win? It’s not just money.
A wealthy team doesn't automatically make for a successful team.
Most talked about: How overparenting backfired on Americans
This is the most talked about Big Think video of 2018! What's your take?
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Video games and the paradox of failure
The paradox of failure explains why even a healthy rage-quit won't keep a good gamer down.
How hands-on learning fires up your brain
To strengthen your mind, work with your hands, says former astronaut Leland Melvin.
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How overparenting backfired on Americans
Being raised indoors might be the reason young Americans struggle in the adult world.
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Ideology drives us apart. Neuroscience can bring us back together.
A guide to making difficult conversations possible—and peaceful—in an increasingly polarized nation.
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Should we be working less?
Across the world, companies are experimenting with shorter workweeks — is it working?
Dogs Love to Play, but They Don’t Do so for Pleasure
Could it simply be pleasure for its own sake?
This Toy Develops STEM Skills and Hands-On Thinking—Especially in Young Girls
Designed by two MIT professors, this build-it-yourself kit teaches kids to "think with their hands" in an effort to bolster STEM skills early on.