Best of the Web: Why dance is just as important as maths, and more

(Sir Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica, ideas.ted.com)

The world lost a giant with the passing of Sir Ken Robinson in 2020. Of course, the legacy of one of our leading thinkers on innovation and creativity continues, as we were reminded with the recent sharing by the team at TED of his call for dance to be part of the curriculum.

In this extract from his 2018 book You, Your Child and School: Navigate Your Way to the Best Education, Sir Ken recalls the response he got when he tweeted that dance should be as important as maths in education. 

He received lots of positive responses and a number of incredulous ones. ‘Is that so?’ replied a maths teacher. ‘Important for what and to whom?’

In this extract, Sir Ken answers that question. He makes a compelling case for the importance of dance – and physical education – in education. Dance helps kids collaborate and cooperate, improves social relationships, and can lead to better grades.

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(Tim Jonze, The Guardian)

Over the past two years, parents have been searching for support and advice as they navigate the pandemic. Here at The Parents Website, for instance, we’ve seen record numbers of people visiting us for the resources we offer.

This article details how US clinical psychologist Becky Kennedy has ended up with a massive following that began with a post on Instagram in March 2020 to her then 200 followers.

‘Most young kids will remember how their family home felt during the coronavirus panic more than anything specific about the virus,’ she wrote. ‘Our kids are watching us and learning about how to respond to stress and uncertainty. Let’s wire our kids for resilience, not panic. How? Scroll for some tips.’

She now has 1 million followers, a podcast, offers workshops, with a book on the way. Time has called her the ‘millennial parent whisperer’.

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(ABC Everyday)

One day after school, the author’s nine-year-old daughter asked a question that set alarm bells ringing. ‘Am I fat?’ she asked her mother. ‘A group of boys keep calling me fat when I walk past.’

It was a heartbreaking moment for the author, who had experienced an eating disorder as a teenager. As a mother of two girls, she was concerned body image would be eventually become an issue.

She managed a response to her daughter, but also realised she needed more information and support to tackle the issue properly.

What follows is a good, expert discussion about body image, what signs parents can look out for, and what support they can give.

You might also find useful this article on The Parents Website: How we can promote positive body image with tweens and teens

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