La scienza dell'infanzia, distillata in 10 principi
Scientific insights into how children grow and learn
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Negli ultimi dieci anni, BOLD has asked researchers from around the world to share the evolving science of children’s learning and development. The science gives us a clear picture of what helps children flourish, and what holds them back. Across psychology, neuroscience, education, economics, and genetics, certain principles emerge again and again. Looking back, here are the 10 that stand out most.
1. Every child is unique
All children, even those who are genetically identical, are diversi l'uno dall'altro. Genetics and the environment – natura e cultura – work together to shape children’s brains and personalities. Children’s everyday experiences in the social and physical worlds impact their development, so developmental paths aren’t always the same. This is why education should be tailored to individuals, rather than focusing on an average child. This is also why there is no single right approach to parenting – all families have unique needs and priorities.
“Our unique selves are already apparent at a very early age.”
Réka Borbás
2. Children learn through play
Play is more than just fun. It is central to children’s learning and wellbeing. Through different types of play, children can learn vocabulary, impulse control, social skills, emotion regulation, and STEM knowledge. Children don’t need tanti giocattoli – with some scaffolding, a box can become a boat or a bed for pretend play. Bringing play into attività quotidiane like chores and cooking can help children develop important skills for their futures like creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration.
Venera Gashaj
3. Tough love doesn’t work
Si stima che 1.2 miliardi di bambini in tutto il mondo siano soggetti a punizione corporale at home. That includes shaking, slapping, or any physical act that is intended to cause the child pain or discomfort, however light. Corporal punishment is also common in schools and other settings globally. This is often seen as tough love. But physical punishment harms children’s brains, behaviour, learning, and health. Instead, caregivers can guide children’s behaviour by building strong connections, providing structure, and supporting emotional regulation.
Le punizioni fisiche non migliorano il comportamento e possono causare danni permanenti.
Jorge Cuartas
4. Good relationships help children thrive
Caregivers, educators, and peers all contribute to children’s healthy development and wellbeing. Positivo e di supporto interactions with a caregiver help children navigate social situations, and form healthy bonds outside the family later in life. As children grow, their teachers and peers become more important. Caring, authentic rapporti studente-insegnante support child wellbeing, engagement, motivation, and achievement. By adolescence, friends are key for emotional support. Through close relationships, young people learn empathy, intimacy, trust, and how to solve conflicts.
“There is no one right way to be a good parent or a good friend.”
Laura Bechtiger
5. Healthy bodies help children learn
Nutritious food, physical exercise, and healthy sleep all support children’s learning and development. If children miss out on food because they saltare la colazione or their parents struggle to put cibo in tavola, there can be short-term negative effects on demanding tasks, and long-term impacts on cognition. Taking part in physical giochi e sport teaches children behavioural and emotional regulation skills, and benefits cognition and rendimento scolastico. Good sleep affects wellbeing and behaviour, and a consistent routine della buonanotte can improve performance at school.
Fotini Vasilopoulos
6. Technology can help children learn
Tablets, laptops, smartphones, games consoles, AI, and social robots can provide valuable opportunities for learning. Well-designed e-books can support children’s story comprehension better than paper books, for example. Educational technology can help children learn foundational skills, but also creativity and social-emotional skills. Technology is il più efficace when it is personalised to the child, adapting to their progress and needs. What matters most is not just how long children spend on technology and screens, but what they are doing with it. For the youngest children, technology should be a shared activity that supports bonding and interaction.
Natalia Kucirkova
7. Children need to develop as whole individuals
Literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional skills are the abilità fondamentali that other learning builds on. But children need support to develop many other abilities too – particularly 21st competenze del secolo Creatività helps children come up with new ideas, which is important for solving problems and dealing with our uncertain world. Collaboration and cooperation with others allows them to reach goals that wouldn’t be attainable working alone. Curiosità means children ask more questions and learn more. Pensiero critico skills help children understand what’s real and make sense of the information they encounter.
Jamie Jirout
8. Wellbeing supports children’s learning
Children’s wellbeing is a forza trainante behind their learning. At school, wellbeing improves when mistakes are valued, questions are encouraged, and feedback is positive. Social relationships and a secure, friendly school environment help. While a certain amount of stress helps young people learn, too much is detrimental. High academic expectations from caregivers can put pressure on children, which can be more harmful than helpful. Adults can help by being role models in coping with their own stressful experiences.
“Wellbeing is a vital part of the school experience, and just as important as academic performance.”
Giulia Mori
9. Children’s beliefs affect their motivation and learning
Children’s beliefs about themselves influence how they behave and which tasks they engage in. Their self-beliefs can influence their later academic outcomes, motivation, and health. Children may believe differences in the classroom are due to supposedly inherent qualities such as ‘cleverness’, overlooking external factors. When children believe they are less intelligent or capable than their peers, they tend to perform worse and feel less motivated. Praising children può ritorcersi contro – instead adults can provide feedback on the task rather than the child, frame failure as an opportunity for learning, and encourage children to reflect on their strengths.
Eddie Brummelman
10. Children benefit from learning how to learn
Metacognition is understanding and evaluating our own thoughts. Children use their metacognition when they reflect on what they’ve learnt and their own strengths and weaknesses. As children may not be aware of their own limitations, they benefit from being explicitly taught how to use metacognitive skills and regulate their own learning. When children can understand their own thinking skills, they should be more independent in their learning and able to plan and evaluate their own work. Fostering metacognition can give children agency and prepare them for lifelong learning.
Alicia Forsberg
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