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Reposted by Sam Wass

Leverhulme Trust @leverhulme.ac.uk · May 29

7. A new project led by @profsamwass.bsky.social records brain activity in babies and toddlers while they’re watching TV to find out. media.leverhulme.ac.uk/feature/swass

A toddler sat on a sofa, resting a digital tablet on their knees, captivated by the screen.

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Reposted by Sam Wass

BookTrust @booktrust.org.uk · Jul 14

We loved joining @profsamwass.bsky.social & Waterstones #ChildrensLaureate @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social at a Baby Lab to discover what happens to babies' brains when they're read to.

Discover the neuroscience behind shared reading & how it enables children to flourish and thrive:

bit.ly/44YCeMu

A photo of a baby wearing a cap with wires attached being read to, plus the words: "The science behind the benefits of reading for babies"

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Reposted by Sam Wass

BookTrust @booktrust.org.uk · May 24

We’ve had a fantastic day at @hayfestival.bsky.social with our Waterstones #ChildrensLaureate @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social!

He appeared with our President Sir Michael Morpurgo in one event & spoke to @profsamwass.bsky.social about the neuroscience of sharing stories in a #ReadingRights talk!

Sir Michael Morpurgo and Frank Cottrell-Boyce backstage at Hay Festival

Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Professor Sam Wass at Hay Festival

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Reposted by Sam Wass

BookTrust @booktrust.org.uk · May 22

Our #ReadingRights report with @frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social is out now, because early shared reading is vital.

Frank & our CEO @dianajgerald.bsky.social joined @profsamwass.bsky.social at a Baby Lab to discover the difference it makes - watch the full vid 👇

www.booktrust.org.uk/about-us/rea...

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Sam Wass @profsamwass.bsky.social · May 21

Those are just SOME of the reasons why sharing books is GREAT for young children’s brain development!

Full report here: www.booktrust.org.uk/about-us/rea...

Video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOry...

Sam Wass @profsamwass.bsky.social · May 21

Structure: The frontal cortex, which helps join separate experiences into coherent goals, is slow to develop. Stories have structure. Regular story-telling may help to learn to understand about predictability and structure helping to learn to set goals. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

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Sam Wass @profsamwass.bsky.social · May 21

Clarity: Hyper-articulating speech sounds
by exaggerating mouth movements helps young children to hear the differences between words. It also helps if your child can see your mouth while you’re talking. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2010.01004.x

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Sam Wass @profsamwass.bsky.social · May 21

Rhythm: giving language input with a strong
rhythmic structure can help to nudge a child’s brain rhythms, which naturally are more irregular, into more stable adult-like rhythms, which helps language processing. doi.org/10.1016/j.dc...

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Sam Wass @profsamwass.bsky.social · May 21

Responsiveness: because children’s brains are messy, sometimes they’re ready for new information and sometimes they’re not. Waiting for them to initiate –by asking, looking or pointing – helps you to be sure that new info arrives when their brain is ready. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

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Sam Wass @profsamwass.bsky.social · May 21

Repetition: young brains are messy and overconnected. When they want to read the same book over and over, or look at the same picture – go with it! Doing things repeatedly helps to ‘practice’ understanding something, which builds stronger brain networks. t.co/wssvev7XXG

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Sam Wass @profsamwass.bsky.social · May 21

To support the launch of
‪@booktrust.org.uk‬'s Reading Rights report today with
‪@frankcottrellboyce.bsky.social‬, here are six neuroscience-informed tips for sharing books with young children 👇

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Sam Wass @profsamwass.bsky.social · Apr 17

Just out 📣 in @JEnvPsych- 'Differential Effects Of An Urban Outdoor Environment On 4-5 Year Old Children’s Attention In School' - with @GemmaGoldenberg, Molly Atkinson,
@jan_dubiel
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

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Reposted by Sam Wass

British Neuroscience Association @britishneuro.bsky.social · Apr 2

The QRR will be hosting a Public Lecture on the benefits of reading at #BNA2025 featuring anncleeves.bsky.social Professor Frank Cottrell-Boyce,
Sally Dynevor and @profsamwass.bsky.social

www.eventbrite.com/e/the-queens...

#readingforwellbeing #publicengagement #thequeensreadingroom

Images of Ann Cleeves, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Sally Dynevor and Sam Wass

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Sam Wass @profsamwass.bsky.social · Mar 31

When it comes to early years screen media – how fast-paced is TOO fast? Just heard 🎉🍾🍾 we got funding from
@LeverhulmeTrust for new project measuring how young brains respond to screen media in real time. With @JuliaDavidson13, Rachel Barr,
@jessen_sarah, @MarriottIra, PLabendzki

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Reposted by Sam Wass

Tes magazine @tesmagazine.bsky.social · Mar 30

How can you improve pupils' concentration in primary classrooms? @profsamwass.bsky.social and Dr Gemma Goldenberg share research-informed interventions ⬇️

3 research-backed tips to improve concentration in primary

The concept of building a ‘mental muscle’ in pupils has been challenged by recent research - so what are the best approaches for improving focus in the classroom?

www.tes.com

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Sam Wass @profsamwass.bsky.social · Mar 26

Just out in Nature Communications Psychology - in a multilingual corpus of child-directed songs, the cumulative-compressibility of the lyrics reveals multiscale complexity patterns that could support different relevant functions, e.g. attention, learning and bonding.
www.nature.com/articles/s44...

Temporal patterns in the complexity of child-directed song lyrics reflect their functions - Communications Psychology

In a multilingual corpus of child-directed songs, an analysis of the cumulative-compressibility of the lyrics reveals multiscale complexity patterns that could support different relevant fuctions, e.g...

www.nature.com

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Sam Wass @profsamwass.bsky.social · Mar 26

Again, again, again! Article for Nursery World on the neuroscience of why repetition can help concentration in the early years
www.nurseryworld.co.uk/content/feat...

Support children to maximise their focus - Nursery World

How can we capture children's attention? By Dr. Gemma Goldenberg and Professor Sam Wass

www.nurseryworld.co.uk

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