Investigators
Joanne Readman (Project Coordinator), Lilly Howes (Research Assistant)
Project description
Every day we all rely on a set of essential life skills that help us feel good and function well. These skills encompass the brain’s executive functions and help us learn to focus and attend to what’s important; be more organised and plan ahead; feel less frustrated and overwhelmed in daily life; set meaningful goals and take on challenges. We aren’t born with these skills, but rather we learn them over time through experience and practice, starting in early childhood.
The Bright Tomorrows app developed at The Kids Research Institute Australia aims to assist parents of children aged 0-5 years to support their child to develop the building blocks of these essential life skills. In partnership with Vroom and the Bezos Family Foundation, Raising Children Network, Better Beginnings at the State Library of WA, Foodbank WA, and Emerging Minds the app includes over 1000 tips for activities that parents can do with their child to help them learn and practice their essential life skills. These fun and interactive ideas for learning can be woven into everyday moments like bedtime, bathtime and mealtime. The Bright Tomorrows app will also provide parents with information and advice to improve their own life skills, so they can learn and grow alongside their child.
The Bright Tomorrows child activity ideas and parent tips (termed ‘moments’) are organised into five core categories of skill development:
- Attention and focus: awareness, avoiding/managing distractions, mindfulness, following instruction
- Responding to emotions: relaxation/calming, stress management, identifying emotional triggers, reflecting, impulse control, coping strategies
- Relationships and communication: listening, language, perspective-taking, working with others, conflict resolution, responding to situations appropriately, help-seeking
- Planning, and routines: planning, prioritising, decision-making, family routines, household organisation, time management, finances, healthy habits
- Taking on Challenges: problem solving, creativity, critical thinking, setting and pursuing goals, persistence, growth mindset, self-compassion
Parents can also receive more comprehensive support to develop their own essential life skills and those of their child through individual coaching modules called growth programs around key help seeking topics, such as finding calm, building better bedtimes, connecting and communicating and reading and singing with their child.
Funding partners
- Historical Funding: Minderoo Foundation
- Current Funding: Healthway
External collaborators
- James White (Reach HPI)
- Vroom
- Bezos Family Foundation
- Raising Children Network
- Foodbank WA
- Emerging Minds
- Better Beginnings at the State Library of WA