iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

You can also find PEDAL on LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/pedalcam/ YouTube - www.youtube.com/@PEDALCam Please look at our website: www.pedalhub.net

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

Season's Greetings and a happy and playful new year from all at PEDAL. We're taking a little break to enjoy the festivities and will be back in the new year!

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Our paper on the use of AI in child development checks is available now on the Early Childhood Education Journal: link.springer.com/article/10.1... @drjennyg.bsky.social

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

Mark your calendars: The #PEDALConference2026 is coming on Thursday 11th June 2026, #InternationalDayOfPlay 🧸 More details to follow...

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Our Thriving Together Framework is here! www.pedalhub.net/wp-content/u... @nihr.bsky.social @ukri.org

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

The Hesscairn Guide to Learning: Transforming Education written by PEDAL PhD student and school principal @stuartmacalpine.bsky.social was published this week! It delivers the essential manual we never had, challenging foundational ideas about education. www.ingrovepress.com/products/the...

ingrovepress.com

The Hesscairn Guide to Learning: Transforming Education. The essential

The Hesscairn Guide to Learning delivers the essential manual we never had, challenging foundational ideas about education. This ultimate resource equips parents, teachers, leaders and policymakers wi...

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

PEDAL PhD student @tomrance.bsky.social, Kathryn Hesketh (UCL) and PEDAL's @paulramchandani.bsky.social have published an article in Archives of Disease in Childhood entitled Risky play: our children need more: adc.bmj.com/content/110/...

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Reposted by PEDAL Research Centre

Emily J. Goodacre @ejgoodacre.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

New publication celebrating 10 years of @pedalcam.bsky.social! 🌟 Featuring reflections from our first decade, including... 🗨️ children's self-reported playfulness 🤝 children as advisors on research 📹 child-driven creative methods 🔓 Open access: doi.org/10.1080/2159... @paulramchandani.bsky.social

doi.org

Innovative methods to centre children in research: celebrating 10 years of play with the PEDAL Research Centre

Centring children in play research is fundamental for both children and researchers. It also offers the opportunity to gain important insights that would otherwise remain hidden from view for other...

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

PEDAL's @ejgoodacre.bsky.social, Laura Oxley, Zhiyu Zhao, Rebecca Reid, Alejandra Vijil Morin & @paulramchandani.bsky.social have published a paper in the International Journal of Play exploring innovative methods to centre children in research: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

Please join us on Monday 10 November for a Trio of A Trio of Inaugural Professorial Lectures from the Psychology and Education Group at @camedfac.bsky.social. All welcome, register here for in-person and online: forms.office.com/pages/respon... @michellefson.bsky.social @drjennyg.bsky.social

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

Did you know that PEDAL launched the Mobilise Podcast mini-series in 2024? 🎧 PEDAL's former Senior Policy Fellow @salhogg.bsky.social talks to leading UK policymakers and politicians about how research can be used in policy to improve children's lives. www.pedalhub.net/projects/ite...

pedalhub.net

The Mobilise Podcast - PEDAL

Mobilise is a podcast mini-series where we talk to leading policymakers and politicians from across the UK about how research can be used in policy to improve children's lives.

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

You can also find PEDAL on X (Twitter) LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram! We're @PEDALCameverywhere, or you can click the icons at the top of the LinkTree in our bio: linktr.ee/pedalcam

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

In this talk from the #PEDALConference2025, Dr Nikhit D’Sa shares lessons from four years of research with communities in Haiti including lessons for similar initiatives in other contexts around the world: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RvB...

youtube.com

Dr Nikhit D’Sa: Leveraging alternative systems to support children’s development amid crisis

YouTube video by Play in Education, Development and Learning

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Past and present PEDAL colleagues Janina Eberhart, Carolyn Mazzei, Dina Fajardo Tovar, Zhen Rao and Sara Baker together with Allison Haack have published a paper in the Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

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Reposted by PEDAL Research Centre

Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge @camedfac.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

More about @drjennyg.bsky.social and @ejgoodacre.bsky.social's research on AI toys and children's development here: content.educ.cam.ac.uk/content/new-...

content.educ.cam.ac.uk

New project aims to understand how AI ‘smart’ toys affect disadvantage, development and play

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Reposted by PEDAL Research Centre

Emily J. Goodacre @ejgoodacre.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

Today in our Guardian letter, @drjennyg.bsky.social and I call for a greater public discourse on how AI toys are interacting with young children and the impacts on their development. www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

theguardian.com

How will childhood be changed by AI toys? | Letter

Letter: Our study is looking into how toys powered by AI can affect children’s development and their right to privacy, write Dr Emily J Goodacre and Prof Jenny Gibson

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

The long-term follow up findings of our Healthy Start, Happy Start study have been published in the @acamh.bsky.social Journal Of Child Psychology And Psychiatry this week. Read a quick-read summary by @camedfac.bsky.social: content.educ.cam.ac.uk/content/heal...

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

This animation provides an update on the long term findings of the Healthy Start, Happy Start study testing a relationship-based parenting programme. @nihr.bsky.social @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social @ucl.ac.uk @ihealthvisiting.bsky.social @acamh.bsky.social @camedfac.bsky.social

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Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge @camedfac.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

New research from @pedalcam.bsky.social shows that a short, relationship-based programme for families can protect against children developing behaviour problems years later. Quick-read summary here: content.educ.cam.ac.uk/content/heal... ...or take a look at the full paper in the attached post!

content.educ.cam.ac.uk

Healthy Start, Happy Start

New evidence that a brief relationship-based intervention for families can protect against children developing behaviour problems years later.

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Reposted by PEDAL Research Centre

Paul Ramchandani @paulramchandani.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

This is one of very few long term studies of a brief early intervention to improve mental health in young children. The news is positive - we can make sustained improvements for children early in their lives. Something that early years practitioners know - now there is more research to back it up.

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

Learn more about how PEDAL research can improve maths outcomes and think more creatively about how to achieve this goal: www.pedalhub.net/resource-lib...

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Reposted by PEDAL Research Centre

Digital Child @digitalchildau.bsky.social · 09/09/2025

🌍 From Cambridge, UK! Our Digital Child team had the pleasure of meeting with Professor Paul Ramchandani, Director of the PEDAL Research Centre and with Emily Goodacre, RA at PEDAL. PEDAL’s mission: discovering how play can spark change in families, schools, and communities.

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Starting a new school or a new school year can produce feelings of anxiety in children of all ages. Play and movement can help our bodies to recognise that we are safe and reduce our anxiety level. www.pedalhub.net/resource-lib...

pedalhub.net

Four playful ways to help with anxiety - PEDAL

How can we use play to help our bodies recognise we are safe and reduce our anxiety level?

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Have you watched the #PEDALConference2025 recordings yet? Ellen Beate Hansen Sandseter presented “Children’s risky play: Thrilling experiences and developmental benefits": www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTdh...

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

Most of us can remember our first day of school or have an embarrassing photo to remind us! 🏫 Uniform too big, an onrush of emotions, nerves, and excitement. It’s not surprising that starting school is so memorable; it is one of the biggest changes a young child will experience.

pedalhub.net

T: Transitions: Play and the transition to school - PEDAL

How can we use play to support children in their transition to school?

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

Have you watched the #PEDALConference2025 recordings yet? Dr Catherine Draper, Associate Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa presented “Early childhood development and the ‘next 1000 days’: youtube.com/watch?v=vm41...

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

How can Disney movies like Encanto be used by therapists to help children experiencing intergenerational trauma? Former PEDAL PhD student @drsydneyconroy.bsky.social explores this in an open access research paper published by Child & Adolescent Mental Health in 2022:

pedalhub.net

Narrative Matters: ‘Encanto’ and intergenerational trauma - PEDAL

Read a summary of Sydney Conroy's publication about how themes in Encanto might support children's mental health.

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

Have you watched the #PEDALConference2025 recordings yet? Bo Stjerne Thomsen, Head of Educational Impact at @legoeducation.bsky.social presented Play: The future of learning and thriving: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j5L...

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

We need your help! Please click the link below for more info and share with your networks - thank you!

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

In this piece from the #PEDALResourceLibrary archives, former PEDAL Research Associate, @sophmphillips.bsky.social looks at how active play can help improve children's access to physical activity and their physical health 🛝 www.pedalhub.net/resource-lib...

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 14/08/2025

Minister of Early Education at the Department of Education @stephenmorganmp.bsky.social attended the #PEDALConference2025 to speak about the Plan for Change and giving every child the best start in life 🪁 Watch the full recording here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul_R...

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

Congratulations to PEDAL PhD student, Dr Sabilah Eboo Alwani who graduated on 26 July! Sabilah’s research investigated early childhood development in Britain during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the implications of Parental Time Investment.

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

Early years practitioners: We want to hear your views on new toys that use artificial intelligence! We're researching how new toys that use AI might impact young children, and we want to learn about your concerns, as well as your views on any benefits. cambridge.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

Congratulations to PEDAL PhD student, Dr Dina Fajardo Tovar who graduated on 26 July! Dina explored teachers' perspectives and practices of learning through play in urban and rural Mexican preschools.

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Congratulations to PEDAL PhD student, Dr Stephanie Nowack who graduated on 26 July! Stephanie explored a South African Pedagogy for Play for autistic learners, focusing on exploration, enjoyment and empowerment.

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

In anticipation of the publication of our findings from the second phase of the Healthy Start, Happy Start study (coming soon!), here’s a reminder of what we did and what we learned from phase one: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy_5...

youtube.com

The Healthy Start, Happy Start Study

YouTube video by Play in Education, Development and Learning

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Reposted by PEDAL Research Centre

Emily J. Goodacre @ejgoodacre.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

Check out the recordings from #PEDALConference2025, including me presenting preliminary results from our scoping review on generative AI toys 📖👇

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

Congratulations to our former PEDAL colleague Sabilah Eboo Alwani who led and authored this fantastic report for @unicef.org: www.unicef.org/reports/seed...

unicef.org

Seeds of Success: Nurturing Young Children through Parenting Support

A Global Report on Progress in Parenting and Early Childhood Development

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PEDAL Research Centre @pedalcam.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

We are delighted to announce that phase two of the development of our Playtime with Books programme is now complete, and we have published a report summarising our learnings in collaboration with @nestauk.bsky.social, the UK’s innovation agency for social good: www.pedalhub.net/wp-content/u...

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