An online meeting was held to discuss the results of a parent survey on the impact of the Thrive by Five app on parenting skills

Following the release of the results of a parent survey on the impact of the Thrive by Five app on parenting skills, an online meeting was held on March 28 with a team from the University of Sydney and the Minderoo Foundation.

Background:

The Thrive by Five parenting app was launched on November 17th of last year. Encouragingly, since then, over 16,000 parents have downloaded the app, with Kyrgyzstan leading in the number of Thrive by Five app users. The app's content was developed by scientists from the Center for the Brain and Mind at the University of Sydney, Australia. The app contains over one hundred interesting tips for parents on how to create an environment in which a young child can reach their potential. Each tip is followed by one or more activities that parents can do with their children in their everyday life at home. All of the app's content is based on the latest scientific research and, importantly, adapted to the cultural features of Kyrgyzstan.

The app's tips also focus on strengthening the emotional bond and relations within the family, with a strong emphasis on how parents can help their child cope with tantrums and anxiety and learn to manage their emotions.

A total of 116 parent volunteers completed an anonymous survey about their knowledge of child development, their understanding of the importance of early development, and the role of parents in helping each child reach their potential. Analysis of the parents' responses revealed the following interesting facts:

1.      The most visited and used topic of the application was the activity of drawing the child together with the mother.

2.      Parents were most interested in how to deal with children's tantrums (spoiler: tantrums are a normal stage of child development) and how to create conditions for better development of the baby's speech.

3.      Parents are also interested in what games they can play with their child at home (spoiler: "chükö" is a great way to play with the whole family, to teach the child the basics of colors, counting, concentration, learning to take turns, teamwork, etc.).

4.      Parents are also interested in the topic of identification and self-determination (spoiler: tell your child about the history of the family, ancestors, famous places, and events that happened in a certain area of residence).

5.      Parents were also interested in the topic of "setting the biological clock and the importance of healthy sleep for the child". Parents in the survey wrote that learning this information motivated them to make changes in their daily routines.

One telling fact: Only four fathers participated in the survey; the remaining 112 participants were mothers.