The literature on play and learning attests many developmental benefits for children. The Australian curriculum endorses play-based learning (PBL) as an age-appropriate teaching pedagogy. However, what enables or prevents PBL in the classroom is not well documented. The present study examined the responses of 334 teachers currently employed in…

Interventions to develop functional capacity for children with developmental difficulties have tended to be therapist driven. Such approaches can present difficulties for parents who describe increased stress and feelings of incompetence in a paradigm that can feel imposed. Recent findings have questioned the efficacy of the approach, given a…

Studies show that executive functions and motor development are associated with each other and with learning ability. A more technological lifestyle combined with digital culture should be considered a viable alternative to stimulate children's development. Therefore, this study aimed to present a systematic mapping of the literature involving…

This paper presents the findings of a study conducted with preschool teachers trialling an intervention in which executive function activities are embedded in teachers' daily practices and imaginary play is used to build meaningful problem situations that children solve using executive functions. The participants were 227 preschool children (53%…

This paper describes the research protocol for the Educational and Developmental Gains in Early Childhood (EDGE) Study, which will examine the implementation of two years of funded kindergarten prior to the first year of school in Victoria, Australia. EDGE will examine whether children's language, cognitive, social-emotional, and behavioural…

Autism is a developmental condition that can be detected in early childhood. Early intervention can improve outcomes, though many children are not identified until they reach primary school. Early childhood educators are well placed to monitor children's development and identify those who may benefit from additional supports, though implementation…

Early childhood (3 - 5 years) is a critical time for establishing healthy behaviours and attending to early areas of development associated around physical literacy (PL), social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) and cognitive skills (CS). Alarmingly, recent international research has identified that many young children do not display acceptable and…

Early years are a critical period for skill development. In this sense, the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) programmes have an important role in promoting children's learning during this period. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of ECEC programmes by analysing the relationship between students' ECEC attendance and their later…

There is a growing body of evidence that early engagement in active music-making impacts beneficially on children's wider development. Recent research indicates that individual and shared music-making in family settings contributes to positive parenting practices and identity development in young children. Children who participate in shared…

In Australia, children with developmental delay and disability, who have an IQ less than 70, are eligible to attend a specialist school. These schools are called special schools or special developmental schools. Teachers, occupational therapists, and speech pathologists work in these schools together with integration aids. Children with…

Childhood emotional and behavioural problems can indicate a higher risk of developing mental illness in adolescence and beyond. Schools provide an appropriate setting in which to deliver universal preventions to improve well-being and protect against early risks for mental health disorder. However, interventions can often be difficult to implement…

A broad range of initiatives including early intervention programmes have been implemented in Australia to assist disadvantaged and at-risk Indigenous parents and children. This qualitative exemplar case study details the perspectives of caregivers and service providers of one such early learning intervention programme situated within the remote…

Objectives: To scope evaluations of Indigenous parenting programs designed to improve child psychosocial outcomes. Methods: Electronic databases, gray literature, Indigenous websites and journals, and reference lists were searched. The search was restricted to high-income countries with a history of colonialism. Results: Sixteen studies describing…

This paper investigates the implementation and outcomes of "Growing Better Beginnings": a family literacy program for four and five year olds. The program builds on "Better Beginnings: Birth to Three" launched in 2005. Parents, teachers and librarians were surveyed and interviewed to ascertain their perceptions of the program.…

This project evaluated the feasibility of a child-centred 24-week physical activity intervention. The "Play5" strategy encourages children to choose to play vigorously five times a day for about as long as school recess. The seven-year-old children were randomised to control (n = 176) or intervention groups (n = 132). Data were collected…