We share moments from ongoing pedagogical inquiry work with toddler-aged children, where we explore together how we might tentatively create conditions for movement to happen outside of the familiar, dominant, status-quo referents of individualism and motor skill development that anchor much physical activity curricula. Sharing pedagogical…

Alyssa Conklin-Moore discusses normalization in the child under three from several perspectives. She takes an extensive look at the child, including orienting parents to the Montessori environment, the child's entrance into the environment, addressing the sensitive periods, and fostering independence, contribution, and community. She reminds the…

In this commentary the authors share their experiences on the design and implementation of community-centered early intervention programs in Prince George's County, MD. Their aim in designing community-centered programs was to provide infants and toddlers opportunities for learning, language, and motor development in natural environments with…

With childhood obesity and physical inactivity at an all-time high, parents and physical educators alike must look to the early years to promote competent and confident young movers. Popular opinion believes that children are naturally active and motor skill development progresses as a normal function of getting older. However, if one looks at…

By three to four months of age, most babies placed on their tummies on a safe, warm surface push down with their arms and raise their chests, so that they can turn their heads to look about at the world around them. By five months, babies stretch both feet and hands upward in order to swipe at interesting mobiles placed overhead. At seven to nine…

Self-regulation and self-determination are part of a continuum of behaviors that are acquired through interaction with the social and physical environment and through problem solving based on experiences that begin in infancy and build throughout early childhood. These abilities should be nurtured early for all children, especially within the…

In this article, the author features creative ways to fit a lot of movement and fun inside the classroom when there is bad weather. He suggests that, to be creative in the classroom, one can create crawling tunnels for children by moving chairs away from tables and draping sheets or towels over their tops and sides. Or one can weave an obstacle…

Through experiences with toddlers at the ADC-Ridgecrest Physical Activity Program, the authors have found there are many ways to encourage and promote the "Active Start" guidelines through play. Their research and collaboration with early childhood specialists suggests that toddlers like to play and that it is particularly important in the overall…

The research and literature on how to handle biting has remained consistent over the last 20 years. Most publications and seasoned professionals focus on intervention and tell us to attend to the child who was bitten, reinforce the idea of "using our words" with the biter, and be consistent in the use of separation, redirection, and…

Walkers fall frequently, especially during infancy. Children (15, 21, 27, 33, and 39 month-olds) and adults were tested in a novel foam pit paradigm to examine age-related changes in the relationship between falling and prospective control of locomotion. In trial 1, participants walked and fell into a deformable foam pit marked with distinct…

Describes an infant and toddler public library program called "Mother Goose Time." It is a language enrichment program that uses rhymes, songs, and books to lay the foundations of listening, learning, and literacy. Activities are planned according to the babies' motor skills--they are divided into two groups, "prewalkers" and "walkers". A list of…

This paper discusses the use of child development charts to assess the social, self-help, gross motor, fine motor, and language development of infants and young children. It examines the roles of teachers and parents in observing and assessing children's development and provides 2 checklists, one for infants from birth through 21 months (at…

The development of an experimental measure for assessing growth in movement in children (ages birth-3) is described. Results from the use of the Movement General Outcome Measurement with 29 infants and toddlers demonstrated the feasibility of the measure. The 6-minute assessment was found reliable in terms of inter-observer agreement. (Contains…

Notes the importance of positive human interactions and experiences on child development, and describes seven developmental areas crucial to early brain development. Suggests ways to enhance young children's development of emotional intelligence, social skills, motor skills, vision, language acquisition, vocabulary, and thinking skills. (TJQ)

Presents six articles on brain research and child development: "Brain Research, Infant Learning, and Child Care Curriculum" (J. R. Lally); "The Thinking Brain" (P. Schiller); "Early Experiences Shape Social Development" (B. Caldwell); "Facing the Challenge of Motor Development" (P. Weikart); Language…