Background: This study was designed to develop a program to increase the confidence level among kindergarten teachers to teach handwriting in kindergarten. Methods: A pretest-posttest quasi-experimental research design was utilized. Five teachers employed at the kindergarten center in a school district in Illinois participated in the study. Data…

Children have a natural inclination to play and imagine themselves as characters. Research has supported theories that connect this pretend play and related theatrical play to the development of children's social and emotional skills, but the author contends we need further, more rigorous research on whether such play directly relates to such…

The study aims at exploring Indonesian children's preferences in the choice of play companions that lead to their happiness. In total, 381 boys and 396 girls (aged 4-6 years old) participated in the study. We conducted a story-telling test to determine which play companions that lead to children's happiness and by using content analysis to…

Children's connection to nature (CTN) is declining with each generation, a concerning trend given that CTN is positively linked to wellbeing and environmentalism. A primary cause of this decline is that twenty-first-century youth engage with screens for several hours each day, which to a large extent replaces nature-based play. Researchers have…

Introduction: This study aimed to develop a new tablet application named the Aid for Decision-making in Occupation Choice for School (ADOC-S). It aims to assist with conducting collaborative occupation-based goal-setting by sharing decision-making with a team member (child, parent, teacher, and occupational therapist) using a consultation model of…

This study describes the development and evaluation of a behavioral parent training protocol via telecommunication for three parents of preschool children with autism, with limited access to behavioral expertise. A single-subject, multiple baseline experimental design across child behaviors, replicated across parents, was used to evaluate the…

The goal of this study was to provide a preliminary evaluation of a social skills and facilitated play early intervention programme to promote social interaction, prosocial behaviours and socio-communicative skills among young extremely shy children in China. Participants were a sample of n = 16 extremely shy young children attending kindergarten…

Since 2005 the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has supported Playworks, an innovative program that provides supervised, inclusive recess programs at schools across the country. Jill Vialet, who founded Play4Kids, the precursor to Playworks, saw the need, particularly in urban elementary schools, for a new kind of recess that included…

This pilot study describes the development and initial implementation of a treatment program that uses relationship-based techniques as a basis for promoting characteristics important in learning and emotional regulation. A case example has been included as an illustration of the theoretical framework of this intervention, along with preliminary…

The present study aims to investigate the association between parenting behaviours, children's daily activities and their cognitive development. Participants were 52 Turkish-German and 65 German pre-school children and their mothers, who were matched in terms of education level (10-12 years of schooling). Children's cognitive skills were assessed…

This article addresses considerations for assessment and intervention planning in serving twice-exceptional preschool children. The authors propose blending recommended assessment practices in early childhood gifted education and early childhood special education in a comprehensive assessment process. In doing so, unique needs of twice-exceptional…

The purpose of this guidebook is to help persons interested in establishing a family day care program in their homes set up a quality learning environment that enhances children's cognitive development through play. Following a literature review showing the importance of play in Piaget's theory of child development, the author describes a…

A study explored the perspectives of 12 parents of children with disabilities who attended inclusive play groups between 1987 and 1996. Factors that should be considered when planning and implementing inclusive play groups to help parents of children with disabilities feel more comfortable within the groups are discussed. (Author/CR)

The Parent as a Teacher Inventory can provide data for designing a parenting curriculum geared to a specific target group. Used to examine childrearing expectations held by Navajo and Hopi Indians, the Inventory reveals pervasive differences based on tribal affiliation, parent's sex, child's sex, and parent's educational experience. (SB)

This report, representing a 12-month case study of a new Scottish primary school, draws together educational issues concerning problems and possibilities of open-plan schooling by locating them in the day-to-day work of a particular open-plan school. During 70 days of field work, the researcher spent time observing classes, interviewing parents,…