Social-emotional competence is a critical factor to target with universal preventive interventions that are conducted in schools because the construct (a) associates with social, behavioral, and academic outcomes that are important for healthy development; (b) predicts important life outcomes in adulthood; (c) can be improved with feasible and…

Annette Haines provides a comprehensive overview of concentration across the planes. She first lays the foundation for thinking about student engagement: It must be understood that concentration is found through the interest of the child, which is guided by the sensitive periods. When we understand the child's development in this way, we can offer…

The pertinence and worth of arts in Quebec primary schools vary considerably from one institution and school administration to another. In this paper it is argued that well-integrated arts education would bring a large array of pedagogical benefits to students, not the least of which is the preservation and the development of aesthetic perception…

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…

Developmental theory has long emphasized the importance of linking perception, cognition, and action. Techniques designed to record the spatial and temporal characteristics of hand movements (i.e., "manual dynamics") present new opportunities to study the nature of these links across development by providing a window into how perceptual,…

This study presents the descriptive data of a family context assessment carried out using a new instrument which includes a wide range of variables identified in recent scientific literature as influencing children's psychological development. Participants were 772 families with children aged between 7 and 11. The results reveal variability…

The Baby Bridge program was developed to ensure timely and continuous therapy services following neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge. A systematic process for development of the Baby Bridge program included a review of the evidence, integration of theory, and input from NICU health care professionals, early intervention leadership, and…

Childcare settings offer an ideal opportunity for children to become acquainted with risk-taking in play, which promotes healthy growth and development. Van Rooijen and Newstead's (2016) model, based on a review of international literature, has identified the main challenges for childcare professionals when promoting risky play, namely;…

Background/Context: There is a convergence of evidence that the quality of children's early care and education (ECE) experiences is critical for promoting children's development (Gormley, Phillips, & Gayer, 2008). Curriculum combined with professional development is thought to be the "strongest hope" for promoting quality (Weiland…

Metacognition is an essential, but habitually ignored element of 21st century education, which aims to teach students how to learn. 'Meta' is a Greek word meaning 'after', 'behind' or 'beyond'; 'meta' is added to terms such as meta memory, meta comprehension, and metacognition. The lack of consciousness is cognitive self-regulation activities…

Although almost everyone agrees that the environment shapes children's learning, surprisingly few studies assess in detail the specific environments that shape children's learning of specific content. The present article briefly reviews examples of how such environmental assessments have improved understanding of child development in diverse…

Although text messaging interventions targeting parents of older students have shown promise for improving a variety of outcomes, evidence on text-based outreach and support for parents of young children is just emerging. We explore programmatic data from a text-based mentoring intervention designed to support postpartum mothers and promote…

This study utilized the Minnesota Executive Function Scale to quantitatively explore the influence of nature preschools on executive function skills, which are a critical component of school readiness. Executive function skills are malleable skills that allow goal setting and follow through, skills that determine success in school and beyond. Four…

Africa's emerging leadership is made up of young people who have energy, passion, and vision for the continent. Harnessed well, this passion and energy will ensure African countries will be able to benefit from an array of human capital that can take the early childhood development agenda on the continent forward. But many challenges stand in the…

Play as a teaching approach is a contemporary research area in early years that needs to be clearly defined. Early childhood teachers support the use of play, however the implementation of play as a teaching tool lacks clarity. This phenomenological study aimed to investigate early childhood teachers' perceptions and experiences of play-based…