Physics is the study of forces and motion--the science of matter and energy and the interaction between the two. The big idea the children explore, as well as the question they ask as they engage in physical knowledge activities related to physics, is "How does it move?" Many teachers translate naturally as they come to know the children they…

The reasons for obesity are identified and its prevention and treatment in children are described through discussions of infant care, eating habits, nutrition, exercise, and family support. (BJD)

Maintains that listening to storytelling is an important developmental experience for young children, and provides suggestions and information on techniques for telling traditional, personal experience, and personal imagination stories. (CM)

Examines implications of public interest in findings on brain development for building support for high-quality early childhood education. Discusses how children learn, neural plasticity, and the existence of critical periods. Provides recommendations for parents, caregivers, policymakers, and the public from the Families and Work Institute…

Recent research data contest Piaget's conclusion that preschool children are totally egocentric, incapable of taking different perspectives, and prevented from acting altruistically. Children are able to decenter when experiments enable children to use their knowledge of very basic human purposes, intentions, and interactions. (Author/DB)

Children behave differently when they spend the day in child care and knowing their ideas about care is vital to understanding their happiness, continued development and learning. In this article, the authors share their methods and acquired wisdom about surveying young children, as well as the results of their study--what children think about…

In the few programs in which systematic evaluations have been conducted, quality day care has been found to be associated with intellectual gains, with the acquisition of adaptive social skills, and with healthy physical and emotional development. (Author)

Asserts that play is a fundamental human disposition. Reviews well-known theories of play from the adult-functional perspective and examines the value of play from the child-experiential perspective. Considers variations in play and the meaning and value of true play, maintaining that play's personal, experiential value is of equal or greater…

Lists five fundamentals for early childhood education: (1) each child is unique, (2) each child has a range of differences within, (3) learning that lasts is embedded in meaningful experiences, (4) a good teacher gets to know each child and is knowledgeable about a child's needs, and (5) parents and teachers need to work cooperatively. (HOD)

Encourages use of Head Start and community resources, professionals, and mothers in shaping children's early experiences to maximize educational potential. Stresses need to give mothers information on child development from the prenatal period through the preschool years. (DR)

Reviews "Young Children Grow Up," a longitudinal study of the Perry Preschool Project. Children enrolled in the project rated significantly higher than control subjects on cognitive ability, motivation, academic achievement, teacher attitudes toward them, classroom behavior, and social relations. Economic benefits of preschool education…

Four questions are discussed that deal with aspects of neurological, affective, and cognitive development of infants and have implications for educational programs. (Author/SB)

Discusses connections between early childhood experiences and adolescent behavior, based on interviews with troubled 14- to 17-year-olds. Describes common characteristics of troubled adolescents. Asserts that early childhood professionals should take advantage of their opportunity to positively affect individual children and delineates actions to…

Concludes from a research project that the pleasure and success preschool and kindergarten children experience with computers is proportional to the foundation of pleasure and success they have already built by comprehending, remembering, evaluating, and creating with tangible objects and familiar people. Also discusses potential values of…