Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the sleep problems of preschoolers and the predictive power of children's sleep environment and daily routines on sleep problems. Method: The study, which is a cross-sectional survey study, was conducted on preschoolers in Turkey (n = 442). The data were collected based on the parents' reports about the…

In early childhood, young children frequently engage in object-oriented play. According to cultural-historical activity theory, object-oriented play provides children with opportunities to learn about the characteristics and cultural applications of objects and materials. These characteristics are referred to as rules or affordances of objects and…

The goal of this research is to analyze the instrumental behavior of the caregiver at the Emmi Pikler nursery school in Budapest while dressing children from two to three years old to go outdoors to play in the garden. In order to study this routine in its usual context, the observational methodology has been chosen, adopting an "ad hoc"…

Certain social context features (e.g., maternal presence) are known to increase young children's exploration, a key process by which they learn. Yet limited research investigates the role of social context, especially peer presence, in exploration across development. We investigate whether the effect of peer presence on exploration is mediated by…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the vulnerable refugee populations of the world need more support than ever before. As refugees (both children and adults) struggle to make sense of this pandemic with very few to no resources, iACT, an international nonprofit organization that provides humanitarian action to aid, empower, and extend hope to those…

Research Findings: Drawing from a Dutch sample of 113 Dutch children (M age = 37 months, SD = 3.5) from 37 early care and education classrooms (19 child care centers and 18 preschools), this study examined whether the relation between classroom emotional and behavioral support and children's observed social integration and positive mood in a play…

The purpose of this case study is to explore effects of digital gamification on engagement and achievement in a third-grade social studies course for students of multiple nationalities and with varied native languages attending the English language international branch of a private, affluent school in eastern China. The case study is framed by…

Computer games as new media culture have become increasing popular among young people. Today most children play a different genre of games at different times depending on their age, maturity, and opportunity. While some researchers advocate that similar to computer literacy and information literacy, game literacy will be one of the requirements…

Imitation, vocabulary, pretend play, and socially insightful behavior were investigated in 5,206 same- and opposite-sex 2-year-old twin pairs in the United Kingdom. Individual differences in imitative ability were due to modest heritability (30%), while environmental factors shared between twins (42%) and unique to each twin (28%) also made…

Eight German and eight Italian children were observed during their first year in preschool. Cultural differences and similarities in play and behavior and sex differences are reported. Findings suggest that strategies that children use to enter kindergarten or a new group exist universally. (Author/RH)

The study compared the classroom and playground behaviors of 95 Australian elementary students with mild disabilities and 95 matched students without disabilities. Although many similarities in behavior patterns were observed, children with disabilities interacted and played less with their peers, engaged in more solitary play, and initiated more…

Many behavior patterns that impact on physical activity experiences are established in early childhood, therefore it is important that valid, reliable, and feasible measures are constructed to identify children who are not developing appropriate and healthy activity habits. In this study, measures of physical activity derived by accelerometry and…

The relationship between play unit complexity and the behavior of 24 normal 3- to 6-year-olds was examined in three Viennese kindergartens. Play units were rated as simple (a unit with one obvious use and no sub-parts or juxtaposition of two essentially different play materials, e.g., puzzles or clay), or super (a complex unit which has three or…

Examines gender differences in parent-child interactions and the similarities of these patterns in France, Germany, and Italy, using 29, 27, and 29 parent-child dyads, respectively. Gender and country differences were found. Although gender generally influences parent and child behaviors, culture modifies the way that these differences are…

Examines interaction and gender role socialization for 20 parent-child dyads in intact families. Play patterns of parents and children were not typically gender stereotyped. Results suggest a change in parents' perceptions about what is acceptable gender-typing behavior, possibly reflecting a realization that some toys are more socially acceptable…