Efforts to improve education should not neglect to provide the rich play opportunities that benefit children in so many ways. In Tanzania, the pre-primary curriculum, for example, guides teachers to use play as the primary method of teaching and learning. Despite this policy mandate for play, however, abundant evidence indicates that Tanzanian…

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…

Overcoming challenges to quality early education in developing nations, TEACH Rwanda, one high-performing education system, offers a model of childhood learning through sensitive teacher dispositions, child-centred play, and culturally relevant materials. This manuscript provides a unique window into the practices of a quality early childhood…

Global Family Research Project joined with four other organizations as part of the LEGO Idea Conference to take an in-depth look at letting families guide the creation of programs and services that best meet their needs. This summary of the event session, held in Billund, Denmark, includes international examples of collaborating with families and…

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…

The symposium provides an overview of the Early Years STEM Australia (ELSA) program. The conceptual underpinnings of the program are framed within STEM practices, rather than traditional thinking concerning the integration of discipline content knowledge. We will argue that our focus on practices is more aligned with the play-based and intentional…

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…

This resource booklet focuses on the definitions, developmental stages, and the benefits of socio-dramatic play. The booklet deals with the players, shows how adults can support children's play, describes the play environment, and offers some suggestions for development of curriculum based on play. The booklet discusses children's approach to…

This report examines preschools for children with disabilities in Sweden. In Swedish society the roles of the family and the environment are emphasized with the preschool serving as part of a family support system for children with disabilities. The value of a family oriented intervention is stressed. The first section discusses Swedish provision…

Offering a step-by-step guide to the planning and implementation of dramatic play in the elementary classroom, this book shows how the art of dramatic playing can be used as a process for integrating learning across the curriculum. The first section of the book, Playing Dramatically, discusses integrating learning and drama, areas of learning…

This handbook addresses questions childminders might have as they begin and continue in the job. Discussion focuses on (1) registration; (2) aspects of childminding such as planning, housework, equipment, toys, safety, and health; (3) play, (especially as related to imaginative play, painting, writing and drawing, water, dough, outdoor play, and…

A study of Newfoundland's and Labrador's Direct Home Services Program (DHSP) for families of developmentally delayed infants and preschool-age children evaluated current efforts and obtained data for use in the development of strategies for future interventions. The study had six purposes: (1) to examine parents' early experiences pertaining to…

This report describes the development, implementation and evaluation of an Australian follow-through kindergarten year one program for children who had participated in an individualized, experience-based preschool program. Follow-through program development focused on planning a program that offered experiences compatible with those offered at…