With intentional adult guidance, all children have opportunities to learn new skills across developmental domains during motor play. We collected and analyzed 501 written responses from 16 preschool teachers regarding their perceptions of intervention outcomes across domains, based on their observations during the CHildren in Action: Motor Program…

Access to high-quality early music education programs may mitigate the effects of poverty on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, but fundamental questions remain about the role of early educators in conveying these benefits. In the current study, we measured the basal or resting cortisol levels of 76 children (M[subscript age] = 4.17…

This article builds on an arts-based pedagogical development project where a kindergarten educator and a somatic dance teacher have created and conducted dance-workshops for kindergarten teachers, aiming at developing bodily professional knowledge through dance. The research is carried out from a post-human perspective (Barad, Karen, "Meeting…

The article highlights connections between music and movement activities and emergent literacy development among infants and toddlers. I review how music is linked to phonological awareness, oral language, vocabulary, and other related skills that support reading, like executive function. I also highlight the benefits of including…

Teachers play an influential role in children's health behaviors and there is evidence to support the need for children to be more physically active within preschool. To increase children's physical activity, teachers need to be intentional about promoting active play. To date, most research has focused on teachers' promotion of physical activity…

Active bodily involvement in music is a key component of musical understanding. Rudolf von Laban developed a movement framework introducing the "effort elements" of time, space, weight, and flow. He proposed that by experiencing combinations of these elements, individuals internalize a movement vocabulary that fosters expressive music…

The psychological and cognitive impacts of COVID-19 on children are still unfolding; however, several researchers have noted negative effects of quarantine on youth (Orgilés et al., 2020) and parents (Fontanesi et al., 2020). The abrupt departure from preschool due to social distancing and potential family disharmony associated with financial and…

Fundamental movement skills acquired during pre-school years provide the basis of normal motor development, positive self-image, self-perceived sports competencies in the adolescence. An instructional approach supported with visual materials may improve learning in pre-school children. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of…

Incorporating immersive technologies in education has become increasingly popular due to their ability to facilitate active learning and engage students in the acquisition of concepts and skills. One form of immersive technology includes educational games that incorporate movement interaction, allowing children to engage with in-game elements by…

Students who fail to acquire foundational literacy skills during preschool are more likely to read below grade level average in elementary school and are at a heightened risk for future school failure, poverty, early mortality, and crime. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects and maintenance of and preference for paired kinesthetic…

The aim of this research is to investigate the effect of inclusive play and special movement education applied to disadvantaged and peer preschool children in Erzurum city center on their basic skills. 22 students (10 disadvantaged children + 12 peer group children) consisting of disadvantaged children and peer children who were educated in…

The action research presented here is our story -- a teacher who initiated change in a kindergarten in a small village in the center of Israel, and an academic advisor who observed and guided the teacher for six years. The article is based on formal documents, records of processes that took place in the kindergarten, records of weekly discussions,…

Despite the urgent need to provide kindergarten teachers with professional development (PD) in music and movement, little is known about their needs, motivations, and preferences in this area. This interview study explores Hong Kong kindergarten teachers' prior music and movement educational experiences and their self-perceived usefulness of such…

It is aimed to develop a measurement tool which is a basic motor movement, social skill, attitude observation and evaluation scale for Basic Movement Education. In the study, the natural observation from qualitative research methods is used. The scale outline with 40 items is formed as a result of literature review and negotiations. To determine…

For children born in the 21st century, the enmeshing of natural and human forces in the survival of the planet requires conceptual and practical innovation. This paper comes from a project funded by the Australian Research Council investigating the integration of literacy and sustainability in early years learning. The methodology employed was…