The support of emergent literacy skills in preschool children has been considered highly important for the development of children's competencies and their academic success in school. In addition to parents, preschool teachers are expected to support children's emergent literacy skills with educational activities; this is specifically true for…

In this paper, motivated in part by evidence that Swedish teachers are sceptical of parents' abilities to offer appropriate support, we present an exploratory investigation of the activities Swedish parents initiate to facilitate their year-one (first grade) children's learning of mathematics. Data, derived from 25 semi-structured interviews…

This study investigated the influence of guidance instruction and type of activity on parental guidance of young children's mathematics and scientific inquiry during cooking, games, and nature activities at home. Thirty families participated with their preschool-aged child; half were randomly assigned to an inquiry guidance instruction group and…

Despite the documented importance of parental engagement in early learning, little is known about how parents in the Middle East and North Africa understand child development. To inform the literature, a small-scale study involving four focus groups was conducted with parents of children aged six years and under living in Casablanca. The purpose…

While research demonstrates the importance of numeracy-related activities performed at home for young children's mathematics achievement, few studies involve observational studies of the processes which support children's mathematical learning at home. On this premise, this study reports evidence from numeracy-related interactions between parents…

Within the development studies framework, empowerment involves increasing individual agency vis-à-vis the formal and informal opportunity structure. The Open Society Foundation's Early Childhood Programme developed the Getting Ready for School programme specifically for parents of preschool-age children to use at home in the year before school to…

Studies of the processes by which parents encourage early numerical development in the context of parent-child interactions during routine, culturally relevant activities at home are scarce. The present study was designed to investigate spontaneous exchanges related to numeracy during parent-child interactions in reading and play activities at…

Two studies examined the impact of mathematical games, some involving parents playing games with children in class, on 5- to 7-year-olds' number knowledge. Results showed that games appeared to be most effective as a way of enhancing children's learning when a sensitive adult was available to support and extend the children's learning as they…

This study examined the mathematical development of 2 children from 18 to 48 months as part of a larger longitudinal study of the impact of home environment on later learning attitudes. It was concluded that early pedagogical strategies may vary in the manner in which they not only pave the way for later development, but also foster expectations…

An ethnographic study explored cultural belief systems of four-year-olds' families and school staff from Anglo and Bangladeshi families in England. Case study of one child/family illustrates how parental beliefs about childhood, the home, uses and purposes of literacy, and children's learning influence children's school experience. How data were…

Interactions of children, parents, and staff of four multicultural, parent-run day-care centers were analyzed for methods of task analysis, communication symbols, and structures of pedagogical assistance. Results showed the presence of parents created rich cognitive interactions, suggesting the cognitive effects of a socially disadvantaged milieu…