Background: People with Down syndrome (DS) are predisposed to challenges with executive functions (EF), which are crucial for adaptive outcomes and academic success. Early interventions targeting EF are therefore critical. The present study analysed Italian data on the acceptability, enjoyability and household implementation of EXPO (EXecutive…

The current study aims to identify changing trends in digital play addiction tendencies among young children and parental guidance strategies before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In light of the bioecological model of development, it was hypothesized that the pandemic would have a significant impact on the addiction to digital play…

There are some studies indicating that parents make a significant contribution to children's conceptual learning through play, whereas very few studies have been done to identify parents' pedagogical positioning in children's imaginative play for supporting their learning and development. This paper is seeking how Indian-Australian immigrant…

Background: Play is a main driver of children's cognitive and social development and is crucial for educational success ("Paediatrics," 119, 2007 and 182). In recent years, however, parents and schools are under pressure to prioritize academic targets over play. Aims: The current research investigated parents' views about three aspects…

Parents of young children are often unaware of the general importance of play in children's development and their own roles in children's play. Lack of leisure, lack of space, the COVID-19 pandemic, Early Childhood Centre teacher communication and use of media and digital toys for children, have affected and reduced children's free play. Drawing…

Every child deserves the opportunity to play during their preschool-age towards optimal development of physical, intellectual, social and emotional. However, parents or caregivers from the remote villages in Myanmar have not raised awareness of the play with their preschoolers. There was no preschool program in these remote villages in Myanmar.…

Caregivers are increasingly recognised as significant in providing naturalistic interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder in high-income countries and low- and middle-income countries including Sri Lanka. It is imperative to assess the impact of programmes targeting desired parenting skills within cultural boundaries. A preliminary…

This special issue on early self- and co-regulation addresses a topic that is founded on a rich mix of theoretical perspectives, including self-determination theory, socio-cultural theory, attachment theory and artificial intelligence. Reflecting this diversity, the papers adopt a diverse range of approaches to cutting-edge questions regarding…

Vygotsky (1978) describes play as having three main components, one being the ability for a child to create an imaginary situation, the second taking on and acting out roles, and the third, following a set of rules that were determined by the roles children took on during play during social or group settings. Hence, supporting much needed social…

In August 2017, almost a million Rohingya people fled to Bangladesh to escape violence and persecution in Myanmar; 55 percent of them were children. BRAC, one of the largest nongovernmental organizations in the world, operates an initiative called the Humanitarian Play Lab model for children ages 0-6 in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh.…

Fathers in families with childhood disability have an important role in fostering coping and resilience in children. Insight into men's thoughts about fathering is necessary to provide family-centered interventions. The purpose of this study was to explore men's experience of being a father in families with childhood disability. Qualitative…

All families have values and beliefs that guide them in their parenting journey. As an important adult in a child's life, and an influencer of a generation of compassionate people, a parent can have a positive impact on society as a whole. This booklet supports a vision of communities where children feel nurtured, safe, connected to their culture,…

Background: Despite widespread use of digital toys, research evidence of how a digital toy's features affect children's development and the nature of parent-child interactions during play is limited. Objective: The present study aimed to examine how mother-child dyads experience a traditional stuffed toy and an animated digital toy by comparing…

Using a holistic support framework, this study investigated teachers' conceptions of effective play-based learning development and how their perceptions of its effectiveness related to whole-child development. Data were collected from a mixed method study. A total of 286 questionnaires from 50 Hong Kong kindergartens were collected and then 29…

Child therapists face challenges regarding whether they should meet needs of not only their child-clients but needs of the parents of their clients. Their difficulties arise from the fact that although they are specialized in counseling children, the majority of them lack proper training in or education on working with parents (Lolan, 2011). Given…