Many scholars have argued that mathematics classrooms often offer narrow conceptions of mathematical excellence, recognizing only some kinds of thinking and some kinds of people as valuable, and conflating mathematical aptitude with overall intelligence. Play offers the potential to disrupt such classroom mathematical practices, by offering new…

During a five-week research study, a kindergarten class of 14 five- and six-year-old children learned to sing and play soprano ukuleles. The study had a dual purpose: to teach the children foundational music skills, and to teach them to read lyrics at the emergent reader level. Csikszentmihalyi (2009) cites one of the pitfalls of traditional music…

A body of research that investigates the social, cognitive and emotional effects of digital technologies on the development of children reports that digital technologies are limiting activities that connect children with people. On the other hand, there is a great amount of research on the positive role of digital play. However, digital games per…

This research project explores the interconnections between three constructs: joy, play, and learning. The research specifically focuses on children's ideas and experiences of joy, play, and learning at a public Montessori School in the United States of America and in the context of engaging with selected math games. The games used are…

Play allows children to experience joy in the moment of learning. Parrott and Cohen (2020) highlight the benefit of unstructured play to children's overall learning in their case study. Outdoor play typically has no restrictions or end goal in mind. The possibilities of outdoor learning experiences are endless for children as they experiment with…

Play is often included in autism diagnostic assessments. These tend to focus on 'deficits' and non-autistic interpretation of observable behaviours. In contrast, a neurodiversity-affirmative assessment approach involves centring autistic perspectives and focusing on strengths, differences and needs. Accordingly, this study was designed to focus on…

In the field of educational robotics, it is important to understand the processes trough which child-robot interactions are established during play activities. In terms of socio-material characteristics, robots can vary widely, from more mechanical robots to more anthropomorphic ones. Research has shown that the degree of anthropomorphization of…

This article focuses on child participation in early childhood education (ECE). The theoretical basis for this study is a relational approach that highlights the significance of spatiality and materiality. Drawing from these theoretical perspectives, child participation is understood as a space that children actively do in various combinations of…

Research shows that caregivers of children with autism can be taught a variety of behavioral strategies, but there is little research on teaching caregivers to prioritize rapport building over skill acquisition during play. The current study evaluated the effects of a digital training package on the rapport-building skills of four caregivers of…

This study investigates the impact of digital game addiction on peer play behaviors and social skills in early childhood, focusing on parents' education levels. Using a relational screening model, the sample consists of 405 preschool children attending kindergartens in Afyonkarahisar, Türkiye. Data were collected using the Digital Game Addiction…

Home-based parenting interventions foster positive parent-child relationships and parenting skills that reduce risks to child outcomes associated with social disadvantage. This article extends evidence about the value of one such program -- the Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters (HIPPY) -- through qualitative examination of a new…

While we continue to see a growing push for the restoration and codification of recess in elementary schools, policy does not necessarily equal practice. Georgia recently passed legislation requiring at least 20 minutes of recess per day for students in PK-5. The purpose of this research study was to survey elementary school educators to reveal…

Using a content analysis method, this study develops a culturally based inventory of play categories from parents and children reports and explores how such types of play varies in environment and time. A total of 171 parent-child dyads from 13 Hong Kong kindergartens participated in the study. Results reveal that play practices reported from Hong…

The early childhood stage is a time of basic foundation in which children are engaged in pretend play and creative activities. The objective of this study was to explore the role of pretend play on the creativity development of preschool children. Data were collected from four purposefully selected preschool children (two male and two female)…

This study on technology education in preschool aims to explore how technology activities in preschool are enacted and what knowledge, related to the five dimensions of the nature of technology, is made possible for the children to learn when intersubjectivity is established in the interaction between the participants. The empirical data encompass…