The Montessori philosophy and environment offers opportunities for free movement within the classroom. Physical development includes the acquisition of fundamental movement skills (FMS) which children acquire through different opportunities for movement. Previous research has shown that Montessorian pre-schoolers were more physically active during…

Recent findings from the Kids Activity and Learning Study complement North Carolina's multidimensional approach to promoting school readiness by emphasizing the integrated nature of motor and cognitive development in early childhood. Children whose motor skills improved the most over the course of an academic year also tended to demonstrate the…

Poor physical development in young children has been shown to impact readiness for school, behaviour, social development and academic achievement. This research sought to explore whether a physical intervention programme (Movement for Learning) can improve children's physical development. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children (2nd edition,…

Gross motor skills on children must be optimized much earlier since it plays important role not only on their interaction process but also in supporting other multiple developments. One of the means in developing child's motor skill is by providing innovative games i.e. modified games including game format, game timing, and game sequence. The…

Through movement, children learn to orient themselves in space, defining for themselves such conceptions as up and down, right and left, through, around and inside; the integration of motor and sensory experiences may well be the foundation upon which complex cognitive skills are built. (JD)

This article discusses children's physical development through physical play. Here, the author gives ways to incorporate opportunities for physical play. For infants, time for play may have to revolve around nap schedules. This may mean allowing for different wake-sleep cycles for different infants. Teachers can divide the infants into groups so…

Children grow and develop physically according to their own experiences, characteristics, and abilities. Physical development is so important and the environment should allow each child to find her space in the sunshine. This can be done by: (1) creating the right outdoor environment; (2) allowing children time to use it; (3) encouraging movement…

This article features activities for children to explore the concepts of "over" and "under." Using boxes and blocks, children explore positional relationships and develop physical skills. Here, the author offers activities for every age level.

The things that one can see in a child care program that identify it as a good program for babies and their families are described. The two main questions that are answered are: What is quality in an arrangement for infant care? and How is a parent to recognize it when it is found. The topics discussed are: (1) Involvement with Parents, Home, and…

Presents the findings from a Russian survey that investigated directions for corrective-upbringing work with preschool age children who have deficiencies in mental development. Explains that the degree and amount of corrective work depends on the severity of the impairment. Focuses on different components of corrective-upbringing, such as the…

Assuming the premise that "a child has gone fifty percent of the way in organizing the thinking patterns that we call his intelligence by the time he has reached the age of four, and the next thirty percent by the time he is eight," 50 Schenectady kindergarten-through-first-grade teachers and administrators formulated a chart of behavioral…

The second of three volumes, this document provides a description of the coding system, the rules and the procedures followed in interpreting and classifying 4,896 statements of desired program effects on Head Start children. The statements had been identified and rated by parents, staff and teachers in Input Workshops conducted by the Head Start…

The third of three volumes, this document provides (1) a reduced list of child development characteristics obtained from parents, teachers, and staff participating in Head Start Input Workshops set up to identify desirable program effects; (2) a Tabulation of Importance Ratings, showing how workshop participants valued specific statements of child…