Preschools and kindergartens will become the happiest environment for children when they adopt innovative thinking about the value of active playful learning, have only developmentally appropriate expectations, manage behavior solely with kindness, and, in general, foster healthy social-emotional development and create a joyful, positive…

Nature-based learning emphasizes experiential learning, as children actively engage with their surroundings, observe and investigate natural phenomena, and make connections between their experiences and academic concepts. Although many neurodivergent students have benefited from nature-based learning, most research to date has focused on the…

Resilience has become a popular and important topic in classrooms around the world. Much of the existing research about resilience is focused on promoting this important life skill in young children. At the same time, more and more educators and researchers are emphasizing resilience as a tool to help teachers handle stress and avoid burnout.…

During the summer of 2016, the first author, along with an undergraduate student, observed an early childhood education program for 3- to 6-year-old children at Bright School, Muhanga, Rwanda. For two weeks, they documented the curriculum development, curricular and cultural adaptations of developmentally appropriate practices, social and…

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought great changes to classrooms and students around the world. As the virus swept into cities and communities, students were swept out of their routines--experiencing many sudden and profound losses. In one urban school district in the United States, elementary students lost the writing communities they had…

This article describes how one organization addresses social-emotional health during the pandemic. Positive Parenthood follows a relationship-based approach to bring calm and comfort to the adult-child relationship (be it between parents and children or teachers and children). They focus on children's sovereignty and the adult's capacity to…

Kelsey Thingvold reflects on her experiences helping her students to think critically and consider their role in the world, and how those experiences served her well in her own collaboration with a global group of education leaders.

Founded in Minneapolis by Angela Jerabek, a former school counselor, Building Assets, Reducing Risks (BARR) is an education model built on research about the importance of prioritizing relationships with the power of data. The implementation of BARR at South Fort Myers High School saw dramatic and measurable changes as well as exponential academic…

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) states that building bridges between home and school benefits students' development. With online teaching, this translates into informal conversations before class starts or at the end of class as a teacher waits for a virtual classroom to fill up or empty out. Much of teaching…

We hear much talk that today it is more difficult than in the past to be young-whether as a kindergartner or as a college student. It is also more difficult to be older, because the task of guiding young people to conduct a still unknown future is an awesome charge. Theoretically, a person living in the age of Charlemagne could grow up believing…

Giving an immersive global experience to preservice early childhood educators lays the foundation for building their global competencies and thereby helping them provide their own students with 21st century skills.

Around the world, dedicated professionals are implementing innovative programs to improve access to quality education for children living in poverty and otherwise marginalized communities. This article provides an overview of the work being conducted by BRAC, an international development organization based in Bangladesh that is working to…

Play is a natural and significant aspect of children's learning and development. Adults can be important to children's play, as they act as "play agents." Their involvement significantly influences the quality of the play activities in which children engage. The author briefly reviews the theoretical assumptions about adults' role in…

In this article, Jennifer Jones describes how at Pine Street School in New York City, they have dispensed with the traditional industrial model of schooling and are looking ahead to the future. The entire school was designed with optional learning environments. Jones describes innovative elements from varied seating (floor cushions, modular…

Childhood learning is full of easy-to-remember directions. Recall such advice as "Stop, look, and listen" before one crosses the street and "Stop, drop, and roll" if one's clothes catch on fire. These sayings are clear and concise with specific instruction about what to do in a critical situation. As a teacher educator who has been in the field…