Songs seem popular for achieving educational purposes other than teaching music in early education, despite scant evidence to support this 'folk pedagogy'. To investigate why teachers use songs, this mixed-methods study explored teachers' self-reported purposes for using songs in an online questionnaire (n = 103) and semi-structured interviews (n…

As school authorities strive toward inclusive models of education for children with neurodevelopmental delay and disability (NDD), many kindergarten curricula have mandated pedagogy centered on learning through play. Children with NDD tend to experience greater social isolation and lower rates of social play engagement compared to typically…

In this article, we explore the concept of "mimamori" and its impact on early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Norway and Japan. "Mimamori" is a teaching method whereby teachers refrain from giving children direct instructions, which is in line with the Froebelian approach to pedagogy. It is interesting to investigate how…

Despite efforts to broaden participation in computer science and its related fields, there exist stark disparities in participation in computer related fields by gender, race/ethnicity, and socio-economic status. One approach to combat these disparities is to expose children to computing concepts early, to provide them with the foundational skills…

During the social process of the preschool period, the aim is to enable children to gain social skills which will help them to adapt to the classroom, and prepare them for their social life. Benefiting from cooperative teaching methods in the development of social skills supports children's interactions with each other. The carrying out of group…

Children's Approaches to Learning (AtL) represents how children seek learning opportunities in their classrooms. It can include children's persistence, attention, and initiative. It has often been studied using a composite of a teacher-rated scale. However, person-centered approaches may account for heterogeneity in children's learning approaches,…

Research Findings: This study examined associations between observed emotion-focused teaching practices and preschool children's emotion expression, emotion-related behaviors, and learning behaviors. Four centers located in large midwestern and mid-Atlantic metropolitan areas participated in the study. Of these, one center was a Head Start…

Social competence is the ability to achieve interpersonal goals by engaging in social behaviors that are appropriate and context-specific. It develops early in childhood as children interact with others and it is a significant contributor to children's social development. The purpose of this article is to describe a practical method for how early…

The major importance of preschool children's mental health with regard to their emotional and social development has a documented ground in the literature. In these domains, it is crucial for young children to learn how to express their emerging emotions appropriately and efficiently. Creative dance and movement is already being used as a…

Given its importance in children's development and learning, researchers have rigorously studied play, and many teachers have used it as a classroom tool. Music researchers have observed that music regularly accompanies children's play because music is part of their culture, and "playing with music" is the most natural form of expression…

This Australian study examines whether and how technologies such as Artificially Intelligent (AI) toys in a home-based setting might socially and emotionally support children with diverse needs through play. Building on the concept of 'emotional capital', and employing a design-based research approach, parents during the COVID-19 lockdown periods…

This meta-analysis summarized the effects of universal and targeted social and emotional learning (SEL) interventions in 48 studies on the development of social and emotional skills and the reduction of problem behaviors in 15,498 preschool students. For universal SEL interventions delivered to all students, a random-effects model with 33 primary…

Although young children benefit from early learning environments, many children with developmental delay struggle to meaningfully interact, engage, participate in daily routines and activities, and learn new social skills without direct support from evidence-based interventions (EBI), activity-based instruction, or Division for Early Childhood of…

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…

Inclusive early childhood programs strive to provide the necessary support for all children with disabilities to be successful alongside their typically developing peers. Children with disabilities are at risk for not engaging and fully participating in social routines with peers and require modifications and adaptations to fully access…