Asserts that, for young children's development, there is no other activity as meaningful as play. Discusses how play helps in life skill development, how children learn through their senses during play, how play contributes to children's independence, how to shop for toys, and age-appropriate toys and activities. (EV)

Compares the family-centeredness of East and West Berliners with primary school-aged children shortly after the breakdown of East Germany by examining parental attitudes regarding friendship among children. Observes that while parents in East Berlin exerted greater control than those in West Berlin, children's integration into their extrafamilial…

Questions which familial socialization conditions are related systematically to individual student educational careers and motivations to learn. Assumes that students' motivations and aspirations are influenced by their parents' school-related practices. Concludes that autonomy-promoting, supportive pedagogical practices promote motivation to…

Discusses recent brain-research findings relevant for educators: the brain changes physiologically as a result of experience; IQ is not fixed at birth; some abilities are acquired more easily during certain windows of opportunity; and learning is strongly influenced by emotion. Environmental enrichment unmistakably influences the brain's growth…

Discusses the multiple medical, dental, therapeutic, psychosocial, and early intervention needs faced by children with cleft lip and cleft plate during the first three years of life. The physiological development of children with these disabilities is described and the need for interdisciplinary team involvement is emphasized. (Author/CR)

Examines three transcripts of preschool children's informal mathematical discourse during play to highlight the role of informal learning in young children's education. Considers the children's ability to adopt instructor, mediator and evaluator communication roles, to gain access to formal mathematics knowledge, and to use these to meet…

Recounts that studies of adolescent conduct have found that exemplary and antisocial behavior can be predicted by the manner in which their moral concerns are integrated into their descriptions of self. Proposes a new method, "The Youth Charter," for promoting adolescent self-identification with a coherent set of moral standards. (DSK)

Suggests that society is increasingly hostile to youth, fixating on progress and success rather than treasuring children's genuineness and carefree innocence. Recommends giving children space to grow; becoming aware of what children say, think, and want; and discovering the limitations of goodness as a goal for child behavior. (DLH)

Considers alternative ways of conceptualizing patterns of attachment, arguing that danger prompts organization of protective strategies in children. Discusses issues of what is normal versus atypical; complex organization versus disorganization; neurological disorders and temperament; assessment of patterns of attachment and analysis of attachment…

Explores the role of observed parental affect and encouragement in children's empathy-related responding and moral behavior, specifically cheating on a puzzle activity. Finds that (1) parents' affect and encouragement positively related to children's sympathy (not empathy) and (2) boys' cheating on the puzzle correlated to parents' affect and…

This article discusses the importance of learning to define a word. It provides a brief background on the contribution of the definitional skills to communication and school success, information on children's development of definitions, and teacher and family strategies for enhancing young children's definitions in relation to other skills.…

Analyzes why mothers make metacognitive decisions affecting how they scaffold books for children, interviewing them while they watched a videotape of booksharing events with children. Indicates that mothers, regardless of children's ages, made specific strategic metacognitive decisions about how text was best shared with their children. Concludes…

Comparison of the home environments provided by 38 low-income mothers with IQs less than 75 and 27 low-income mothers with IQs over 85 found significant differences, indicating greater developmental risk for children of low IQ mothers resulting from environmental deprivation. Most of the variance was in the area of interaction. (Author/DB)

Reviews the findings of the eight studies in this special section on children and ethnic/political violence, focusing on the contributions and limitations of research in this area and suggestions for future research. (MDM)

Examined the association between otitis media with effusion (OME) during the first 3 years of life and cognitive, academic performance, and behavior outcomes at 12 years of age. Results indicated that OME during early childhood was not related to intellectual performance, academic achievement, behavior, and attention. Suggests that generalizations…