We describe the rationale for- and content of- a freely available, novel, theoretically driven and evidence-based approach to improving the teaching of word reading in reception classrooms called 'Flexible Phonics'. Flexible Phonics (FP) adds measurable value to-, rather than wholly replacing, existing synthetic phonics programmes. The rationale…

Participation in non-parental child care arrangements is now the norm for preschool-age children in the U.S. However, child care services are becoming increasingly expensive for many families, and quality is highly uneven across providers and sectors, raising questions about the impact of child care costs and quality on parental employment and…

The Kamishibai theatre is a traditional Japanese method of storytelling using illustrated boards successively taken out of a small wooden chest used as a screen. Although the method has a significant educational and therapeutic potential, researchers devote little attention to it, focusing mainly on its connection with developing language…

This study investigated whether some factors regarding especially pregnancy and post-pregnancy and 0-36-month-old infants' exposure to digital screens played a role in the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) scores of 4-11-year-old children. The cross-sectional research method was used. The sample consisted of the mothers of 2835…

Purpose: This study investigated whether sensory inhibition in children may be associated with speech perception-in-noise performance. Additionally, gating networks associated with sensory inhibition were identified via standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA), and the detectability of the cortical auditory evoked…

Sensitivity to auditory rhythmic structures in music and language is evident as early as infancy, but performance on beat perception tasks is often well below adult levels and improves gradually with age. While some research has suggested the ability to perceive musical beat develops early, even in infancy, it remains unclear whether adult-like…

Purpose: This study conducted a transcription-based and spectral moments' analysis of alveolar and alveopalatal fricatives in monolingual and bilingual Frenchs-peaking children, aged 2;6--6;10 (years;months). We measured the percent accuracy of fricatives and investigated whether young children could distinguish alveolar and alveopalatal…

The quality of the preschool environment may affect preschooler's levels of physical activity and sedentary time. In this paper, we aimed to assess the quality of the preschool movement environment and associations between the movement environment and children's physical activity and sedentary time in Norwegian preschools. A sample of 71…

Purpose: People who stutter often experience significant adverse impact related to stuttering. However, it is unclear how adverse impact develops in children who stutter (CWS) and whether there are protective factors that may mitigate its development. This study examined the relationship between resilience, a potentially protective factor, and…

This qualitative study explored Caribbean early childhood teachers' views of children's conflict in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. It is framed by the 'new' sociology of childhood which values children's agency, and the teachers' belief about conflict management. Forty-three early childhood teachers responded to an online questionnaire about…

The European Union (EU) aims to promote peace. This research investigates the saliency of a European identity for children from majority and minority groups in four conflict-affected societies in Europe (Croatia, Kosovo, Northern Ireland (NI), and Republic of North Macedonia (RNM)). These sites represent a range of relations with the EU (e.g.,…

In this paper, we investigated whether Canadian preschoolers prefer to learn from a competent robot over an incompetent human using the classic trust paradigm. An adapted Naive Biology task was also administered to assess children's perception of robots. In Study 1, 3-year-olds and 5-year-olds were presented with two informants; A social, humanoid…

Little is known about what features of AAC systems are regarded by AAC professionals as more suitable for children with different characteristics. A survey was conducted in which participants rated the suitability of hypothetical AAC systems on a Likert scale from 1 ("very unsuitable") to 7 ("very suitable") alongside a…

The ability to use knowledge to guide the completion of goals is a critical cognitive skill, but 3-year-olds struggle to complete goals that require multiple steps. This study asked whether 3-year-olds could benefit from "plan chunking" to complete multistep goals. Thirty-two U.S. children (range = 35.75-46.59 months; 18 girls; 9 white,…

Background: In basketball, children's main reason for playing is to have fun, whereas outcomes such as skill acquisition and long-term development are often perceived by adults as the main motive for children's engagement in sport. However, no studies have yet examined whether the game outcome could influence motivational variables longitudinally…