A comparison and contrast is made between different notions and occurrences of play in daily life to highlight the sense of the importance of play in a physical education lesson. The meaning and definition of play are detailed, and its impact in and as part of actual learning is discussed. Two stories of real-life situations are described in which…

The prevailing view of secrets as undesirable or unhealthy is challenged in this exploration of the meaning and significance of secrecy. As a crucial dimension of human development, secrets lead to a child's awareness of inner space and external worlds. This in turn leads to the development of a sense of self, personal responsibility, autonomy,…

This study used a qualitative approach in investigating one Finnish day care center, four Danish day care centers, and two Swedish day care centers. The study examined the "Nordic model" for day care, which is unique in that it combines education and care for children while parents are working. The study investigated the quality of…

Rearing children is life's most important job, yet parents often have little training or preparation for this awesome responsibility. Thus, different perspectives of important emotional milestones of development for children, parents, and families, are covered in this text. It introduces a psychodynamic perspective which focuses on the meaning of…

This study examined the psychosocial adjustment of young children who were living in families where domestic violence had occurred, and presented implications for early childhood teachers. The research data were collected in a structured interview with 54 mothers who had at least 1 child between 3 and 6 years of age. These women had left a violent…

Developed as a companion volume to "The Play's the Thing," this book defines and analyzes the concept of master player based on videotaped observations of preschool children at play. An in-depth discussion reveals the multi-faceted nature of play, individual differences in both teachers' and children's styles, and the complexity of…

Individual symptoms of psychological disorders are often related to general familial conflicts; a psychologically conspicuous individual cannot become healthy as long as family life is deeply troubled. To explore this belief, parents' concepts about their children's behavior were examined. Forty-four parents, who were either involved with a family…

Even though current wisdom holds that adoptive parents should talk with their child about adoption as early as possible, no guidelines exist to prepare parents for the various ways their children might respond when these conversations take place. This book discusses how young children make sense of the fact that they are adopted, how their…

By describing the characteristics of the educational and developmental belief systems of low-income African-American parents of kindergarten children, this study extended previous research on parents' beliefs about early education and development to more ethnically and socioeconomically diverse subject groups. A sample of 115 African-American…

One of the most robust approaches to researching parents' influence on children's social competence is the study of what has been called "parenting style." Parenting style captures two important elements of parenting: parental responsiveness and parental demandingness. Categorizing parents according to whether they are high or low on…

This 40-minute instructional video illustrates the unique benefits of play therapy for children who have been physically or sexually abused. It describes how play activities fit into the reparative process and provides helpful pointers for practice. The uses of art supplies, the sandtray, puppets, dollhouse, masks, and more are highlighted.…

This lesson plan explores the nature of parental accountability for their children's behavior. The lesson encourages students to explore their individual opinions in this area and learn of specific laws enacted throughout the country; students then work in small legislative groups to draft a bill that accurately reflects their opinions. The lesson…

This bibliography of 146 scales contains measures requiring the observation of a particular set of actions and the recording, usually at a later time, of some inference or judgment concerning the observed actions. Judgment may be in terms of an indication of the presence, degree, or frequency of a behavior. The majority of instruments target the…

Educators have a responsibility to learn more about at-risk youth. This paper examines such youths' family systems and dynamics, their identifying characteristics, and explores possible interventions. If a family perceives many situations as crises, that family usually possesses inadequate coping skills. Children in such families develop their own…

Behavior analysts have spent relatively little time in designing interventions to enhance motor development in typically developing infants and children. This study examines the effect of a motor training package consisting of opportunity to respond and practice (standing the infant and letting her hold the fingers of the experimenter),…