While we continue to see a growing push for the restoration and codification of recess in elementary schools, policy does not necessarily equal practice. Georgia recently passed legislation requiring at least 20 minutes of recess per day for students in PK-5. The purpose of this research study was to survey elementary school educators to reveal…

Play is an integral part of childhood which is done for the sake of enjoyment but also confers many benefits. For young children who attend childcare, preschool, and elementary school, play is frequently done outside the home and with peers. The public health measures of the COVID-19 pandemic confined many families to their homes while parents had…

This study investigates the impact of digital game addiction on peer play behaviors and social skills in early childhood, focusing on parents' education levels. Using a relational screening model, the sample consists of 405 preschool children attending kindergartens in Afyonkarahisar, Türkiye. Data were collected using the Digital Game Addiction…

Home-based parenting interventions foster positive parent-child relationships and parenting skills that reduce risks to child outcomes associated with social disadvantage. This article extends evidence about the value of one such program -- the Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters (HIPPY) -- through qualitative examination of a new…

In the field of educational robotics, it is important to understand the processes trough which child-robot interactions are established during play activities. In terms of socio-material characteristics, robots can vary widely, from more mechanical robots to more anthropomorphic ones. Research has shown that the degree of anthropomorphization of…

This article focuses on child participation in early childhood education (ECE). The theoretical basis for this study is a relational approach that highlights the significance of spatiality and materiality. Drawing from these theoretical perspectives, child participation is understood as a space that children actively do in various combinations of…

Research shows that caregivers of children with autism can be taught a variety of behavioral strategies, but there is little research on teaching caregivers to prioritize rapport building over skill acquisition during play. The current study evaluated the effects of a digital training package on the rapport-building skills of four caregivers of…

This book critiques creativity as a 'keyword' in contemporary society. This is illustrated through an analysis of the uses of creativity within cultural, urban and educational policy. While there have been critiques and debates of the uses of creativity within these fields, the author innovatively bridges these disciplines by providing both an…

For many children, their home is where they first encounter digital media technologies. The aim of this study is to investigate how children 0 - 3 years old engage in digital media. We address digital literacies as a sociocultural mindset and a toolbox with attention to skills and comprehensions as well as how children express their agency. The…

To Brian Sutton-Smith's catalogue of seven play rhetorics in his influential work, "The Ambiguity of Play," the author adds an eighth category--the rhetoric of computational play, connecting the research field of game studies with other forms of play studies. By proposing this rhetoric, Sicart seeks to consolidate the relation between…

In "The Empathetic Classroom," educator and licensed therapist Maria Munro-Schuster helps K-12 teachers navigate emotional stress, combat exhaustion, connect with students, and avoid burning out. She also gives tools for better teaching, for teaching that feels better, and for classrooms where emotional intelligence, safety, and empathy…

The importance of incorporating digital technologies into early childhood education is now widely accepted to help position children as creative producers and not just consumers of technology. Early childhood educators in turn have a key role to play in developing technology-related skills and competencies such as coding and computational thinking…

Nature-based learning is increasingly being implemented and explored within early childhood education settings. Thus, including sustainability, environmental education, place-based education, and other similar topics may help prepare future educators and teachers to provide meaningful experiences for children in the outdoor environment. The…

Background: While there exists a large body of research on the benefits of play in supporting children's mathematical learning, the vast majority of such research has been conducted in early childhood or informal contexts, rather than formal K-12 schools. Moreover, this research has predominantly focused on adults' perspectives of children's play.…

Using a content analysis method, this study develops a culturally based inventory of play categories from parents and children reports and explores how such types of play varies in environment and time. A total of 171 parent-child dyads from 13 Hong Kong kindergartens participated in the study. Results reveal that play practices reported from Hong…