Using an intersectional analysis, this article critically analyses implied and expressed norms to identify perceptions of appropriate behaviour in children's play, and to explore how social communicative arenas such as Internet forums construct knowledge and values. Adults' responses to an incident that occurred amongst a group of children in…

This paper provides a discourse analysis of 12 Swedish sexuality education texts intended for preschool practitioners and published between 1969 and 2021. Using Fairclough's framework, we identify three discourses about children's sexual play in relation to children's sexual agency in the texts: child sexuality as encouraged and entangled with…

This study examines the decolonization of play through the rediscovery and revitalization of traditional play practices in the post-colonial era. Through a comprehensive literature review, the research examines the historical suppression of indigenous play forms and their contemporary resurgence. The research highlights the cultural significance…

Play is an indispensable component of the human experience, and it is as old as humanity itself. Considering the academic perspective of early childhood education as the first step in education, the understanding of play is imposed as a challenge in the perception and analysis of play in the formal education of future ECEC teachers. In order to…

The Swedish preschool educational tradition is based on a holistic view where care, play, learning, and teaching are intertwined. Previous research argues for the need to develop teaching approaches that simultaneously direct attention towards content and children's perspectives. The aim of this study is to contribute with knowledge about how…

Despite evidence that play supports learning and development across a range of domains in early childhood, play time has been decreasing for many young children in recent years. Early care and education (ECE) teachers are in a unique position to promote developmentally appropriate play as a way to help young children learn, and ECE teachers'…

Children with autism often display differences in functional and symbolic play and may experience barriers to social inclusion with peers in preschool settings. Therefore, interventions supporting social play between children with autism and their peers that can be feasibly implemented by teachers in inclusive settings are needed. A…

Using an observational comparative case study, this study explored emergent readers' book selection behaviors within their classrooms. Emergent literacy skills are the forefront of literacy development (Clay, 1982; Ferriero & Teborsky, 1982; Teale, 1986; McNaughton, 1993; Chall, 1996; Neuman, 2000), yet reading motivation and engagement has…

Play is pivotal in supporting young children's holistic development. The COVID-19 crisis further highlighted the importance of play in supporting children's well-being and in providing a sense of normalcy. Guided by the phenomenographic method, this study aimed to examine Korean in-service infant-toddler teachers' experiences in fostering play in…

Technology is the most widely used tool in daily life activities in today's society. This is primarily due to its accessibility for all types of users and its ability to quickly respond to problems that arise in everyday tasks. Its widespread use is extending into various fields of knowledge, including education. Within this domain, the use of…

The authors contend that, although recent research--especially concerning the role of teachers--shows play to be critical for early childhood education, most kindergartens in the United States limit play because of accountability worries. And this is especially true for those kindergartens serving Black and Brown children. To support the…

The paper compares the value of ingenious handmade toys and ingenious machine-made assembled toys. The methods used are focus group discussions with 39 teachers and 115 students, respectively, and workshops with 131 students in four case schools in Kurukshetra, Haryana state, India. The results show that play value in terms of stories, movement,…

In this study, we compared how sustainability, children's agency, and play are addressed in preschool curricula in Sweden and Turkey. Content analysis was used to analyse, interpret, and compare the content. The findings indicated that sustainability is explicitly integrated into the Swedish curriculum but only partly mentioned in the Turkish…

Math learning in early childhood is critical for later success, as it is predictive of mathematical and academic achievement through adolescence. Therefore, developing engaging and effective methods for early math instruction are important. Math games are a common method for teaching math in a way that is motivating and engaging for young children…

This study aimed to evaluate Promoting Reciprocal Relationships with Flexibility, Coaching, and Teaching (PRRFCT Match), a parent-mediated naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention package. An expansion from an earlier pilot study (see Kunze et al., 2021), PRRFCT Match incorporates virtual coaching between a novice coach and parent to…