Offers suggestions as to how teachers of nursery through second grade children might develop a creative dramatics program from elements that are already in the curriculum and in the children themselves. (Author/SDH)

Author focused on play as a useful and essential activity. (Editor/RK)

Playing with blocks can facilitate the creative, social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development of young children. This article presents information and activities concerning block play and its role in young children's experience. Topics covered include: (1) types of blocks; (2) selection of blocks and accessories; (3) planning of the…

This paper examines aspects of the use of puppets with young children and provides guidelines on proper times for puppet use, basic movements, and patterns. The use of puppetry in dramatic play provides young children with opportunities for refining communication skills and defining self. Puppetry provides a means for children to explore their…

The study examined emotional-motivational personality characteristics of 15 learning disabled, 15 normal achieving, and 15 high achieving students (grades 3-5). The study tested the hypothesis derived from the A-R-D (attitude-reinforcer-discriminative) theory of motivation that learning disabled (LD) children differ from normal and high achieving…

Eight pamphlets provide information to parents about the developmental characteristics of toddlers at different ages and related caregiving concerns. Two issues of the series focus on children 13- to 15-months-old, two on 16- to 18-months-old, two on 19- to 21-months-old, and two on 22- to 24-months-old. The first issue in each pair focuses on…

The purpose of this study was to extend understanding of affiliative interaction between parents and toddlers and to correlate affiliative behaviors with frequency and type of mothers' and fathers' caregiving activities, play experiences, and support-control interactions. The research was conducted with 10 families who each had one toddler between…

A total of 103 children 2 through 6 years of age were interviewed and 73 of their parents and 60 preschool teachers completed a questionnaire about their perceptions of play. Most parents defined play as something for fun or amusement, while teachers saw it both as fun and as an opportunity for cognitive and social development. Both parents and…

The paper looks at the development of a play group for autistic children with descriptions of the autistic population, the daily program, the program's philosophy, the play group model, and actual lessons. Children, who ranged in age from 5 to 9 years, often chose activities which were self-stimulating and/or repetitive. The daily program included…

The book describes techniques for helping nonspeaking individuals to communicate. The first section focuses on equipment, presenting information on materials and instructions for constructing such equipment as communication boards for children who need a looking response; boards or trays for children with motor control problems; brief-case-style…

This study investigated questions asked during two types of mother-child interaction and demonstrated ways in which mother-child dyads may structure their interactions differently in different settings. Participants were 16 first-born girls between 2.5 and 3.5 years of age who were videotaped on four occasions when they played in their home for 15…

This book provides more than 400 ideas for skits and stunts for various size groups of any age, as well as general information on the uses, presentations, and creation of stunts and skits. The chapters include: (1) The Why and How of Skits and Stunts; (2) How to Make Up Your Own Skits; (3) Impromptu Stunts and Skits; (4) Group Stunts and "Dramas";…

In response to community concern about developmental effects on children who play with toys that portray antisocial, violent, or militaristic themes, two government committees were set up to investigate the issue. Psychologists have argued that playing with such toys may increase antisocial and aggressive behavior in children and have long-term…