The effects of child gender and teacher experience on the intrusions of teachers into young children's play were studied. A classroom of 15 children (mean age 34 months), which was supervised by a lead teacher, graduate assistants, and undergraduate student teachers, was observed. Teacher intrusions into the children's play were coded as requests,…

The use of logos in the early childhood classroom is one aspect of a rich written language environment in which the young child can begin to acquire literacy in a meaningful way. The early childhood classroom provides many opportunities for the use of logos in context. Sociodramatic play provides one such opportunity. Whether the play is arranged…

This volume contains the following articles under the headings "Philosophical Ideas" (Articles 1-5), "Research Studies" (Articles 6-15), and "Practical Techniques" (Articles 16-22): (1) "Coming Home to a Change of Lifestyle" (Connie O'Connor); (2) "The New Age and Leisure" (Karla Henderson, Angela Whorton); (3) "A Backcountry Dichotomy" (Gary…

This manual makes a case for cooperative (as opposed to competitive) play among disabled and nondisabled children. Part 1, which concerns the philosophy involved, discusses the rationale for cooperative games, the importance of play, cooperative games as an alternative, components of cooperative games, structure of cooperative games, and…

A 6-month, qualitative study of the nature of literate behavior in the pretend play episodes of eight preschool children resulted in a taxonomy of their pretend play activity. Data were gathered in a setting where teachers implemented a cognitively oriented curriculum that encouraged language development and problem solving through play.…

This study examined a model suggesting that personal variables (age and gender) and environmental variables (activity centers) affect social-cognitive aspects of children's play. A total of 80 children (32 boys and 48 girls) participated. Same-age and same-gender dyads from each of two age groups (4- and 5-year-olds) were observed playing in an…

Social participation behavior of 33 2- and 3-year-old children was observed during free-play in order to identify differences between age groups as well as differences between contemporary outcomes and Parten's 1932 findings. Trained observers recorded the frequencies of play behaviors, utilizing a time sampling procedure and Parten's categories…

The paper reports on an exploratory study of the turntaking and pragmatic language skills of handicapped children during parent-child reciprocal play, compared to that of non-handicapped children. The four handicapped children were 25-36 months of age. The paper also describes a pilot intervention involving carefully structured joint activity play…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between social status and negotiation strategies in preschool boys and girls. With the use of peer nominations, 84 preschool children were classified as liked, disliked, or low-impact. Children were videotaped in free play interactions in which one child entered the play of a pair of…

Play therapy has been employed by therapists to alleviate children's emotional stress. Most research dealing with this type of intervention has been in the form of case studies, focusing on therapy outcome rather than on the therapeutic process. The process of one child in individual play therapy was analyzed through the use of time-series…

The difficulties faced by culturally different parents of multiply handicapped young children are considered, and examples of families of Chinese origin are offered to illustrate the impact of cultural styles and beliefs. The structure of the Chinese family is analyzed, its reaction to professionals and handicapped people explained. Guidelines for…

A novel paradigm was developed and two studies conducted to test the contribution of six conversational skills to children's friendship formation. In study 1, 4- and 5-year-olds individually played for 30 minutes with a 2-foot-tall talking doll. The doll contained a wireless hidden receiver/speaker enabling a concealed female assistant to converse…

The paper offers a play therapist's evidence for the curative power of intensive mother-child holding of children with emotional problems resulting from separation from the parent and emotional disturbances including autism. Dramatic improvements were observed in the play behaviors of autistic children after enforced cuddling--and these were…

This practicum involved the design and construction of an outdoor playground for infants and toddlers. The primary goal was to design and construct a playground scaled to the size and developmental needs of infants and toddlers. The second goal was to evaluate the overall playground in terms of contents, maintenance and usage. The third goal was…

Teachers can create an interest in the founding period of U.S. history and present students with an authentic view of this time period through the presentation of this play. The dramatic pretense of the play is that the audience, by their presence, is part of the drama. The audience plays the part of travelers visiting a Philadelphia home in the…