Background: Engineering play is an emerging framework for understanding young children's constructive block play as an engineering design process. Few studies have evaluated engineering thinking, language, or behavior in preschool-age children, especially quantitative evaluations that systematically document specific early engineering behavior.…

A challenge for early childhood (EC) educators internationally is how to increase the integration of popular culture, media and digital technologies in EC settings to promote children's learning with digital media. But an ongoing puzzle is why the practices of some educators change, while others remain the same. Much research about teaching…

This article shares four dialogues with Vivian Gussin Paley to show how the author embarked on a journey of "writing, thinking, and teaching" with Mrs. Paley. Their journey started with the author sharing stories about students in her classroom through written correspondence with Mrs. Paley. In the process of writing and thinking, the…

References to internal states (e.g., thoughts, feelings, and desires) indicate children's appreciation of people's inner worlds. Many children spend time playing video games; however, the nature of children's speech when doing so has received little attention. We investigated the use of internal state language (ISL) as 251 seven-year-olds played…

Play is often used in interventions to improve social outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Play is a primary occupation of childhood and, therefore, an important outcome of intervention. The Ultimate Guide to Play, Language and Friendship (PLF) is a peer-mediated intervention for 6-11-year-old children with ASD. A total of…

This observational study focuses on prosocial behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during an interaction with their older, typically developing sibling (TD-Sibs). Twenty-eight sibling dyads, in which the younger sibling was diagnosed with ASD (ASD-Sibs), were video-recorded at home playing a game of their choice. Video…

The author explores tensions between teacher-centered styles of teaching and play-based approaches that invite students to be creators of their own learning. Through narrative inquiry, the author uses a metaphor of wildflowers growing in natural environments to explore a child-led process of learning through play that fosters creativity and deep…

The aim of this study is to examine mediations of parents who make digital games played by 60-72 months old children accessible, and the contents of the digital games played by children educationally. In this research the convergent parallel mixed research method that include both qualitative and quantitative research methods was used. The study…

Educators have a critical role in enhancing children's play interests within the classroom by determining the actions and context of their play. This study examined personal and professional characteristics associated with educators' self-reported play engagement preferences using a sample of Greek early childhood educators. One hundred…

This paper introduces the Wearable Story, an interactive storytelling jacket designed for young children to facilitate their story listening experience while learning through play. The wearable medium supports embodied learning by providing experiences through which children are encouraged to use their bodies to learn. With the jacket, children…

Strong oral language skills are foundational for literacy development and begin before a child enters formal schooling. Oral language development has been related to pretend play abilities in children. Children, particularly those from disadvantaged areas, who enter school with low pretend play levels and oral language abilities, are at risk for…

This mixed-methods study investigated the effects of a traditional play program (TPP) on 48 children's emotional intelligence (EQ), social ability (SA), and self-esteem (SE), important skills for children's overall well-being and development. The participants were recruited from two child welfare centers (CCs) and divided into experimental and…

This paper examines how teachers in the Indonesian context create motivating conditions for children's learning and development. Sixteen hours of digital visual observations on 38 children (mean age 4.4 years) were selected from a larger dataset of video observations, focus group discussions, and teacher interviews. Using the cultural-historical…

We investigated the dynamic relationships between children's risky play attempts in a naturalistic setting, their injury experience, and their self-control ability. To test this, we administered surveys to 862 mothers of 3- to 5-year-olds. The results showed that children who tried more diverse types of risky play experienced more injuries in…

The aim of this study was to explore dramatic play processes from a Marxist-Feminist perspective as a context in which preschool children express their understanding of gender and related issues. This qualitative study utilized critical discourse analysis to focus on the meaning created among children through their interaction while playing. The…