Two children (ages four and five) with mild developmental delays and no appropriate toy play were trained individually on one topography for each toy. Previously reinforced topographies of toy play were then placed on extinction, resulting in the induction of untrained topographies. (Author/DB)

Examined four- through six-year olds' ability to diagram the configuration of a toy railway set they had assembled and to reconstruct the railway based on drawings. Found that motivation had a significant influence on the accuracy of drawings. Results suggest that semiotic activity with the help of schematic representations or drawings is in the…

Describes the educational thought of Friedrich Froebel and his substantial influence on early childhood education. Illuminates the historical influences on Froebel's philosophy, and how his ideas about Christianity affected his ideas on child-centeredness, on the role of play in construction of world knowledge, and on his concept of unity in…

The concept of whole language instruction is explained by means of examples from a kindergarten unit on the grocery store. Activities include visiting the supermarket, making stone soup, and creating a grocery store. Activities teach reading, writing, oral language, phonics, and word recognition. (DG)

Examined 13 preschool classes to determine whether the voluntary literacy behavior of children could be increased by means of teacher-guided introduction of reading and writing materials into dramatic play areas. Thematic play with teacher guidance and literacy materials yielded significantly increased literacy behavior. (SH)

The role of partner familiarity in the organization, duration, and content of social pretend play was studied in a triadic situation involving two friends and a third familiar child. Findings showed that play between friends was longer and richer than play with the third partner and that girls spent nearly twice as much time in fantasy as boys.…

Two crucial development tasks for elementary school children are coming to terms with their physical development and acquiring physical skills. Skill development in organized sports is considered from the point of view of student athletes and coaches. The value of free play versus adult-organized activities is discussed. (BC)

This paper suggests that a play-based environment (rather than the teacher-directed activities more typical of special education) is the most natural instructional context for young children with severe disabilities. Utilization of best practices in the fields of early childhood education, early childhood special education, and education of…

Reviews three books: (1) "Jeux Populaires Traditionnels pour les Enfants d'aujourd'hui" (Traditional Popular Games for Today's Children) (Jacqueline Theriault and Denise Garon); "Early Childhood Education" (B. Persky and L. Golubchick, editors); and "Playing to Learn: The Young Child, Teacher and the Classroom" (Weininger and Daniel). (AC)

Used both a noncontextual mode and a natural history mode of analyzing the emotionally charged dramas that form an important part of the socialization of Inuit children. Focused on a three year old's participation in such a drama. Analyzed themes and plots of the incident. (MM)

Six-year-old children were paired according to sociometric status and observed in limited-resource play situations. Their responses were coded in terms of focus on their own concerns or those of the other child. Low status dyads adopted a competitive stance more than high status dyads, who focused more on mutual benefit. (BC)

An effective intervention program which used a CREFT (child relationship enhancement family therapy) approach for changing problematic child behaviors is described. The approach features child-centered play therapy and employment of parents as primary change agents, and provides parents with the understanding and skills to facilitate behavioral…

Examined mothers' and infants' affect in play and infant sex as predictors of infants' response to the still-face situation. (PCB)

The out-of-seat behavior of a highly disruptive 4 year old with severe disabilities was substantially reduced using differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior. The boy's in-seat behavior expanded from less than a minute to 20 minutes. The providers' use of physical restraint decreased to near-zero levels, and the boy's appropriate toy…

Offers brief annotations of 68 children's picture books which all deal, in one way or another, with games and playing. (SR)