This article reports a survey of members of the International Toy Library Association and others in order to describe the international toy library/lekotek movement today. Information from 37 countries was evaluated and the similarities and differences among the toy libraries/lekoteks identified, as well as the various philosophies, aims, and…

To help parents address those aspects of their child's development which may need special encouragement, support, or intervention, this digest delineates 11 categories of behavior for assessment. Parents should not be alarmed if their children are having difficulty in only a few categories, and they should not judge their children's permanent…

Stability and predictive validity in the language and play development of 41 toddlers were studied. Links between language and symbolic play of toddlers were examined at 13 and 20 months in terms of homotypic, heterotypic, or mediated models of association. In the homotypic model, performance on a variable is related to performance on the same…

A study addressed the general issue of whether or not a touring college drama production would somehow stimulate greater interest, on the part of elementary teachers and students, in the use of drama as a classroom learning medium. Specifically addressed were whether (1) educational gains would be realized; (2) data would show measurable gains in…

Research on the relationship between fathers and their children was provided to the Select Committee on Children, Youth and Families. Six areas were highlighted in terms of what has been learned about the father/child relationship, what information is still needed, and policy implications. Principal assertions included the following points: (1)…

Improvisational gaming is a technique involving the use of theater and drama in the teaching of other subjects. The student uses intuition, sense-memory, and imagination in a holistic approach to learning which teaches social skills while it teaches subject matter. Everyone can act and improvise; getting everyone involved is seldom a problem as…

Reports a study investigating the relationship between cognitive styles and the preschool child's use of play areas in nursery schools, using daily observation and two tests of analytic perceptual ability. (ED)

This article describes the development of adaptive experience from passivity through the internalization of social limits and compares it to the ritualistic defensive behavior of children from economically deprived homes. Demonstrates how teachers may use creative materials and activities along a structured-to-fluid continuum to affect a program…

The optimal place to accentuate a sound physical fitness program for children at the elementary level is within a well-designed playground. The playground can offer natural fitness development and within this setting the physical education teacher can be the most influential with all children, not just with those who are physically active and…

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.…