The Preschool Interest Inventory (PSII) has been developed to meet the need for an informal measure of the interests, play behaviors, and communication skills of young children between the ages of 2 and 6 years, particularly those exhibiting delays in language development. The first step in the Inventory process is the Caregiver Interview. In the…

This guide provides a series of activities adapted for children's solitary play. Eight different categories are presented: construction, dramatic play, arts and crafts, science, small muscle/indoor games, music and movement, language, and food-related experiences. Each activity is organized according to materials, kit construction, and kit…

In a study that aimed to distinguish three levels of peer relationship and assess behavior at the three levels, a within-subjects design was used to investigate target preschool children's behavior toward their best friends, associates, and acquaintances in preschool classes. For 6 weeks, 22 target children in 7 classes were observed while they…

This study was intended to examine: (1) the kinds of conflict preschool children between 2 and 5 years of age become involved in; (2) the methods children use in dealing with such conflicts; (3) the outcomes of the conflicts; and (4) differences in behavior according to age and gender of children. Recorded were random samples of conflict…

A study of children's language use in narratives given during play examined the longitudinal development of different linguistic systems of narrative structure: pronominal, clausal, and temporal. The narrative and dialogue in play with small toy figures was observed in eight children between the ages of 2 and 7. The findings suggest certain…

Discussed are three issues in early childhood education that have been addressed extensively by the research literature, namely: (1) the risks of early academic pressures on young children; (2) the importance of play in early childhood education; and (3) interaction as the context for early learning. Several reasons that child development and…

This report surveys nine different toys with "victim" characteristics which are designed for children of 4-5 years and older. The toys were on display in toy shops, department stores, and supermarkets. The toys included doll-like figures with disfigurations, mutilations, mental and physical disabilities, heads which fly off, and eyes which can be…

Are children's same-sex affiliations due to genetically sex-linked behavioral tendencies or are they a result of power and privilege differentials in the larger society that discourage girls from engaging in cross-sex interaction? Sex cleavages in naturally occurring toddler peer groups were investigated by examining playmate preferences and…

Highlighting pertinent research in the area of young children's development of humor, this paper reviews four areas from a cognitive-developmental perspective: (1) humor as a cognitive process, (2) humor and the developmental process, (3) research on young children's humor, and (4) humor and early childhood education. First, the structural…

A study was made of the relationship between children's play behaviors and sociometric status, with particular attention to the influence of play materials on behavior. Subjects were 95 children, ranging in age from 44 to 60 months, attending 10 preschool classrooms. Sixty observations were made of each child's play behaviors. Sociometric measures…

A perspective on artistic creativity developed by an artist and a psychologist is presented. The artist approaches art as a semiotic system built upon relations between visual isomorphisms. The psychologist is concerned with the origins of analogical thought in children's symbolic play and its possible maturation into a component of adult…

While group singing of composed songs and the singing that takes place during circle games are the commonest forms of music instruction for young children, children should also be encouraged to engage in free musical play or spontaneous singing. In spontaneous singing, the child creates a song at a moment's notice while engaged in play. Free…

A recent Australian controversy over the representation of a same-sex family on national children's television highlighted the fact that early childhood remains a domain of strongly defended heteronormative family privilege. The authors use this controversial event as a springboard into an analysis of the interplay between the hegemonic discourses…

Coping behavior was assessed for 74 children, at 2-1/2 years of age in an experimental barrier situation and at 7-1/2 years of age a novel play situation. Analyses indicate relationships between effective coping behaviors and other measures of child development in the preschool and early school-age periods. (SDH)

To demonstrate that a pediatric clinic provides a natural framework for an educational program involving parents as the primary teachers of young children, a parent education program was incorporated into the playroom program of the Mount Sinai Hospital Pediatric Clinic in New York City. (Author/CS)