Defining creative drama as a teaching process that uses the inherent ability of each person to explore ideas, behavior patterns, and human relationships, this monograph is designed to help teachers create a working environment within which this process can be most productive. Various sections of the monograph provide information about how creative…

This study explored the relationships between parents' reports of their children's play with imaginary playmates at home and (1) observational ratings of children's imagination, positive emotionality, concentration, social behavior and use of language during free play at nursery school, and (2) parents' records of their children's television…

This study was designed to compare the toy/activity preferences of a group of young children, as measured by traditional procedures, with their spontaneous toy/activity choices as they occur during unstructured periods of free play. Participants in the study included fifty-seven 4-year-old children enrolled in three half-day nursery school…

The continuity of play styles of preschool children over a 1-year period was observed and related to teacher and peer reinforcement patterns influenced by sex stereotypes. Sixty-seven children, aged 18 months to 58 months, were observed in a natural setting using a behavior checklist consisting of 33 child behavior categories and 15 teacher- and…

This investigation attempts to replicate previous studies by Spivak and Shure regarding the relationship between cognitive interpersonal problem-solving capacity and behavioral adjustment in 4-year-old children. Although Spivack and Shure's only measure of behavioral adjustment was teacher ratings (with the teachers aware of the purpose of the…

The contribution of cognitive and affective experiences on empathy in children was assessed. It was expected that children receiving experience with both components would show more empathy than those receiving experience with only one or neither of these components. Six- to eight-year-olds participated in two phases, Training and Assessment. In…

Concomitant with a child's acquisition of phonological, syntactic, and semantic rules of an adult language is the need to learn pragmatic and contextual abilities for proper use of the language. As early language acquisition is closely allied with play, three children aged about 22 to 40 months were observed during play activities to determine…

This study was undertaken to explore the cultural stereotype that boys are more object-oriented and girls are more people-oriented. A total of 38 white, middle class, preschool children were observed during their free play hour at nursery school when a variety of people and objects were freely available to them. Each child was observed with a time…

This study examined the extent to which situational context differentially influences components of play. Two groups of play variables were distinguished: (1) style variables, (reflecting the overall tempo and diversity of play) and viewed as relatively sensitive indicators of short term reactions of situations; and (2) structural variables,…

This study investigated the pretend play behavior of 16 boys and girls aged 12 and 18 months. Each child was presented a standard set of stimulus materials during two home visits. For each of three 10-minute episodes, the child's pretend activities were recorded by means of a coded observation schedule. During episode 1 the child played alone,…

Oral language development, the single most important factor in determining readiness for reading, may be enhanced through creative drama, especially role playing. Role playing is spontaneous play which traditionally has served many purposes, including promoting socialization. It can also be a unique method of recreating historical episodes in…

This study was designed to: (1) obtain ecological data on the social behaviors of children in the preschool classroom especially in freeplay settings, and (2) identify characteristics of the physical environment and program variables which support, attenuate, or preclude social behaviors and social development. Observations were made of 16 3-, 4-,…

The object of this study was to determine the extent to which children displayed predictable, recurring patterns of behavior when engaged in self-selected activities. Subjects were four girls and three boys, 4 years of age, all from middle class urban families. The classroom's free play space was divided into four equal areas. Toys were divided…

This paper focuses on the importance of play for a child's physical, emotional, cognitive, and social development. Three major purposes of the report are: (1) to persuade those concerned with the education of young children that play is an essential activity for children's well-being and should be facilitated at home and in the classroom, (2) to…

The relationships among improvisational movement, creative drama, "movement thinking," and motivation for learning in children are explored in this book. Chapters deal with (1) the meaning of movement and drama, (2) a clarification of the teacher's role and the capabilities of children, (3) sensory awareness activities, (4) body awareness--e.g.,…