The child's psychosocial and physiological development are discussed in terms of a limiting environment and program expectations. Some factors to consider are (1) heredity and heritage; (2) experience; (3) maturation; (4) social transmission; and (5) equilibration. Sensitive educators must prepare the environment for the child, not for the…

Examines the level of imaginative and social play of children in relation to family structure (single parent household versus dual parent household), maternal level of stress, and mothers' beliefs and attitudes about play. (BB)

Examines effects of age on play in which 36 low-socioeconomic Black children aged three and five coordinated their attention to objects and peers. The five-year-olds did not differ from the three-year-olds in amount of dual focus play or proportion of object play. (RJC)

The cognitive play of 12 mainstreamed mentally retarded preschool boys was examined during group free play at school and in an independent play situation at home. Children played more, played in a more sophisticated way, and developed longer and more complex sequenced play activities at home than at school. (Author/JDD)

Described is a curriculum project developed in Germany. The importance of playing and gaming for the acquisition of cognitive and social capacities, the relationships among acting, reasoning, and learning in physics instruction, and the spheres of subjective experience are discussed. The framework and evaluation of the curriculum are outlined. (YP)

It is important for caregivers and teachers to attach a sense of ownership and permanency to all types of childrens' play in the preschool and kindergarten classroom. Six suggestions that teachers can use to accomplish this goal are offered. Two examples illustrate the topic. (BB)

Female and male three- to five-year-olds were presented with six story starts and were asked to finish the stories. Analysis of these narratives showed boys to be more concerned with coping with aggressive drives and channeling them into attempts at mastery and girls with caretaking and responding to the needs of others. (Author)

Findings indicated that children who received group play sessions outperformed those in the control group on the self-control and free play rating scales. Boys in the experimental treatment outperformed girls in the experimental treatment and all children in the control group on the sociometric measure. (RH)

Observation of 18 three-year-old boys revealed that they reacted more positively to both of their parents when their play style was more physical and active, resembling the typical paternal style. (Author/BJV)

Infants' habituation and mothers' encouragement of attention were assessed at 5 months. Toddlers' language comprehension, language production, and pretense play, and mothers' encouragement of attention, were assessed at 13 months. Examined the contributions of infant habituation and maternal stimulation to toddlers' cognitive abilities. (PCB)

A third-year follow-up investigation of socioemotional behaviors of preterm and full-term infants videotaped mother-child and child-peer play sessions. Contributions of gender, birth status, attachment classification, and maternal contingency behavior to children's expressive development were examined. Results suggest that children learn greater…

Assessed the extent to which preferential personal attraction was associated with behavioral similarity among newly acquainted children. Found that "discriminating" children were more behaviorally similar to preferred playmates than nonpreferred playmates, both in terms of cognitive play style and social participation. (AA)

Examines issues related to current practice in early childhood special education in light of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP). Focuses on the appropriateness of DAP principles to the education of young children with disabilities, specifically the importance placed on play in mainstream early education and whether this can be transferred…

Reviews four journal articles on the following topics: (1) children's creative solutions to realistic and fanciful story problems; (2) Vygotskian perspectives on deafness and mother-child interaction; (3) outcomes-based education; and (4) the differences in play activities of at-risk and not-at-risk elementary school children. (TJQ)

Addresses drama in the early childhood classroom as a useful tool for focusing on many of the current concerns in education including problem solving, integration of curriculum, writing across the curriculum, and authentic assessment. (RS)