The authors discuss the shift in play-based educational experiences during the past decade in Guyana. They hold that nature-based play has become a type of pedagogy in decline and even at risk of extinction. Their study presents the status of nature play beginning with Guyana's national early childhood program in 1976 and employs a descriptive…

Despite the many benefits of play, within primary school, play is often reduced to lunch breaks, particularly as children move to higher grades. Loose parts play affords children opportunities to develop imagination and 21st-century skills (collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking). As part of a larger project, two Year 4…

This study presents the research that Pramling Samuelsson's keynote at the 32nd annual EECERA conference in Brighton 2024 drew upon. The study addresses an important but understudied feature of early childhood education and care for sustainability (ECECfS), namely engaging children in prospective or what-if thinking. Our reasoning is founded on…

Museum educators are well versed in employing multiple techniques for engaging museum visitors. Many use these skills and approaches to support marginalized and vulnerable populations, such as families with an incarcerated adult, families with food insecurity, or unhoused families. Determining how to carry out these beneficial intentions, however,…

Medical play is a play that involves medical themes and is used to familiarize children with the medical world. Few studies have examined medical play outside of the hospital or the affect displayed during medical play. This study examined differences in affect in non-hospitalized children participating in medical pretend play as compared to…

This article examines how 1043 toddlers (534 boys and 509 girls) aged 33 months cope with various play activities, from a gender perspective. Data were collected through structured observation using the authentic assessment material "Alle Med" (Everyone Included). Each child was assessed independently by two staff members familiar with…

Infant language learning depends on the distribution of co-occurrences "within" language--between words and other words--and "between" language content and events in the world. Yet infant-directed speech is not limited to words that refer to perceivable objects and actions. Rather, caregivers' utterances contain a range of…

Children often substitute one object for another during play. They may substitute a stick for a sword or a box for a car, often favouring substitutes that are shaped like the needed object. The current study looked at the roles of shape and specificity, the degree to which a possible substitute resembles something else, in children's object…

Bringing learning through play pedagogies to schools and children requires major investments in teacher professional development (TPD) that builds teachers' understanding of the value of learning through play, enables them to build and practice strategies and skills to support learning through play in the classroom, and supports their ongoing…

This article aims to provide insights of social justice awareness in young children's pretend play (2-6 years old) involving shopping activities in the nursery and the children's museum. Previous literature acknowledges the importance of grocery exhibits and relevant learning centres in the cognitive and socio-cultural development of children, but…

A substantial body of research highlights the value of nature experience in supporting children's well-being and development. Given the growing interest in connectedness to nature (C2N), a better understanding of C2N measurement provides multiple opportunities, including consideration of the use of tools for research purposes and practitioner…

This study developed an online role-playing history education game with real-person NPCs (Non-Player Characters). The game features real people playing NPC characters, and provides a multi-dimensional scaffolding mechanism with realistic story and historical scenes, allowing learners to engage in strategic planning and problem solving during a…

Playful practices have been linked to increased motivation, engagement, learning and skill development. However, limited research has explored what playful music learning might look like for primary schools, and how teachers might incorporate a range of playful music practices within their classrooms. Our conceptual model for playful music…

During childhood, teachers' perception of students' behavioral and academic performance, as well as storytelling and verbal fluency are of special relevance for reaching cognitive developmental milestones. However, little is still known about the interplay between these factors for students' success. This investigation aimed at exploring narrative…

In this qualitative study, preservice early childhood education teachers created block-based code to control robots and used the robots in field experience at local preschools. The study is grounded in a conceptual framework that weaves together playful programing and resilience, interlocking concepts that can explain sustained engagement during…