Investigated the quality of spontaneous play with sticks, nuts, and bolts in 18 children aged 44 months and the effects of this on a subsequent problem whose solution required 2 sticks to be bolted together. Children who discovered the elongation principle during play were better problem solvers than those who had not. (RJC)

Describes the creation of an arts playground at Queen's University, Ontario (Canada), containing "tools" for children and adults to direct their own explorations in the arts. Discusses how a classroom might function like such a playground, and considers the issues of structure, communication, and evaluation of students' progress. (SV)

Observations of playground behavior of kindergarteners and second- and fourth-grade students suggested that rough-and-tumble play led to games-with-rules for popular children, and to aggression for rejected children. Findings are discussed in terms of possible effects of the sociometric composition of rough-and-tumble play groups. (RH)

Describes Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, a behavioral family therapy approach for the psychological treatment of preschool children and their parents that emphasizes the integration of traditional child play therapy techniques within a behavioral framework of parent-child therapy. Implications for the treatment of a broad range of childhood…

The study found low to moderate correlations between cognitive and play measures for over 200 preschool children classified as mildly retarded, moderately retarded, borderline, and language disordered. Retarded and borderline groups achieved similar mental ages on both measures while language disordered and atypical groups demonstrated marked…

Observed full-term and high- and low-risk preterm infants in toy-centered interactions with their mothers. Found that high-risk infants were more likely than other infants to increase their play complexity when their mothers maintained attention. All infants displayed greater play complexity when their mothers used structured interaction than when…

This paper describes the integration of nine preschool children with blindness into a regular preschool program in Sweden. It focuses on the first introductory period; the children's strategies in orienting within the environment and exploring objects and toys; their participation in play; and their social interaction with sighted peers and…

Forty-eight four-year-olds grouped in quartets of same-sex unfamiliar peers were observed during five play and activity tasks. Found that, although solitary-passive, solitary-active, and reticent behaviors were nonsignificantly intercorrelated, reticence was associated with demonstrations of anxiety and hovering near others; maternal ratings of…

The self-injurious behaviors of nine subjects with developmental disabilities were observed in settings in which play materials, experimenter demands, or social attention were systematically varied. Although there was much between-subject and within-subject variability, higher levels of self-injury were consistently associated with a specific…

This article discusses what play is, why teachers of students with disabilities should be interested in it, how it can be a useful tool in the elementary school classroom, and its beneficial effects in the context of the family. The sequential development of play activities is outlined, and two scales are presented for assessing play development.…

Examined the relationship between variation in 840 children's cognitive activities and child-care quality, interaction with teachers, and children's play activities and attachment security with their child-care teachers. In 7 of the 8 subsamples, 15 to 30% of the variability in cognitive activities could be predicted from positive social…

Notes that while hitting-aggressive behavior is probably the greatest single behavior concern of teachers, children can be taught appropriate behavior for the classroom. Offers tips for dealing with: roughhousing; existing problems; grabbing toys; and war games, guns, or violent play. Suggests allowing children the choice of an alternative…

The contributions of age, gender, race, and socioeconomic status to differences in 223 nonreferred (i.e., presumably nonabused) preschool aged children's interactions with anatomically correct dolls were explored. Significant findings were related to age differences and different activities when the interviewer was or was not in the room with the…

Compared the mother-infant interactions of first-time mothers with depression and without depression two, four and six months after giving birth. Found that women whose depression lasted through six months were less positive with their infants across three contexts (feeding, face-to-face interaction, and toy play) than women whose depression was…

Provides vignettes of self-directed discovery time in a preprimary classroom to see how to generate mathematically valuable experiences. (MKR)