This article discusses the way in which children use tense to distinguish between different realities in games of pretend. (CFM)

Study shows that faster ILP students tended to dominate in dyadic interactions with slower learners during structured play situations, while equal dyads were composed of students with similar achievement rates. Study suggests that ILP might increase rather than reduce negative school attitudes, and that further research regarding this possibility…

Suggests future directions for study of sensitivity and its impact on early psychosocial development: (1) renewed attention to growth of attachment in context of other developing features of the parent-child relationship; (2) factors that moderate impact of sensitivity on developing security; (3) origins of individual differences in sensitivity;…

Examines current concerns of early childhood practitioners regarding the effects of popular toys such as Barbie dolls and Power Rangers on children's understanding of gender. Critiques traditional theories of sex role socialization and argues that feminist post-structuralist views of gender are useful in deciding if and how popular toys may be…

The Coombes County Infant and Nursery School, a semirural English school, is situated on a one-acre plot packed with ponds, orchards, flower and vegetable gardens, sheep and chicken enclosures, an outdoor theater, and wildlife habitats. The asphalt playground is painted for various games and activities. The principal's idea was to soften…

Investigated the content, degree of complexity, and wholeness of the transformation in symbolic play among same-age and mixed-age groups of 4- to 7-year olds in Slovenia. Results confirm that, in mixed-age groups, the role definition in symbolic play is provided on a higher level than in same-age groups, which enables social imaginative play to…

Presents an analysis of the speech practices of preschool children engaged in daily play and interactions, by adopting a perspective that recognizes young children organizing social membership through talk and activity. A reading based on traditional early childhood practices is contrasted with an alternative reading showing children constructing…

Argues that there are three areas to evaluate when creating safer playgrounds for children: environment, supervision, and education. Discusses the importance of safe and properly installed equipment, resilient surfacing, removal of hazards, proper maintenance, appropriate adult-to-child ratio, and enforcement of proper playground safety and injury…

Longitudinal data for 63 inner-city African American and Puerto Rican adolescent mothers and their firstborn children were used to examine relations among level of maternal depressive symptoms, mother-toddler conflict and contingent responses observed in play interactions, and maternal reports of child problem behaviors of toddlers of different…

Sometimes, the incidental, in-between, hang-loose, unstructured times in classrooms are teachers' and students' best times together. Examples are songs sung together before the bell rings for assembly, the anecdotes children share before daily morning exercises begin, and the complicated hand/clap/chants students teach each other in the "free…

Children's views of social approval for electronic game playing were studied with 364 fourth and fifth graders, 203 of whom were female. Many children endorsed statements indicating that social approval for game playing is consistent with common gender stereotypes. The greatest differences in perceived approval were found for "fighting…

This study investigated the effectiveness of teacher-implemented naturalistic language intervention within play activities for four elementary students with moderate mental disabilities. While students showed significant increases in numbers of spontaneous language targets used during the intervention condition, they demonstrated minimal…

Examined the effects of two forms of organization of pretend play on children's behavior in the cognitive and affective domains as observed in a mixed-age environment: teacher-directed frontal play, with all children involved, and child-directed small group play. Found a significant increase in cognitive domain behavior during child-directed group…

Investigated associations among constructive and destructive sibling conflict, pretend play, internal state language, and sibling relationship quality among sibling pairs with one kindergarten-age child. Found that specific resolution strategies were associated with conflict issues, aggression and internal state language, and that conflict issues…