Adventure programs and philosophies can be an effective means for realizing violence prevention programming goals. Collaborative, noncompetitive activities help children develop a heightened sense of empathy and perspective, create and apply supportive behavioral norms, and in turn, improve conduct and climate in schools. Sample programs include…

A qualitative study of children's museums' successful inquiry-based learning environments is described, focusing on four students with various exceptional learning needs. Benefits for the students in terms of scaffolded instruction, meaningful and contextualized activities, self-regulated learning, the establishment of learning communities, play,…

Developmental research and educational practice involve conversations between children and adults. The conversational aspects of these situations have rarely been occasions for reflection. Discrepancies between the child's expectations and the adult's intentions can lead to misunderstanding, for example, at school or during a research interview.…

This study investigated the unique contributions of joint attention, imitation, and toy play to language ability and rate of development of communication skills in young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Sixty preschool-aged children with ASD were assessed using measures of joint attention, imitation, toy play, language, and…

In discussing the myth that technology has no benefit to the world of play, there seems to be little doubt that technology has made the task of assessing children's activity levels and identifying types of behaviors a simpler and more reliable process. There are three major approaches currently used to measure the amount of physical activity…

Developing kindness and compassion for others is a critical part of young children's development. The ability to accept others--even if they are different--and feel compassion for them is an essential component of social competency which is just as important as any academic training. Teaching acceptance and compassion through play can be great…

End-of-year student play days are frequently a tradition that provides elementary students an opportunity to be active in a fun, festive environment. Physical educators can use play days as a time to authentically assess their students while the students are enjoying the activities. Those planned by the students themselves have been found to be…

The present study was designed to examine the relations between parental pessimism and peer relations and health in preschool children and to examine the role that child positive and negative affect played within this relationship. Thirty-seven mothers and their children (mean age = 48.1 months) volunteered from local preschools and daycares…

Many early childhood professionals recommend the use of learning centers in classrooms for young children (Kostelnik, Soderman, & Whiren, 2004). Centers provide children with opportunities for making choices, working with others, being involved in hands-on activities, and becoming fully engaged in learning. In contrast, traditional classroom…

Most early years practitioners heed this advice--"Well planned play, both indoors and outdoors, is a key way in which young children learn with enjoyment and challenge (DFEE/QCA, 2000, P. 25)--and provide environments in which children can play. Sefton LEA wanted staff to provide opportunities for children to construct "places to…

Indices of marital discord and mother-child affective processes were used to predict levels of negativity children displayed with unfamiliar peers. Thirty-nine mothers and their 5-year-olds were observed with 5-7 other mother-child dyads during a 30-minute free play session. Mother and child negativity were coded and two types of marital discord…

There is considerable interest in the role of mental state language in theory of mind development. This study examines cognitive and desire state discourse of 43 mothers during play interactions with their two-year-old children and theory of mind as indicated by a battery of false belief tasks around the age of five. Desire state comments of…

Sports-related injuries are among the more common causes of injury in adolescents that can result in concussion and its sequelae, postconcussion syndrome and second-impact syndrome (SIS). Students who experience multiple brain injuries within a short period of time (hours, days, or weeks) may suffer catastrophic or fatal reactions related to SIS.…

Within '"communicative language teaching," "natural" language has had a privileged position, and a focus on form has been seen as something inauthentic or as something that is inconsequential for learning (for a critique, see Kramsch and Sullivan 1996; Cook 1997). Yet in the present study of an immersion classroom, it was found that children with…

Our study examined stability of self-regulation and affective expression in children with autism or Down syndrome over a 2 year period. A behaviorally anchored rating scale was used to assess a self-regulation factor (attention, adaptability, object orientation, and persistence), negative affect factor (hostility, irritability, and compliance),…