This guide is comprised of activities designed to assist parents in facilitating the language development of typically developing children or children with communication problems, to assist teachers and child care providers in effectively communicating with preverbal children, and to assist speech/language professionals in including preverbal…

Maintaining order and preventing chaos in the classroom are major concerns of educators. However, for many teachers these concerns create a motivational dilemma. If a class lacks order, students tend to play and become over-excited instead of learning. On the other hand, if a class is strictly ordered, students become bored and make minimal effort…

This book demonstrates that therapeutic play can provide a solution to contemporary socialization problems. It provides a selection of games and activities that teach children about living in the world through the dynamics of play. Section 1, "Introduction," defines "play" and the philosophy and rules behind a healthy play…

A study involving eight boys with autism and eight boys with Down syndrome (ages 6-10) with similar adaptive behavior levels used an ecological approach to study the in-depth structure of the behavior stream. Narrative records were collected and analyzed based on duration and frequency of behaviors. Each record was analyzed by marking the behavior…

This book provides useful "how-to" information to help shelters create a safe, healthful, and supportive environment for their youngest residents. The chapters of the book are: (1) "The Effects of Homelessness on Children and Families" (Janice Molnar); (2) "Children and Domestic Violence: Recognizing Effects and Building…

This paper describes a pilot study emphasizing responsive research and incorporating the views of participants into recommendations for future research using classroom videotaping. The study was based on the sociocultural theory of Vygotsky (1978), which emphasizes the importance of an integrated perspective of child language and thought.…

Based on the view that child development occurs within a relationship involving mutuality and that development and the teaching/learning process are intertwined with the social environment, this book examines the critical relationship between child care providers and the young children they care for and teach. Along with an extended discussion of…

As part of a series designed to support parents and caregivers of young children in the home, this booklet focuses on providing opportunities for children to learn about music and develop listening skills. The booklet's introductory section focuses on the importance of music in our everyday lives, the role of music in culture and its connection…

Noting that play is the natural medium in which children express themselves and develop motor, cognitive, and social skills, this qualitative study examined the contribution of symbolic play and technology-assisted play and the classroom environment to the literacy development of third graders. A literature review of play theory and play-related…

The Creative Curriculum for early childhood education is a teaching framework that addresses children's emotional, cognitive, and physical development. This supplement to the Creative Curriculum is designed to enhance teachers' effectiveness in understanding how content is linked to teaching and learning in a developmentally appropriate curriculum…

The Creative Curriculum for early childhood education is a teaching framework that addresses children's emotional, cognitive, and physical development. This supplement to the Creative Curriculum is designed to enhance teachers' effectiveness in understanding how content is linked to teaching and learning in a developmentally appropriate curriculum…

This British book discusses the value of creative drama for people with learning disabilities, offers some basic principles of working with people with learning disabilities, and describes a variety of approaches to drama. An introduction discusses the optimal size of a creative drama group, the kind of work space needed, equipment, membership,…

This study examined how 3 Dominican children, ages 2 to 4 years old explore reading and writing in the context of their everyday lives and how adults and older siblings socialize young children into literacy. Data were collected during a school year. Each participant was observed 3 times a week for 2 hours per session, totaling approximately 200…

Part of a series for early years teachers in Scotland, this guide focuses on ways to provide creative opportunities that support and enhance child development. The guide discusses how to respect children's creativity while observing and developing their skills and suggests practical and creative alternatives to the mass production of identical…